Essential Turkey: Self-Launched

Touch down in Istanbul and get your bearings in one of the world's great cities. Check into your hostel or budget hotel in the Sultanahmet or Beyoğlu district — both are well-connected and packed with atmosphere. Spend the afternoon wandering the streets, grab a döner or a bowl of lentil soup from a local spot, and soak in the energy of this extraordinary city straddling two continents.

🚌Airport to city centre: Metro M11 from Istanbul Airport to Gayrettepe, then M2 to Sultanahmet area — ~£1.50. Or Havabus airport shuttle ~£6.

🛏Cheers Hostel or World House Hostel (Sultanahmet) — dorm from ~£12/night, private room from ~£30/night

• →Arrive and check in to your hostel/budget hotel in Sultanahmet or Beyoğlu
• →Self-guided wander through the Grand Bazaar or Galata Bridge area
• →Try a street food dinner: simit, döner or balık ekmek (fish sandwich) by the waterfront

Start your cultural deep-dive with Istanbul's most iconic landmarks. The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) is free to enter outside prayer times — arrive early to beat crowds. Sultanahmet Square (the old Hippodrome) is right outside and free to explore, with the Theodosius Obelisk, Serpent Column and Walled Obelisk all visible. Consider also booking a GetYourGuide walking tour of Sultanahmet for added context. In the afternoon, explore independently — the Topkapi Palace, Bosphorus shoreline or the Spice Bazaar are all nearby. In the evening, head to a local meyhane (tavern) for a communal dinner.

🚌All walkable from Sultanahmet — no transport needed

🛏Cheers Hostel or World House Hostel (Sultanahmet)

• →Visit the Blue Mosque — free entry (closed during prayer times, bring a headscarf)
• →Explore Sultanahmet Square / Hippodrome — free
• →Optional: Book a Sultanahmet walking tour via GetYourGuide (~£15pp)
• →Optional: Visit Topkapi Palace (~£18pp) or Hagia Sophia (~£16pp)
• →Free afternoon: Spice Bazaar, Bosphorus walk or Beyoğlu neighbourhood

Take an early bus from Istanbul's Esenler bus terminal (otogar) to Çanakkale (~4.5 hrs, ~£10). Many travellers stop at Gallipoli en route by joining a half-day Gallipoli tour from Çanakkale — these are widely available and excellent value. The battlefields and Allied cemeteries are profoundly moving. Afterwards, take the short public ferry across the Dardanelles strait from Eceabat to Çanakkale (~£0.80, runs every hour) and check into your guesthouse.

🚌Bus Istanbul → Çanakkale ~£10. Ferry Eceabat → Çanakkale ~£0.80.

🛏Anzac House Hostel or Kervansaray Hotel, Çanakkale — dorm from ~£10/night, private from ~£28/night

• →Take a Metro Turizm or Kamil Koç bus from Istanbul Esenler Otogar to Çanakkale (~£10, ~4.5hrs)
• →Book a Gallipoli half-day minibus tour from Çanakkale — via GetYourGuide or local operators (~£20pp)
• →Visit ANZAC Cove, Lone Pine Cemetery and Chunuk Bair memorial
• →Take the public ferry from Eceabat back to Çanakkale (~£0.80)
• →Evening: Explore Çanakkale's waterfront and try local seafood

Take a local dolmuş (minibus) from Çanakkale to the Troy archaeological site (~£2, 30 mins). Entry to Troy is ~£10 and the site is well-signposted with English information boards, so a guide isn't essential — though a local guide can be hired on-site if you want more depth. After Troy, catch a bus south to Ayvalık (~2hrs, ~£6) for a waterfront lunch of meze and fresh fish. Then take an afternoon bus to Selçuk (~3hrs, ~£8) — the jumping-off point for Ephesus and a lovely small town in its own right.

🚌Dolmuş Çanakkale → Troy ~£2. Bus Çanakkale → Ayvalık ~£6. Bus Ayvalık → Selçuk ~£8.

🛏Homeros Pension or Naz Han Hotel, Selçuk — double from ~£25/night

• →Dolmuş from Çanakkale to Troy (~£2, 30 mins)
• →Explore Troy archaeological site, including the replica wooden horse — entry ~£10
• →Optional: hire a local site guide (~£12) for richer storytelling
• →Bus to Ayvalık (~£6) — lunch of meze by the harbour
• →Bus from Ayvalık to Selçuk (~£8)
• →Evening walk around Selçuk, visit the Basilica of St John (free exterior)

Head to Ephesus early to beat the heat and the crowds — the site is a short dolmuş ride or 30-min walk from Selçuk. Wander the marble-paved streets, the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre, and the baths. After Ephesus, take a local dolmuş up to the hilltop village of Şirince (~£1.50, 20 mins) for a cooking class. Women-led cooking experiences in Şirince can be booked via GetYourGuide or directly with local restaurants — a session covering mezes, a clay pot stew and dessert typically costs ~£30–40pp and includes lunch. Afterwards, take an afternoon bus from Selçuk to Pamukkale (~3hrs, ~£9).

🚌Dolmuş Selçuk → Ephesus ~£1. Dolmuş Selçuk → Şirince ~£1.50. Bus Selçuk → Pamukkale ~£9.

🛏Melrose House Hotel or Aspawa House, Pamukkale — double from ~£22/night

• →Dolmuş or walk from Selçuk to Ephesus — entry ~£14
• →Explore Ephesus: Library of Celsus, Great Theatre, marble streets, gymnasium and baths
• →Dolmuş to Şirince village (~£1.50)
• →Book a women-led Turkish cooking class via GetYourGuide (~£30–40pp, includes lunch)
• →Bus from Selçuk to Pamukkale (~£9, ~3hrs)
• →Check in and rest up before tomorrow's Cotton Castle adventure

An early morning visit to Pamukkale's travertine terraces is magical — arrive before 9am to enjoy the Cotton Castle almost to yourself. Entry to Pamukkale and the Hierapolis ruins is combined (~£14). Remove your shoes at the base and wade through the warm mineral-rich pools. Up the hill, Hierapolis is a sprawling Greco-Roman city with an extraordinary theatre, monumental fountain, extensive necropolis and the sacred Plutonium. After, take an afternoon bus to Antalya (buses run from Denizli bus station, ~£10, ~3.5hrs). Spend the evening exploring Kaleiçi, Antalya's stunning old town.

🚌Dolmuş Pamukkale → Denizli otogar ~£1.50. Bus Denizli → Antalya ~£10.

🛏Sabah Pansiyon or White Garden Pansiyon, Kaleiçi Antalya — double from ~£28/night

• →Visit Pamukkale travertine terraces — wade the thermal pools (shoes off required)
• →Explore Hierapolis ruins: theatre, necropolis, temple and baths — combined entry with Pamukkale ~£14
• →Optional: swim in the Antique Pool (Cleopatra's Pool) among sunken Roman columns (~£10 extra)
• →Bus from Denizli otogar to Antalya (~£10, ~3.5hrs — take a dolmuş from Pamukkale to Denizli otogar first, ~£1.50)
• →Evening wander through Kaleiçi old town and harbour

Join a shared minibus day trip from Antalya to Perge and Aspendos — easily bookable via GetYourGuide, Klook or local tour desks for ~£25–35pp. Perge is a wonderfully preserved Hellenistic-Roman city with a colonnaded street, gymnasium and baths. A short drive away, Aspendos boasts one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in the world, seating 15,000 — still used for concerts today. Back in Antalya by mid-afternoon, spend your free time at Konyaaltı or Lara Beach, or explore the Antalya Archaeological Museum (~£5pp), which houses many of the finds from Perge.

🚌Day tour transport included in tour price (~£25–35pp). All else walkable.

🛏Sabah Pansiyon or White Garden Pansiyon, Kaleiçi Antalya

• →Book a Perge & Aspendos day tour from Antalya via GetYourGuide (~£25–35pp, includes transport)
• →Explore Perge: colonnaded streets, gymnasium, Roman baths and theatre — entry ~£8
• →Visit Aspendos Roman theatre, one of the world's best-preserved — entry ~£10
• →Free afternoon: Konyaaltı Beach (free), Antalya Archaeological Museum (~£5) or Kaleiçi old town
• →Farewell dinner at a rooftop restaurant in Kaleiçi

Enjoy a final Turkish breakfast — perhaps çay (tea), simit, fresh olives and white cheese — before heading to Antalya Airport for your onward flight. The airport is ~12km from the city centre; Havaş airport shuttle runs regularly from the city (~£3) or a taxi costs ~£8–10. If your flight is late, you have time for one last wander through Kaleiçi or a final dip at the beach.

🚌Havaş airport shuttle from city centre ~£3, or taxi ~£8–10.

• →Final Turkish breakfast at your guesthouse or a local kahvaltı (breakfast) spot
• →Optional: last swim at Konyaaltı Beach or final wander of Kaleiçi
• →Havaş bus or taxi to Antalya Airport