Self-Launched Turkey to Georgia Highlights: Istanbul to Tbilisi Overland

Fly into Istanbul (IST or SAW). Take the metro/Marmaray into Sultanahmet or the cheaper Havatas/Metro combo from SAW (~£3-5). Check into a Sultanahmet or Karakoy hostel/guesthouse. In the evening walk the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia squares lit up at night and grab a cheap iskender kebab or balik ekmek.

🚌Airport metro/Marmaray ~£3-5

🛏Sultanahmet or Karakoy hostel or family guesthouse (dorm or basic private, £18-25)

• →Evening walk of the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia squares
• →Cheap street-food dinner

Full free day in Istanbul: Hagia Sophia (book timed ticket ~£22), Basilica Cistern (~£22), Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar, Galata Tower and a Bosphorus ferry ride on the public ferry (~£2-4, far cheaper than the tourist cruise). Topkapi Palace is optional. In the evening take an overnight intercity bus to Canakkale (~£25-30, 6-7 hrs) or stay another night if you prefer a slower pace.

🚌Public Bosphorus ferry ~£3; overnight bus Istanbul–Canakkale ~£27

🛏Overnight bus to Canakkale, or second night in Istanbul hostel

• →Hagia Sophia self-booked timed entry
• →Basilica Cistern
• →Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar
• →Public ferry Bosphorus crossing
• →Galata Tower exterior/optional climb

Join a small-group Gallipoli day tour from Canakkale (bookable via GetYourGuide or local operators, ~£45-60) covering ANZAC Cove, Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair and the war cemeteries, with the Eceabat ferry crossing included in most tours. Cheaper alternative: take the ferry to Eceabat (~£2) and use the marked walking trails and information boards yourself. Return to Canakkale for the night; wander the seafront and see the Trojan Horse prop from the film.

🚌Ferry crossing ~£2; tour minibus included in tour price

🛏Canakkale guesthouse/pension (~£20-28)

• →Gallipoli battlefields day tour
• →ANZAC Cove and Lone Pine
• →Canakkale waterfront evening walk

Morning local dolmus to Troy (~£3) and explore the ruins and the Trojan Horse with a self-guided audio tour or a cheap site guide (~£7 entry). Continue south by bus via Ayvalik (stop for lunch by the harbour and browse the local handicraft co-op Cöp(m)adam in Ayvalik if it appeals) and on to Selcuk (~£15-18 total). Settle into a Selcuk pension near the Basilica of St John.

🚌Dolmus to Troy ~£3; intercity buses Çanakkale–Ayvalik–Selcuk ~£16

🛏Selcuk family pension/guesthouse (~£20-25)

• →Troy archaeological site self-guided visit
• →Ayvalik harbour stop and handicraft co-op visit

Get to Ephesus at opening (local minibus ~£2, entry ~£22) and walk the Harbour Street, Library of Celsus and Great Theatre before the crowds. Visit the Temple of Artemis nearby. In the afternoon take a short Turkish cooking/pide-making workshop with a local Selcuk family or small cooking school (bookable direct or via GetYourGuide, ~£25-35) and eat the results. Evening bus or train onward toward Konya/Cappadocia.

🚌Minibus to Ephesus ~£2; overnight bus Selcuk–Konya ~£18

🛏Overnight bus to Konya/Cappadocia, or a night in Selcuk/Kusadasi if you prefer

• →Ephesus at opening time
• →Temple of Artemis
• →Pide-making workshop with local host

Break the journey in Konya: visit the Mevlana Museum (Mevlana Tomb and Whirling Dervish lodge, entry ~£3) and the Selimiye Mosque, then grab cheap Konya etli ekmek for lunch. Continue by bus to Nevsehir/Goreme (~£8-10, ~4 hrs). Check into a Goreme cave hostel/guesthouse and catch sunset from the Sunset Point viewpoint with a cay in hand.

🚌Local tram in Konya ~£0.50; bus Konya–Goreme ~£9

🛏Goreme cave hostel or family pension (~£18-25)

• →Mevlana Museum and Whirling Dervish lodge
• →Selimiye Mosque
• →Sunset at Goreme Sunset Point

Optional sunrise hot air balloon (book direct with a licensed operator or via GetYourGuide, ~£150-190 — the single biggest optional splurge). Then self-guided hike the Rose and Red Valleys and Love Valley fairy chimneys (free), take a dolmus to Kaymakli underground city (~£2, entry ~£7) and explore the tunnels. In the evening join a small-group village dinner with a local Cappadocian family (bookable via GetYourGuide or local agencies, ~£25-35) for home-cooked seasonal dishes.

🚌Local dolmus ~£2-4

🛏Goreme cave hostel or family pension

• →Optional sunrise hot air balloon flight
• →Self-guided Rose/Red Valley hike
• →Kaymakli underground city
• →Village dinner with local family

Visit the Goreme Open Air Museum with its rock-cut churches and frescoes (~£8), take a cheap pottery workshop in Avanos (some free demos), and join a Turkish bath in Goreme or Nevsehir (~£25) if you fancy a rest day. Book your onward flight or bus tonight — a domestic flight Nevsehir/Kayseri–Adiyaman or Istanbul is easiest for the southeast leg (Pegasus/Turkish, ~£30-45 if booked ahead).

🚌Local buses/dolmus ~£3; optional airport transfer ~£8

🛏Goreme cave hostel or family pension

• →Goreme Open Air Museum
• →Avanos pottery workshop demo
• →Optional Turkish bath

Fly to Adiyaman (or take a long bus if budget-tight). Check into a basic Adiyaman or Kahta hotel, then join an afternoon Mt Nemrut sunset tour from Kahta (shared minibus tours ~£25-35 including Karakus Tumulus, Cendere Bridge and the summit climb) to see the colossal stone heads at golden hour.

🚌Domestic flight ~£35; shared sunset tour minibus included in tour

🛏Kahta or Adiyaman hotel/guesthouse (~£20-25)

• →Mt Nemrut summit at sunset
• →Karakus Tumulus monument
• →Cendere Roman bridge

Take a shared tour or a local bus/dolmus combo south. Stop at the Ataturk Dam viewpoint, then the Cendere/Kahta route to Gobekli Tepe — the world's oldest known temple complex (~£10 entry, self-guided audio available). Continue to Sanliurfa (Urfa) for the night; in the evening see the Balikligol sacred fish pools and stroll the old bazaar.

🚌Shared tour or dolmus/bus ~£15-20

🛏Sanliurfa guesthouse/hotel (~£20-25)

• →Ataturk Dam viewpoint
• →Gobekli Tepe archaeological site
• →Balikligol pools and Urfa old bazaar

Bus to Mardin (~£6-8, ~2.5 hrs). Mardin's UNESCO-listed limestone old town is a self-guided open-air museum — walk the alleys from Ulu Cami down to the Mesopotamian plain viewpoint, visit the Latifiye Mosque and the Tellallar Bazaar spice market, and catch sunset from the terrace of a tea house above the plain. Optional evening dinner in a historic han.

🚌Bus Sanliurfa–Mardin ~£7

🛏Mardin old-town guesthouse/stone house (~£22-30)

• →Mardin old town walking circuit
• →Latifiye Mosque and Tellallar Bazaar
• →Sunset over the Mesopotamian plain

Long but scenic bus ride east to Van (~£12-15, 5-6 hrs). In the afternoon take a dolmus to Gevas and the short boat to Akdamar Island (~£8-12 return incl. boat, island entry) to see the 10th-century Armenian Church of the Holy Cross and its carvings. Return to Van for a simple dinner — try Van's famous breakfast spread if you eat early.

🚌Bus Mardin–Van ~£13; dolmus and boat ~£10

🛏Van city guesthouse/hotel (~£20-25)

• →Akdamar Island boat trip
• →Church of the Holy Cross
• →Van lakeside walk

Morning climb to Van Castle (~£2 entry) for views over the lake, then take a bus east to Dogubeyazit (~£10-12, 3.5 hrs) beneath Mt Ararat. Afternoon visit to Ishak Pasha Palace (~£3 entry) — one of Turkey's most spectacular settings. Stay in Dogubeyazit and sort your onward transport to Kars or the Georgian border.

🚌Bus Van–Dogubeyazit ~£11

🛏Dogubeyazit simple hotel (~£18-22)

• →Van Castle
• →Ishak Pasha Palace
• →Mt Ararat views

Bus to Kars (~£8, 3 hrs). Take a shared taxi to Ani (~£15-20 return for the vehicle, split between passengers), the ruined medieval Armenian capital on the closed border, and explore the churches and city walls yourself. Back in Kars, visit the Kars Museum and walk the Baltic-style grid streets; eat Kars gravyer cheese and honey for breakfast tomorrow.

🚌Bus to Kars ~£8; shared taxi to Ani ~£5-7 per person

🛏Kars guesthouse/hotel (~£20-25)

• →Ani archaeological site
• →Kars Museum
• →Kars old town walk

Shared taxi or bus from Kars to the Akhalkalaki/Kartsakhi border crossing, then on to Tbilisi (or the easier marshrutka/bus via Akhalkalaki, ~£15-20 total). Border formalities are straightforward for UK/EU passports. Arrive Tbilisi and check into a Sololaki or Old Town hostel/guesthouse. Evening walk down Rustaveli Avenue and across the Peace Bridge for the lit-up skyline.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Kars–Akhalkalaki–Tbilisi ~£18

🛏Tbilisi Old Town/Sololaki hostel or guesthouse (~£15-22)

• →Akhalkalaki border crossing
• →Rustaveli Avenue and Peace Bridge evening walk

Join a free/pay-what-you-want Tbilisi walking tour (tip-based, ~£8-10 tip) covering the Old Town, Sioni Cathedral, Metekhi Church and the Narikala fortress cable car (~£1). Visit the Tbilisi Caravanserai remains and the Abanotubani sulphur bath district — book a private bath room (~£12-18). Dinner of khinkali and khachapuri at a locals' spot in Marjanishvili.

🚌Metro ~£0.30 a ride; Narikala cable car ~£1

🛏Tbilisi Old Town/Sololaki hostel or guesthouse

• →Tip-based Old Town walking tour
• →Metekhi Church and Narikala fortress
• →Caravanserai visit
• →Abanotubani sulphur bath (optional)

Marshrutka from Tbilisi's Didube station to Kazbegi/Stepantsminda (~£8, 3 hrs) along the Georgian Military Highway. Stop at the Ananuri fortress en route if your driver allows. From Kazbegi hike up to Gergeti Trinity Church (~1.5 hrs each way, free) or take a shared 4x4 (~£12 split). Stay overnight in a Kazbegi guesthouse with mountain views.

🚌Marshrutka Tbilisi–Kazbegi ~£8

🛏Kazbegi family guesthouse (~£15-20, breakfast often included)

• →Georgian Military Highway scenery
• →Gergeti Trinity Church hike
• →Mount Kazbek views

Morning khinkali-making class with a Kazbegi guesthouse host (~£15-20, often arranged directly with your guesthouse or via a local agency) — learn the 20-pleat technique and eat lunch. Stop at the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument viewpoint on the way back, then marshrutka to Tbilisi in the afternoon. Evening free in Tbilisi.

🚌Marshrutka Kazbegi–Tbilisi ~£8

🛏Tbilisi Old Town/Sololaki hostel or guesthouse (~£15-22)

• →Khinkali cooking class
• →Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument viewpoint

Morning marshrutka to Gori (~£3) to see the Stalin Museum and the Gori fortress, then a local taxi or marshrutka to Uplistsikhe (~£6-8, entry ~£3) — the ancient rock-hewn town. Continue west by bus or marshrutka to Kutaisi (~£8-10, 3 hrs). Evening orientation walk around the Colchis fountain and central square.

🚌Marshrutkas Gori–Uplistsikhe–Kutaisi ~£15 total

🛏Kutaisi guesthouse/hostel (~£14-20)

• →Gori Stalin Museum and fortress
• →Uplistsikhe cave town
• →Kutaisi central square walk

Day trip from Kutaisi to Martvili Canyon (~£12-15 shared taxi or tour) for the short boat ride through the gorge (~£3-5) and walking trail, and stop at Gelati Monastery and Bagrati Cathedral if time allows. In the afternoon take a bus or marshrutka back east to Tbilisi (~£8), or break the journey at Mtskheta for the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Jvari Monastery (both free, UNESCO-listed). Arrive Tbilisi for a final night.

🚌Shared taxi to Martvili ~£10; bus Kutaisi–Mtskheta–Tbilisi ~£8

🛏Tbilisi Old Town/Sololaki hostel or guesthouse (~£15-22)

• →Martvili Canyon boat ride and trail
• →Gelati Monastery (optional)
• →Mtskheta Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Jvari

Final morning: Dezerter Bazaar for spices and churchkhela, the Chronicle of Georgia monument, or a last khachapuri breakfast. Take the metro/bus to Tbilisi airport (~£1) or a taxi (~£10) for your onward or return flight. Buy your Georgian wine and chacha at a shop rather than the airport for better prices.

🚌Metro/bus to Tbilisi airport ~£1-2, or taxi ~£10

🛏None (departure day)

• →Dezerter Bazaar shopping
• →Optional Chronicle of Georgia monument