Self-Launched 12-Day Grand Turkey Highlights: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya, Pamukkale & Ephesus
12 days · Turkey
City of Sultans charges £790
No-markup version: ~£605 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of City of Sultans' 12-day "Grand Turkey" loop: four nights in Istanbul's Sultanahmet, three nights in a Cappadocia cave guesthouse, two nights in Antalya's old town, and two nights in Kuşadası for Pamukkale and Ephesus. Instead of private coaches and a dedicated guide, you'll use Turkey's excellent intercity buses, the night bus to Antalya, and a cheap domestic flight back to Istanbul — plus self-guided audio tours and a couple of bookable day trips for the sites that are genuinely hard to reach solo. Same landmarks, roughly a third of the tour price. Costs are approximate backpacker/budget-traveller estimates in GBP and exclude international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Istanbul — settle into Sultanahmet
Istanbul
Fly into Istanbul Airport (IST) and take the Havaist bus to Sultanahmet (about £3, 60-75 min) — far cheaper than the £30-40 private transfer the tour includes. Check into a small guesthouse or budget hotel a few streets back from the Blue Mosque. Spend the late afternoon walking the Hippodrome square and getting your bearings, then eat a first dinner of kebabs or a cheap pide in the Kumkapı/Eminönü area. Buy an Istanbulkart from a kiosk or machine (£2 card + top-up) — it covers trams, metros and ferries for the whole stay.
🚌Havaist airport bus IST to Sultanahmet ~£3; Istanbulkart ~£2 + £5 credit
🛏Sultanahmet guesthouse or budget hotel, double/twin ~£24-30/night
- →Hippodrome square walk
- →Sultanahmet orientation wander
- →Buy Istanbulkart transit card
Istanbul's headline sights on foot
Istanbul
Everything the tour does with a guide today is walkable in an hour's radius. Start early at Hagia Sophia (book the free timed entry online, or pay ~£22 for the museum/upper gallery access depending on current arrangements), then the Blue Mosque (free, modest dress, closed during prayers). After lunch do Topkapı Palace with the Harem (~£45 combined with audio guide) — allow 3 hours. Finish at the Grand Bazaar before it closes around 19:00. A self-guided audio tour on GetYourGuide costs ~£8 and covers all four sites well.
🚌On foot; tram T1 if legs give out (~£0.60/ride)
🛏Sultanahmet guesthouse or budget hotel
- →Hagia Sophia
- →Blue Mosque
- →Topkapı Palace incl. Harem
- →Grand Bazaar
- →Self-guided audio tour (~£8)
Bosphorus ferry & Spice Market
Istanbul
Skip the pricy tourist cruise and take the public Bosphorus ferry from Eminönü (short hop ~£0.60) or the full Şehir Hatları 'Boğaz Turu' round trip (~£6, 6 hours) — the same views as the tour's boat for a tenth of the cost. Before boarding, wander the Spice Market and grab simit, cheese and olives for a picnic on deck. Cross to the Asian side at Kadıköy in the afternoon for the food streets and Moda seaside, then ferry back at sunset. Evening: cheap meyhane dinner in Karaköy or Balat.
🚌Public ferries ~£1-6 total
🛏Sultanahmet guesthouse or budget hotel
- →Spice (Mısır) Market
- →Şehir Hatları Bosphorus ferry
- →Kadıköy food streets
- →Moda waterfront at sunset
Overnight bus to Cappadocia
Istanbul → Cappadocia
Free morning for the Süleymaniye Mosque or a hamam. Book a night bus from Istanbul's Esenler or Alibeyköy otogar to Göreme with Kamil Koç, Metro or Nevşehir Seyahat — around £22-28 for the 11-12 hour run with reclining seats and wifi. Leave your guesthouse baggage in storage and pick up bus tickets the day before at the otogar or via obilet.com. Arrive Göreme early morning; your cave guesthouse will usually hold bags until check-in.
🚌Night bus Istanbul to Göreme ~£25
🛏Overnight intercity bus
- →Süleymaniye Mosque
- →Optional Çemberlitaş or Kılıç Ali Paşa hamam
- →Buy bus ticket at otogar or obilet.com
Cappadocia Green-ish day: Göreme Open Air Museum & valleys
Cappadocia (Göreme)
Check into a cave guesthouse in Göreme (~£30-35/night including breakfast). Morning: Göreme Open Air Museum on foot from town (~£12 entry; the Dark Church frescoes are worth the small extra). Afternoon: walk or take a £1 dolmuş to Devrent (Imagination) Valley, Paşabağ Monks Valley and the pottery town of Avanos on the Red River — all reachable by local minibus or a short taxi. Sunset at Göreme Panorama viewpoint, a 20-minute walk uphill from town.
🚌Dolmuş minibuses ~£3 total; walks
🛏Göreme cave guesthouse with breakfast
- →Göreme Open Air Museum (~£12)
- →Devrent Imagination Valley
- →Paşabağ Monks Valley
- →Avanos pottery workshops
- →Göreme Panorama sunset
Rose & Pigeon Valleys and an underground city
Cappadocia (Göreme)
Self-hike the Rose Valley and Red Valley loop from Çavuşin (about 3-4 hours, well-marked, no guide needed) and take in Pigeon Valley on the way back. In the afternoon catch a dolmuş to Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı underground city (~£1.50 each way, entry ~£8) — Derinkuyu is the deeper and more dramatic of the two. Stop in Ortahisar for its rock castle and a cheap gözleme lunch. If you want the hot-air balloon, book a standard basket flight directly with a Göreme operator the day before (~£130-170) — far cheaper than tour-agency add-ons.
🚌Dolmuş to Derinkuyu ~£3 return; local walks
🛏Göreme cave guesthouse with breakfast
- →Rose & Red Valley self-hike
- →Pigeon Valley
- →Derinkuyu Underground City (~£8)
- →Ortahisar village
- →Optional hot-air balloon (~£130-170)
Night bus to Antalya
Cappadocia → Antalya
Easy morning: hammam, coffee in a cave café, or the Zelve ruins. Most Cappadocia-Antalya buses run overnight (10-11 hours, ~£20-24) via Konya or Niğde — book a day ahead at the Göreme otogar. Alternatives: a cheap domestic flight Nevşehir/ASR to Antalya (~£30-45 on Pegasus or AJet) if you'd rather keep daylight. Day buses pass through the Taurus Mountains and are genuinely scenic. Arrive Antalya in the morning and check into a pension in Kaleiçi (old town).
🚌Night bus Cappadocia to Antalya ~£22 (or flight ~£35)
🛏Overnight bus (or Kaleiçi pension if flying)
- →Zelve Open Air Museum or hamam morning
- →Buy bus/flight ticket
- →Kaleiçi old-town wander on arrival
Antalya old town, waterfalls & Tunektepe cable car
Antalya
Self-guided walking day through Kaleiçi: Hadrian's Gate, the Clock Tower, the old harbour and the Roman fortifications — all free and within 20 minutes of each other. Take the antique tram or a local bus to Düden Waterfalls (~£1) and walk the clifftop path down to the sea. In the late afternoon, bus to the Tünektepe cable car on the west side of the city (~£1.50 each way; cable car ~£6) for pine-forest and Mediterranean views at sunset. Dinner at a balık ekmek stand by the harbour.
🚌Local buses/tram ~£4 total
🛏Kaleiçi pension, Antalya
- →Hadrian's Gate
- →Clock Tower & old harbour
- →Düden Waterfalls
- →Tünektepe cable car (~£6)
Bus to Pamukkale — travertines & Hierapolis
Pamukkale → Kuşadası
Take an early bus Antalya to Denizli (~4 hours, ~£10-12) then a dolmuş up to Pamukkale village (~£1). Enter the travertines at the south gate and walk down the white terraces barefoot, then explore the Hierapolis ruins, the theatre and the Antique Pool (extra ~£8 if you want to swim among sunken columns). Public bathing in the travertine pools is no longer allowed, so budget the Antique Pool if the thermal soak matters to you. Late afternoon bus Denizli to Kuşadası (~3 hours, ~£8), base yourself near the seafront.
🚌Antalya-Denizli bus ~£11; dolmuş ~£1; Denizli-Kuşadası ~£8
🛏Kuşadası seafront guesthouse or small hotel
- →Pamukkale travertines (~£12 entry)
- →Hierapolis ancient site & theatre
- →Optional Antique Pool swim (~£8)
Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary
Kuşadası / Selçuk
Take the local dolmuş from Kuşadası to Selçuk (~£1.50) and then the free/short minibus up to Ephesus' upper gate. Entry to Ephesus is ~£18 — go early to beat the cruise crowds and heat. Walk the Curetes Way past the Temple of Hadrian, the Fountains of Trajan, the Library of Celsus, the Bouloterion and down through the Great Theatre. A GetYourGuide audio guide (~£7) or a licensed local guide at the gate (~£40 split between a few travellers) fills in the history. Afterwards, shared taxi or minibus up to the House of the Virgin Mary (~£4 return, entry ~£5). Back in Selçuk, see the Basilica of St John and İsa Bey Mosque before the dolmuş home.
🚌Dolmuş Kuşadası-Selçuk ~£3 return; minibus to Meryem Ana ~£4
🛏Kuşadası seafront guesthouse or small hotel
- →Ephesus ruins (~£18)
- →Library of Celsus, Great Theatre, Temple of Hadrian
- →House of the Virgin Mary (~£5)
- →Basilica of St John & İsa Bey Mosque
Fly İzmir to Istanbul
Kuşadası → Istanbul
Havaş or a local bus from Kuşadası to İzmir Adnan Menderes airport takes about 1-1.5 hours (~£4). A one-way Pegasus, AJet or Turkish Airlines flight İzmir-Istanbul runs ~£25-40 if booked a few weeks ahead and lands you back in the city in 75 minutes — much faster than the 9-hour bus. Take the Havaist or metro/tram combo back to Sultanahmet. Spend the evening on a final wander through Balat's colourful streets or a rooftop dinner overlooking the Bosphorus.
🚌Bus to İzmir airport ~£4; flight ADB-IST ~£30; Havaist ~£3
🛏Sultanahmet guesthouse or budget hotel
- →Balat colourful houses walk
- →Rooftop sunset dinner
Last morning and departure
Istanbul
Depending on your flight time: a final Turkish breakfast, the Basilica Cistern (~£14, atmospheric and quick), or a last shop in the bazaar. Take the Havaist bus back to IST airport (~£3, allow 75 minutes plus check-in). Check out of the guesthouse by 11:00 and leave bags in storage if you have an evening flight.
🚌Havaist to IST ~£3
🛏—
- →Turkish breakfast
- →Optional Basilica Cistern (~£14)
- →Last-minute shopping in Sultanahmet
Self-launched vs. City of Sultans
| This itinerary (self-launched) | City of Sultans | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£605 | £790 |
| Duration | 12 days | 12 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £185 per person (23%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more City of Sultans-style trips? Check them out here.~£605
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched 12-Day Grand Turkey Highlights: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya, Pamukkale & Ephesus cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £605 per person for 12 days in Turkey. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with City of Sultans?+
Yes — City of Sultans charges around £790 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £605 — a saving of roughly £185 (23%) per person.
How long is the Turkey trip?+
This itinerary runs 12 days, covering 12 day-by-day stops through Turkey.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, adventure, budget trip through Turkey, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.