Self-Launched Turkey: Istanbul, Bodrum, Ephesus & Cappadocia
10 days · Turkey
G Adventures charges £5,900
No-markup version: ~£885 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 10-day version of G Adventures' luxury "Signature: Turkey's Istanbul, Ephesus & Cappadocia" expedition — same route (Istanbul, Bodrum, Izmir/Selçuk, Ankara, Cappadocia) but on a budget-traveller budget. You swap the Ritz-Carlton and cave suites for well-located hostels and family-run pensions, the private flights for cheap domestic flights and sleeper/intercity buses, and the private after-hours dinners for self-booked guided tours, public ferries and the very same cisterns, ruins and fairy chimneys. You'll still see Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar, Bodrum Castle, Ephesus, the Temple of Apollo at Didyma, Hattuşa and Göreme — just paying for them as you go rather than paying for a luxury concierge. Costs are rough backpacker estimates in GBP.
Day-by-day
Arrive Istanbul – Grand Bazaar & Basilica Cistern
Istanbul
Fly into Istanbul Airport (IST) and take the HavaIST bus or the new M11 metro + Marmaray combo into the historic centre (roughly £3–5, about 60–90 min). Check into a hostel in Sultanahmet or Sirkeci (walking distance to everything on tomorrow's list). In the afternoon, wander the Grand Bazaar (free, closed Sundays) and get a Turkish coffee in the courtyard of the Mosque of Süleyman. In the evening, visit the Basilica Cistern or Binbirdirek Cistern on a standard ticket (around £15–20 / ~600 TRY) rather than a private dinner — the marble columns and golden lighting are exactly the same. Cheap dinner of lahmacun and lentil soup in Sultanahmet, £6–9.
🚌Airport bus HavaIST or metro ~£4; walk for everything else
🛏Hostel dorm or private in Sultanahmet/Sirkeci (£12–20/night)
- →Basilica/Binbirdirek Cistern entrance
- →Grand Bazaar wander
- →Süleymaniye Mosque
Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque & sunset Bosphorus ferry
Istanbul
Start early to beat the crowds at Hagia Sophia — book the timed entry online in advance (around £22 / ~750 TRY). Walk five minutes to the Blue Mosque (free, covered shoulders/heads required) and the Hippodrome. Grab a cheap lunch in the Kumkapı or Eminönü area (balık ekmek — grilled fish sandwich — for about £3). In the afternoon, ride the public Şehir Hatları ferry from Eminönü up the Bosphorus toward Anadolu Kavağı and back (about £2–4 with Istanbulkart) — the minaret skyline at sunset is the same view the private cruise sells. Dinner in Kadıköy on the Asian side (ferry across, ~£1), where meze and grilled fish cost half of Sultanahmet prices.
🚌Walking, trams and public ferries on Istanbulkart (~£6 all day)
🛏Hostel dorm or private in Sultanahmet/Sirkeci (£12–20/night)
- →Hagia Sophia timed entry
- →Blue Mosque & Hippodrome
- →Public Bosphorus ferry
- →Kadıköy market dinner
Topkapı Palace & fly to Bodrum
Istanbul → Bodrum
Morning at Topkapı Palace with the Harem included (combined ticket ~£28); buy online the day before and go at opening (09:00) to avoid the tour groups. DIY audio guide on your phone or a small-group GetYourGuide entry is far cheaper than a private museum-manager tour. After lunch (a quick pide, ~£5), head to Sabiha Gökçen or IST for a budget domestic flight to Bodrum (Pegasus/AJet, booked 6–8 weeks ahead, £25–45 one-way). On arrival take the Havataş/Milas-Bodrum shuttle or local dolmuş into town (~£3). Check into a pension in Bodrum centre or Gümbet, then a relaxed harbour-side dinner.
🚌Domestic flight Istanbul–Bodrum ~£30–45; airport shuttle ~£3
🛏Boutique pension or hostel in Bodrum centre/Gümbet (£15–25/night)
- →Topkapı Palace & Harem
- →Bodrum harbour evening
Bodrum Castle, Underwater Archaeology Museum & a vineyard
Bodrum
Spend the morning at the Castle of St. Peter and the Museum of Underwater Archaeology (entry ~£12) — the shipwreck galleries and glass-wreck display are the same ones the group tour visits, just without the lab access. Walk to the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus site (entry ~£4) nearby. Lunch at a lokanta in the bazaar (~£6). In the afternoon, hop a dolmuş toward Bitez/Gümüşlük or a small vineyard in the Bodrum peninsula for a wine tasting (several charge £8–15 for a flight); local co-ops and family workshops around Ortakent sell hand-woven textiles you can visit for free. Evening back in Bodrum.
🚌Dolmuş minibuses (~£1–2 per ride)
🛏Boutique pension or hostel in Bodrum centre/Gümbet (£15–25/night)
- →Bodrum Castle & Museum of Underwater Archaeology
- →Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
- →Bodrum peninsula wine tasting
- →Local weaving co-op visit
Didyma & Miletus by local bus, on to Izmir
Bodrum → Izmir
Take an early dolmuş or public bus to Didim (roughly £3–5, 2 hr) and stand beneath the columns of the Temple of Apollo at Didyma (entry ~£4) — once one of the ancient world's biggest oracles. From Didim, local buses run via Söke to Miletus (another £2–4); the theatre and harbour baths are a short walk/short taxi from the road (entry ~£3). Continue from Söke or directly from Miletus on an intercity bus to Izmir (Metro/Turizm companies run hourly, £5–8, about 2 hr). Check into a hostel in Alsancak or Basmane, then walk the Kordon waterfront and have dinner at the Kemeraltı bazaar edge.
🚌Dolmuş to Didim ~£4; bus Didim–Miletus–Izmir ~£10
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Alsancak/Basmane, Izmir (£12–20/night)
- →Temple of Apollo, Didyma
- →Ancient Miletus
- →Izmir Kordon waterfront & Kemeraltı bazaar
Ephesus & Selçuk
Izmir → Selçuk/Ephesus
Take the IZBAN commuter train from Izmir to Selçuk (~£2, 80 min) or a bus. Visit the Selçuk handicraft co-ops and the Ephesus Archaeological Museum (entry ~£6) before heading to the site. Ephesus entry is about £20–25; book a small-group guided tour on GetYourGuide (£30–45 incl. entry) if you want the context — far cheaper than a private lecturer. Do the Terrace Houses add-on (~£8) and stay until the site empties near closing time for your own 'golden hour' at the Library of Celsus. Take a night train or bus back to Izmir, or stay in Selçuk and do the rest of the sightseeing in the morning.
🚌IZBAN train Izmir–Selçuk ~£2; local dolmuş to Ephesus ~£1
🛏Hostel/pension in Selçuk or Izmir (£12–22/night)
- →Ephesus ancient city & Library of Celsus
- →Terrace Houses
- →Ephesus Archaeological Museum
- →Selçuk craft co-ops
Fly to Ankara: Anıtkabir, Anatolian Civilisations Museum & castle district
Izmir → Ankara
Take a budget morning flight Izmir–Ankara (AJet/Pegasus, £20–35 if booked ahead) or an overnight bus (£12–18, ~8 hr) if you want to save. Drop bags at a hostel in Kızılay or Ulus. Visit Anıtkabir (free) for the changing of the guard (ceremony runs several times daily) and the Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi (Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, ~£6) — one of the best collections of Hittite and Neolithic artefacts in the world. Finish by climbing to Ankara Castle and wandering the Ottoman-era Hisar houses; have dinner in one of the restored mansions (a full meze dinner ~£10–14).
🚌Domestic flight Izmir–Ankara ~£25–35; metro to city centre ~£1
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Kızılay/Ulus, Ankara (£12–20/night)
- →Anıtkabir & changing of the guard
- →Museum of Anatolian Civilisations
- →Ankara Castle district
Hattuşa (Boğazkale) & on to Cappadocia
Ankara → Hattuşa → Cappadocia
Get an early bus from Ankara's AŞTİ terminal to Sungurlu or Boğazkale (~£5, 2.5–3 hr) to reach Hattuşa, the Bronze Age Hittite capital (UNESCO, entry ~£6). The Lion Gate, Great Temple and Yazılıkaya rock sanctuary are walkable; hire a local taxi for the Yazılıkaya leg (~£8 split). Return to the highway and catch a bus onward to Nevşehir/Göreme (from Sungurlu or Kırıkkale, ~£10–14, 5–6 hr) or, for speed, head back to Ankara and take a cheap flight to Kayseri (£25–35) plus the Havataş shuttle to Göreme (~£4). Check into a family-run cave pension in Göreme and eat a testi kebab dinner (~£8).
🚌Bus Ankara–Boğazkale–Nevşehir ~£15–20, or flight to Kayseri ~£30
🛏Cave hostel/pension in Göreme (£15–28/night)
- →Hattuşa Hittite capital
- →Yazılıkaya sanctuary
- →Göreme village evening
Göreme Open-Air Museum, Derinkuyu & sunset valley walk
Cappadocia
Option to add the sunrise hot-air balloon — book direct with a licensed operator (£130–170) or a cheaper shared small-group trip; otherwise watch them from the Göreme viewpoint for free. Visit the Göreme Open-Air Museum (entry ~£12) when it opens at 08:00 to have the painted churches nearly to yourself. Midday: take a dolmuş to Derinkuyu Underground City (entry ~£6, bus ~£1.50) and go down as far as the tunnels allow. Back in Göreme, join a 2–3 hr Anatolian cooking class through GetYourGuide or directly with a local family (~£25–35, includes lunch/dinner). As the light softens, walk the Rose/Red Valley trail on foot or hire a scooter/quad (or a short jeep tour, £20–30 shared) among the fairy chimneys for sunset — same landscape, none of the private-vehicle price.
🚌Dolmuş minibuses (~£1.50 each way)
🛏Cave hostel/pension in Göreme (£15–28/night)
- →Göreme Open-Air Museum
- →Derinkuyu Underground City
- →Anatolian cooking class
- →Red/Rose Valley sunset walk
Cappadocia → Istanbul → home
Cappadocia → Istanbul
Breakfast at the pension, then a Havataş shuttle from Göreme/Nevşehir to Kayseri airport (~£4) and a budget flight to Istanbul (£25–40). Allow at least 3 hours between landing and any international departure from IST (and 4+ if connecting to Sabiha Gökçen, which requires crossing the city). If your onward flight is late, store bags at the airport and take the metro back into the city for a last simit and çay by the water. Note: total excludes international flights to/from Turkey, travel insurance, and visa fees.
🚌Shuttle to Kayseri ~£4; flight Kayseri–Istanbul ~£25–40
🛏—
- →Transfer day
- →Optional final Istanbul stop
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£885 | £5,900 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £5,015 per person (85%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£885
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.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Turkey: Istanbul, Bodrum, Ephesus & Cappadocia cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £885 per person for 10 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 G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £5,900 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £885 — a saving of roughly £5,015 (85%) per person.
How long is the Turkey trip?+
This itinerary runs 10 days, covering 10 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?
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