Self-Launched Turkey: Istanbul, Cappadocia & Walking the Turquoise Coast
14 days · Turkey
G Adventures charges £3,400
No-markup version: ~£877 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 14-day self-launched version of G Adventures' premium Geluxe route from Istanbul to Göcek — same Ottoman icons, fairy chimneys, Ephesus, Dalyan's rock tombs and the Lycian Way, but booked independently using Turkish internal flights, intercity coaches, dolmuş minibuses and public ferries, with guesthouses and family-run cave hotels instead of the group's upgraded hotel chain. You'll do Istanbul's old city on a self-guided (or cheap day-tour) basis, hire an e-bike or walk the valleys of Cappadocia alone, join a small-group gozleme cooking class in Şirince, tour Ephesus/Priene/Miletos/Didyma with shared minibus transfers, drift down the Dalyan River on a public boat, and finish with two days of kayaking and hiking around Ölüdeniz. Costs are backpacker-to-midrange estimates in GBP and exclude international flights to/from Turkey.
Day-by-day
Istanbul: Where Asia and Europe Meet
Istanbul
Land at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) and take the Havaist airport bus or the M11 metro + Marmaray combo into Sultanahmet or Beyoğlu (roughly £3-5). Check into a hostel or small pension in Sultanahmet, then do your own evening orientation walk through the Hippodrome to see the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia floodlit after dark. Grab a cheap first dinner of lahmacun or a balık ekmek near the Galata Bridge.
🚌Airport bus or metro to Sultanahmet, ~£3-5
🛏Hostel dorm or simple pension, Sultanahmet (£15-25)
- →Evening orientation walk: Hippodrome, Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia exteriors
- →Galata Bridge sunset and street-food dinner
Istanbul: Iconic Landmarks and Ancient Traditions
Istanbul
Self-guided old-city day. Pre-book an Istanbul Welcome Card or buy a Museum Pass Istanbul to cover Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque (free, dress modestly), the Basilica Cistern and Topkapı. Walk the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar, and use a self-guided audio app (VoiceMap, ~£6) if you want historical context without a group. Snack on simit, Turkish delight and a cookie from an old Karaköy bakery, then cross to Kadıköy for a cheap street-food dinner on the Asian side.
🚌Tram + ferry to Kadıköy, ~£3
🛏Hostel dorm or simple pension, Sultanahmet (£15-25)
- →Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque & Basilica Cistern (Museum Pass)
- →Grand Bazaar & Spice Bazaar wander
- →Kadıköy street-food crawl
Cappadocia: Fairy Chimneys and Kaymaklı Underground City
Göreme
Fly early from Istanbul to Kayseri or Nevşehir (Turkish Airlines/Pegasus/AnadoluJet, £30-55 one-way if booked ahead — remember 15kg checked). Take the Havas or local shuttle bus to Göreme (£3). Check into a family-run cave pension, then visit the Kaymaklı underground city by dolmuş or rented scooter (£1-2 each way) and explore the tunnels and storerooms at your own pace with an audio guide.
🚌Flight £30-55 + shuttle bus £3 + dolmuş £2
🛏Family-run cave pension, Göreme (£20-30)
- →Domestic flight to Cappadocia
- →Kaymaklı underground city
- →Sunset from Göreme viewpoint
Cappadocia: Self-Launched Valley Day
Göreme
Do the 'OMG day' on your own terms: hike the Meskender (Rose/Red) Valley loop from Çavuşin to Göreme, or hire an e-bike from a Göreme rental shop (£15-20/half day) and ride through the fairy chimneys. Add the Göreme Open Air Museum (£10) for the rock-cut churches and climb to Uçhisar Castle (£3). In the evening, join a small-group home-cooking dinner or sip tea with a local family via an Airbnb Experience (£15-25). Optional extra: sunrise hot-air balloon flight, £120-180 booked direct with operators like Butterfly or Royal.
🚌Walking / e-bike rental £15-20
🛏Family-run cave pension, Göreme (£20-30)
- →Meskender/Rose Valley hike or e-bike rental
- →Göreme Open Air Museum & Uçhisar Castle
- →Local family dinner experience
- →Optional: sunrise balloon flight
Şirince: Flavours of Turkey
Şirince
Fly Nevşehir to Izmir (Adnan Menderes) — roughly £25-45 booked ahead — then take the IZBAN train to Selçuk (£1.50) and a dolmuş up to Şirince (£1). Settle into a village guesthouse, then take a gozleme cooking class via Klook/GetYourGuide or a local village workshop (£20-30) and browse the village's fruit-wine sellers and old Greek houses.
🚌Flight £25-45, IZBAN train £1.50, dolmuş £1
🛏Village guesthouse, Şirince (£20-30)
- →Flight to Izmir + train to Selçuk
- →Gozleme cooking class in Şirince
- →Village orientation walk
Şirince: Ancient Ephesus
Selçuk
Take the dolmuş or a 15-minute taxi to Ephesus (£2-5) and buy your ticket (£13) plus the optional Terrace Houses add-on. Walk the site south-to-north and then the 1km path to the House of the Virgin Mary (£4). In the afternoon explore Selçuk's St John's Basilica and the Temple of Artemis remains, and stop for a glass of tea with the spring water at the church area.
🚌Dolmuş or shared taxi, ~£3-6
🛏Village guesthouse, Şirince (£20-30)
- →Ephesus archaeological site & Terrace Houses
- →House of the Virgin Mary
- →St John's Basilica & Temple of Artemis
Şirince: Village Walk to the Coast
Selçuk
Lace up for a self-guided walk on the old village trail from Şirince down towards Selçuk and the coast through olive groves — download a route from Komoot or Wikiloc first and carry plenty of water. Visit the Notion/Claros area near Ahmetbeyli if you want the extra distance (dolmuş back). Afternoon free for Selçuk's market and a hammam if you fancy it (£15-20).
🚌Walking + dolmuş £2-4
🛏Village guesthouse, Şirince (£20-30)
- →Self-guided village-to-coast walk (Komoot route)
- →Notion/Claros ruins (optional)
- →Selçuk market & hammam
Bodrum: Ancient Sites and Turkish Countryside
Bodrum
Hire a car for the day or use the coastal dolmuş network to hit the Priene, Miletos and Didyma (Temple of Apollo) triangle — a shared day tour from Selçuk/Kuşadası on GetYourGuide costs £30-45 and is the easiest DIY option. Then take the intercity bus (Pamukkale Turizm/Kamil Koç) from Söke or Selçuk to Bodrum, about 3 hours, £8-12. Check into a Bodrum guesthouse or hostel near the marina and find a tea garden for dinner.
🚌Shared tour transport £30-45, coach £8-12
🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Bodrum (£25-35)
- →Priene, Miletos & Didyma day tour (shared small-group)
- →Intercity coach to Bodrum
- →Bodrum marina evening
Bodrum: Castle and Coastline
Bodrum
Visit Bodrum Castle and the Museum of Underwater Archaeology (£12) and the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos (£4). Walk or dolmuş out to the Bodrum windmills above Gümbet for the classic view, then continue to the far end of the peninsula (Gümüşlük or Türkbükü) for a seafood lunch with the locals (£10-15). Sunset drinks on the marina, then an early night before heading south.
🚌Dolmuş hops, ~£4-6
🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Bodrum (£25-35)
- →Bodrum Castle & underwater archaeology museum
- →Bodrum windmills viewpoint
- →Gümüşlük/Türkbükü coastal lunch
Dalyan: Along the Dalyan River
Dalyan
Coach or dolmuş from Bodrum to Ortaca/Dalyan (about 3-4 hours, £8-12). Drop your bag at a riverside pension, then join a shared Dalyan boat trip down the river (£15-25 including mud baths and Kaunos) — the boats stop at the Sultaniye mud baths and hot springs, then at the Kaunos ruins with the Lycian rock tombs looming above. Boats will drop you right at your pension's jetty; watch the tombs catch the sunset with a cheap dinner on the river.
🚌Coach £8-12, boat trip £15-25
🛏Riverside pension, Dalyan (£22-32)
- →Dalyan River shared boat trip
- →Sultaniye mud baths & hot springs
- →Kaunos ruins & Lycian rock tombs
Göcek: Hike to Rock Tombs
Göcek
Take the dolmuş to Minare village (the trailhead) and hike up to the ancient city of Pinara — the theatre, basilica and Lycian rock tombs carved into the cliff — a genuinely un-touristed site with an entry fee of about £3. Ask in the village about a home-cooked lunch (many families will feed you for £6-10). Bus or dolmuş on to Fethiye/Göcek in the afternoon (£5) and check into a Göcek guesthouse.
🚌Dolmuş + local bus, ~£8
🛏Guesthouse, Göcek or Fethiye (£25-35)
- →Minare to Pinara hike
- →Pinara theatre & rock tombs
- →Village home-cooked lunch
- →Dolmuş to Göcek
Göcek: Lycian Way by Kayak or on Foot
Ölüdeniz / Fethiye
Choose your own adventure. Option A: hike a section of the waymarked Lycian Way from Faralya/Kabak to Ölüdeniz (about 5-6 hours, free, waymarked in red and white). Option B: rent a sea kayak from Ölüdeniz or join a guided half-day paddle around Saint Nicholas Island (£25-35). Either way, end at Ölüdeniz's Blue Lagoon for a swim (£3 entry) and dinner in the village, then shuttle back to Göcek.
🚌Dolmuş to trailhead + return, ~£6-8
🛏Guesthouse, Göcek or Fethiye (£25-35)
- →Lycian Way hike (Faralya/Kabak–Ölüdeniz)
- →Or sea-kayak around St Nicholas Island
- →Ölüdeniz Blue Lagoon swim
Göcek: Boat Day and Cleopatra's Baths
Göcek
Join a public Göcek 12-island boat trip from the harbour (£25-35 including a grilled barbecue lunch on board) — these run daily and are booked directly at the jetty or via GetYourGuide. Most trips include a stop at Cleopatra's Baths (Yassıca Islands) for a swim in the warm spring-fed water and plenty of snorkelling in the coves. Evening farewell dinner back in Göcek.
🚌Walking to harbour; boat trip £25-35
🛏Guesthouse, Göcek or Fethiye (£25-35)
- →Göcek islands boat trip with BBQ lunch
- →Cleopatra's Baths swim
- →Snorkelling in the coves
Göcek: Departure
Göcek / Dalaman
Take the shared shuttle or Havaş coach to Dalaman Airport (about 40 minutes, £6-10) for your flight home, or extend south towards Kaş and Antalya if you've got more time on the clock. Check the departure airport transfer details the night before, since some Göcek guesthouses can arrange a private transfer for £20-25 if you have an early flight.
🚌Shared airport shuttle, ~£6-10
🛏—
- →Shuttle to Dalaman Airport
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£877 | £3,400 |
| Duration | 14 days | 14 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £2,523 per person (74%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£877
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 Turkey: Istanbul, Cappadocia & Walking the Turquoise Coast cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £877 per person for 14 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 £3,400 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £877 — a saving of roughly £2,523 (74%) per person.
How long is the Turkey trip?+
This itinerary runs 14 days, covering 14 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, hiking, foodie 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.