Turkey Travel Itinerary

If you are planning a trip to Europe, Turkey is a beautiful destination to consider. Certain countries like Italy and Greece gather all the tourists for good reasons but end up being overrun by tourist attractions. Turkey may not be as frequently visited, but there are plenty of historic cities and beautiful waterfront views to explore and enjoy on your vacation. I don’t know how Turkey’s coastal cities aren’t commonly known by travelers.

During my trip to Europe, I visited London, Amsterdam, and several cities in Turkey. Keep reading below for the itinerary I followed while traveling around Turkey. My full itinerary for my trip to London, Amsterdam, and Turkey will be posted as well.

Turkey Route

İzmir → Alaçatı → Kaş → Antalya → Cappadocia → Istanbul

How many days in Turkey?

For my trip, I spent 10 days and 11 nights in Turkey. Some people plan a short vacation in Istanbul or Cappadocia, but I recommend visiting a couple cities to really experience the country. When people just visit one of the big cities, they miss out on the culture, charm, and beautiful coastal views that the other areas of Turkey have to offer. Keep reading to find my day-by-day itinerary breakdown to see how many days I spent in each city.

Personal Opinion On The Destinations

My highlight of the trip were the coastal cities of Alaçatı and Kaş. I am a beach girl, so a coastal vacation never leaves me disappointed. These two cities offer stunning views, unique beaches, countless delicious restaurants to try, and fun excursions.

We didn’t spend time exploring İzmir on the trip as İzmir was just our first destination chosen because of the airport and driving distance to Alaçatı. Antalya is another coastal city, but I didn’t think the city had the same charm and aesthetic as Alaçatı and Kaş.

Cappadocia is an experience like no other in Turkey. The fairytale landscape immerses you in nature and history, and waking up to see hundreds of hot air balloons flying for sunrise is a sight that is totally worth setting an early alarm for.

Lastly, Istanbul is a busy city that attracts tourists from all over the world. Although the city has some beautiful architecture and views, Istanbul was my least favorite destination in Turkey. I am not a big city girl, and there were several spots that were dirty, overcrowded, and a bit sketchy, so we could have done without visiting Istanbul. Just my opinion though!

Transportation in Turkey

If you’re just visiting Istanbul, then there is no need to rent a car! In Istanbul, we took the train. It is very simple, convenient, and cheap. In Cappadocia , most tourists rent a car, but I did not rent a car in Cappadocia. I was able to fly into a nearby airport and get a hotel shuttle to and from the airport. My accommodation was located in the city center, so I explored by foot and got picked up by one shuttle for a day-long tour. If you plan to visit the coastal cities (which I certainly recommend), you will need to rent a car. I rented a car in İzmir from the airport. Then, I drove to Alaçatı, Kaş, and Antalya. I was able to drop the car rental off at another airport in Antalya before flying to Cappadocia and Istanbul.

Turkey Itinerary

Time for the day-by-day breakdown of my itinerary! We felt that we had a good amount of days in each place. If anything, we would have spent less days in Istanbul or taken that stop out of our trip.

İzmir → Alaçatı

On the first day, we flew in to İzmir in the evening and drove to our boutique hotel in Alaçatı. This drive took just over an hour. Our boutique hotel in Alaçatı was called Jardin d’Azur. We booked these accommodations through Airbnb. After our first night’s rest, we spent the next day and night exploring Alaçatı. Below, you can find my related blog posts on each city with recommendations of what to do at each destination.

Alaçatı → Kaş

Then, we spent the following morning in Alaçatı before driving to Kaş. The drive from Alaçatı to Kaş took us around 7 hours. Yes, the drive is long, but a good portion of the drive was near the coast. The drive was not crazy and chaotic city driving either. You will go up and down a lot of hills, but turn on some music and enjoy the roadtrip! We are from the United States of America and needed an international driving permit, so that is something to keep in mind! We spent 3 nights and 3 full days in Kaş. There are exciting excursions that leave from the city center of Kaş as well if you want to explore further. You can find the link for my blog post on Kaş below that explains an incredible excursion to Kastellorizo, Greece that I booked. Only a 20-minute ferry and you can end up in a colorful, remote town in Greece!

Kaş → Antalya

After our lovely stay in Kaş, we drove to the airport in Antalya which was about a 3-hour drive. We got some lunch and explored the city a bit but mainly traveled here to catch our flights.

antalya → Cappadocia

Next, we flew from Antalya to Cappadocia. There are two airports near Cappadocia: Kayseri and Nevşehir. We flew to Kayseri airport and got a hotel shuttle to Nomads Cave Hotel which we booked through Airbnb. We spent 3 nights and 2 full days in Cappadocia and felt like it was enough time to see what we wanted to see. Click the link at the bottom of this blog post to read my recommendations on what to do in Cappadocia!

cappadocia → istanbul

Lastly, we flew from Cappadocia to Istanbul. We spent 3 nights and 3 full days exploring the city of Istanbul.

Bulleted Itinerary

I am attaching a bulleted itinerary below for convenience as well!

Day 1
- Fly into İzmir
- Pickup car rental and drive to Alaçatı
- Night in Alaçatı
Day 2
- Day and night in Alaçatı
Day 3
- Morning in Alaçatı
- Drive to Kaş
- Night in Kaş
Day 4
- Day and night in Kaş
Day 5
- Day and night in Kaş
Day 6
- Morning in Kaş
- Drive to Antalya
- Return rental car
- Fly to Cappadocia
- Night in Cappadocia
Day 7
- Day and night in Cappadocia
Day 8
- Day and night in Cappadocia
Day 9
- Morning in Cappadocia
- Fly to Istanbul
- Night in Istanbul
Day 10
- Day and night in Istanbul
Day 11
- Day in Istanbul

Conclusion

To conclude, Turkey is a wonderful spot for your next vacation! If you have the time to explore many parts of the country, don’t miss out on the stunning coastal towns! Hopefully this itinerary template makes your trip planning a lot simpler. Comment any questions you have while planning your trip!

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers to visiting local towns that are full of charm and making connections around the world! To check out my other blog posts, head to the destinations tab on my website.