With 12 days in Türkiye you can cover all the great classics and still add the spiritual city of Konya and a taste of the coast. For a first visit, it’s one of the most complete routes you can choose.
Itinerary: Türkiye in 12 days, with the Aegean coast
Days 1–3: Istanbul
All of Sultanahmet, Topkapı Palace, the Grand Bazaar, a boat trip on the Bosphorus, Balat and Fener, Kadıköy and Moda on the Asian side, Galata Tower and Beyoğlu’s nightlife. See my Istanbul guide.
Days 4–6: Cappadocia
Morning flight from Istanbul. A hot-air balloon flight, the Göreme Open-Air Museum, Derinkuyu Underground City, Ihlara Valley, Avanos, Paşabağ and Devrent Valley. Three nights in a cave hotel. See my Cappadocia guide.
Day 7: Konya, the city of Rumi
Drive from Cappadocia to Konya (3 h), with a stop at the Seljuk caravanserai of Sultanhanı. In Konya: the Mevlana Museum, the Alaeddin Mosque and the İnce Minare Madrasa.
Day 8: Konya → Pamukkale
Transfer to Pamukkale (about 5 h, across the wide landscapes of the Anatolian plateau). Late afternoon on the travertine terraces as the sun goes down. Night in a thermal hotel.
Day 9: Pamukkale and Hierapolis
A full morning: Cleopatra’s Pool, the Roman theatre, the necropolis and the museum. In the afternoon, transfer to the Ephesus area.
Day 10: Ephesus and Şirince
Ephesus: the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre, the Terrace Houses and the House of the Virgin Mary. Lunch in Şirince and a tasting of its local fruit wines.
Day 11: The Aegean coast
A relaxing day on the Aegean coast, in Kuşadası or Alaçatı (Çeşme): time on the beach, a stroll through the old town and a seafood dinner overlooking the sea.
Day 12: Heading home
Fly from Izmir to Istanbul and connect with your international flight.
An alternative 12-day route: the Turquoise Coast and Antalya
Twelve days also allow for a complete circuit that combines the classic destinations with a few lesser-known places that deserve time. This is one of my most requested itineraries.
Days 1–3 — Istanbul
Three full days for the city: Sultanahmet (Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace and the Basilica Cistern), a Bosphorus cruise, the Grand Bazaar, the neighbourhoods of Balat and Fener, and the Asian side (Kadıköy and Üsküdar). Keep an afternoon free for Beyoğlu and Galata Tower.
Day 4 — Fly to Cappadocia
Morning flight from Istanbul to Kayseri or Nevşehir (1 h 15 min). Visit Monks Valley and Uçhisar Castle, the highest point in Cappadocia, with 360° views. Sunset from the Love Valley viewpoint. Night in a cave hotel in Göreme.
Day 5 — Cappadocia in full
A sunrise balloon flight (optional, but highly recommended). Then the Göreme Open-Air Museum, the underground city of Derinkuyu (eight levels below ground) and a pottery workshop in Avanos. In the evening, dinner in a cave restaurant with a folk show.
Day 6 — Konya, on the trail of the dervishes
Drive to Konya (3 h) across the Anatolian plateau. Visit the Mevlana Museum (the tomb of Rumi, one of the best-loved mystic poets in the world) and the Alaeddin Mosque. If your visit falls on a Saturday, you can watch a whirling dervish ceremony (sema). Night in Konya.
Day 7 — Pamukkale
Drive to Pamukkale (about 5 h). The white travertine terraces, with their natural pools of thermal water, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You also visit ancient Hierapolis (the Roman theatre, the necropolis and Cleopatra’s Pool). Night in a hotel close to the terraces.
Day 8 — Ephesus
A morning at Ephesus, the best-preserved Greco-Roman city in the eastern Mediterranean: the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre (25,000 spectators), the Terrace Houses and the Temple of Hadrian. Then the House of the Virgin Mary, a place of pilgrimage. The afternoon is for the village of Şirince, known for its home-made wines and Ottoman houses. More in my Ephesus guide.
Days 9–10 — The Turquoise Coast: Fethiye and Ölüdeniz
Two days on the spectacular Turquoise Coast: the blue lagoon of Ölüdeniz (one of the most photographed beaches in the world), a boat trip around the 12 Islands, the Lycian rock tombs carved into the cliffs of Fethiye, and the option of tandem paragliding from Mount Babadağ (1,969 m).
Day 11 — Antalya
A coastal drive to Antalya. A stroll through Kaleiçi (the old town, with its narrow Ottoman lanes, Hadrian’s Gate and the Roman harbour), a visit to the Antalya Archaeological Museum (one of the finest in Türkiye) and the Düden Waterfalls, which plunge straight into the Mediterranean.
Day 12 — Heading home
Fly from Antalya to Istanbul to connect with your international flight, or take a free day for last-minute shopping before you say goodbye.
Why 12 days?
For me, twelve days is the ideal length to see the real diversity of Türkiye without rushing. It lets you include Konya, the spiritual stop, and time on the coast: two things that shorter itineraries have to sacrifice. You get a good balance of history, culture, nature, beach time and food, and it’s long enough to feel you have really got to know the country, not just its main monuments.
If you have less time, my 10-day itinerary covers the essentials; with three more days, the 15-day grand tour adds the south-east. Either way, I can adapt the route to you: plan your 12-day trip tailor-made, with a private English-speaking guide.