8 Days in Turkey

Turkey is such an amazing country, so many places to see and so many things to eat. However, we only had 8 days of vacation, so we had to pick the places that we really wanted to see.

You can click here to go to the Itinerary, or here to see the expenses.

Here are the places that made it to our list:

Cappadocia

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A historic region in Central Anatolia and one of the top tourist destinations in Turkey. It is famous for it’s magical landscape, filled with Fairy chimneys, and cave houses.

Highlights : Goreme, Uchisar Castle, Hot Air Balloon Ride*, Fairy Chimneys, Cave Hotels, Underground Cities
Duration of Stay: 2.5 Days
How to get there: Fly to Nevşehir airport (1hr 20 mins)

* We were unable to do the Hotair Balloon Ride due to the weather

Pamukkale

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Also known as the ‘Cotton Castle’ for its snow-white limestone shaped by calcium-rich springs. it is located in Denizli in the southwestern part of Turkey.
Highlights: Travertines, Hierapolis, Cleopatra’s pool
Duration of Stay: 1 Day
How to get there: Sleeper bus from Cappadocia to Denizli (8 hrs)
Shuttle bus from Denizli to Pamukkale (1hr)

Selçuk

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A picturesque town near Izmir, in western Turkey. A great place to stay if you want to do a day trip to Ephesus and Şirince.
Highlights: Ephesus, Temple of Artemis, The House of Virgin Mary, Basilica of Saint John, Selçuk Castle
Duration of Stay: 1.5 Days
How to get there: Cab from Pamukkale to Denizli (1 hr)
Train from Denizli to Selçuk (3 hrs 30 mins)

Şirince

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A scenic old town across a hill, it is what you get when you mix a Traditional Turkish and Greek village. This is perhaps the most picturesque town I have ever seen, filled with lovely houses and lush green scenery.
Highlights: The town itself, Şirince bazaar, Wine, Olives and food
Duration of Stay: 0.5 Days
How to get there: Shuttle from Selçuk to Şirince (20 mins)

Istanbul

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Turkey’s economic, cultural and historic center. Istanbul is a natural transcontinental city straddling the Bosphorus strait, which is considered the boundary between Europe and Asia.
Highlights: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, The Grand Bazaar, Galata Bridge, Galata Tower, Eminönü, Bosphorus Trip, Basilica Cistern, Hammam
Duration of Stay: 2.5 Days
How to get there: Cab from Selçuk to Izmir Airport (55 mins)
Fly from Izmir to Istanbul

The Itinerary

Here’s the itinerary we used for our trip. I can send you the excel format, just comment below.

Turkey 8 Days Itinerary
Day 0	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7	Day 8	Day 9
SIN > IST	SIN> IST > NEV	Cappadocia ,  Nevşehir	Cappadocia ,  Nevşehir	Pamukkale, Denizli	Selcuk	Ephesus	Istanbul	Istanbul	IST > SIN
11:25 PM Turkish Airlines Changi Airport Singapore (SIN)	5:25 AM+1 Istanbul Ataturk Airport (IST) 8:50 AM Istanbul Ataturk Airport (IST) Flight to Cappadocia	4:00 – 8:00 – Breakfast & Hot Air Balloon 10:00 – 17:00 – Göreme Open air Museum – Love Valley. –Kaymaklı Underground  – Paşabağı Valley –Dervent valley – Rose valley and Red valley – Pigeon Valley   18:00 – 21:00 – Dinner – Dervish Show – Hammam **	06:00 – 8:00 – Breakfast at Hotel 10:00 – 17:00 – UÇHİSAR CASTLE – Goreme Free and Easy 18:00-19:00 – Dinner 20:15 Bus to Pamukkale (8hrs to Denizli, 1hr Denizli to Pamukkale)	06:00-7:00 ** Rest Travertines Hierapolis Antique Pool	8:00 – 11:00 Travertines 13:30-17:00 Travel to Selcuk (3.5 hours) TL25	8:00 – 11:00 Ephesus Tour 13:00 – 17:00 Sirince Village Tour	05:00 – 06:00 – Breakfast (Hotel), Travel to IZMIR (ADB) (55 mins) 8:00 -9:05 ADB to IST 10:00 – 12:00 – Sultanahmet Area – Bosphorus Trip – Eminonu – Taksim Square 18:00 – Dinner at Istiklal Street	06:00 – 8:00 – Breakfast (Hotel) 10:00 – 17:00 Sultanahmet Area – Hagia Sophia – Blue Mosque Lunch – Topkapi Palace – The Grand Bazaar	2:00AM – 17:50
	22:00 Overnight Stay @ Cappadocia	22:00 Overnight Stay @ Cappadocia	Sleeper Bus	22:00 Overnight Stay @Pamukkale	22:00 Overnight Stay @ Selcuk	22:00 Overnight Stay @ Selcuk	22:00 Overnight Stay @ Istanbul

 

Trip Expenses

Traveling in Turkey is less expensive than other European countries. You can probably budget around $30 dollars per day for food and transportation.
We found it easy to find hearty and affordable meals ($6 / meal) around the different places we’ve visited. Transportation is also cheap – trains, shuttle and cabs were easily available. Here’s a breakdown of our expenses in our trip:

Essential Costs	SGD	TL	USD	Euro	Peso
Annual Travel Insurance (Allianz Global Assistance Travel Insurance Silver)	$41.40	182.99 ₺	$30.64	€ 27.32	₱1,570.30
Turkish Visa Fee	$88.68	391.97 ₺	$65.62	€ 58.53	₱3,363.63
Flight to Istanbul (SIN > IST ) RT	$1,220.74	5,395.65 ₺	$903.34	€ 805.69	₱46,302.52
Flight Capadoccia (IST > NEV) OW	$80.60	356.24 ₺	$59.64	€ 53.19	₱3,057.06
Bus from Capadoccia (Goreme) to Pamukkale	$17.50	77.35 ₺	$12.95	€ 11.55	₱663.78
Flight to Istanbul (ADB> IST) OW	$43.45	192.04 ₺	$32.15	€ 28.68	₱1,647.96
Hotels
Cappadocia Hotel (2 Nights)	$87.00	384.54 ₺	$64.38	€ 57.42	₱3,299.91
Pamukkale Hotel  (1 Night)	$20.00	88.40 ₺	$14.80	€ 13.20	₱758.60
Selcuk Hotel  (2 Nights)	$55.40	244.87 ₺	$41.00	€ 36.56	₱2,101.32
Istanbul (2 Nights)	$81.00	358.02 ₺	$59.94	€ 53.46	₱3,072.33
Tours & Activities
Hot Air Balloon (Capaddocia / Pamukkale)	$260.10	1,149.64 ₺	$192.47	€ 170.00	₱9,865.59
Private Tour  (Capaddocia)	$45.90	202.88 ₺	$33.97	€ 30.00	₱1,740.99
Bosphorus Tour (Eminönü station)	$5.00	22.10 ₺	$3.70	€ 3.30	₱189.65
Museum Pass	$93.75	414.38 ₺	$69.38	€ 61.88	₱3,555.94
Total Costs	$2,047	9,461.06 ₺	$1,583.98	€ 1,444.11	₱77,633.64