Turkey in Two Weeks

Guide for the best of Turkey

Turkey is full of historical and natural treasures and these are just a few cities and locations to include. Two weeks is the minimum time to spend in Turkey but if you can have more days, you can spend more time in each city.

Cappadocia

Suggested Time: 1-3 days ​

Cappadocia is the highlight of many trips to Turkey, for the landscape, people and of course, the hot air balloon ride. ​

1. Stay: There are no shortage of cave hotels in Goreme, and make sure to look for one that offers views of the hot air balloons in the morning. ​

2. Tour Guide: We had the best experience with Woop Woop Travel (excuse their name) on both visits. They can help you with accommodations, tours, hot air balloon rides and anything else you need (including helping me with getting a credit card delivered after mine was stolen.) They can even help with accommodations and tours for the rest of the Turkey trip. ​

3. Hot Air Balloon. I added more time to Cappadocia to make sure there was time to a) ride a hot air balloon, and b) watch the balloons from the ground. Both are amazing experiences and can't be missed. Keep in mind that occasionally, flights are cancelled due to weather conditions, so you may want to buffer in more time. ​

4. Turkish Night. Yes, this is shamelessly touristy but it's also a lot of fun and a full compilation of the dances and cultural variations in Turkey. It's an array of food and various dance performances and made for an entertaining evening. ​

5. Valleys. Love Valley, Imaginary Valley, Monks Valley, there are no shortage of tours to explore the rock formations, preserved churches and frescos. ​

6. Underground Cities. There are about 36 underground cities and you can select which to tour but keep in mind, the spaces are narrow, you'll be climbing underground, and while there is good ventilation, there are also dozens of other tourists. ​

7. Ceramics, Carpet making, and markets. There's a lot of workshops to experience and some of the best shopping options in Turkey. ​

8. Konya. A trip to Konya is a few hours journey away by car and if time permits, highly recommended. See the tomb of Rumi and also experience a different side of Turkey, a family oriented city with few tourists. Keep in mind, few people speak English in Konya and the residents are fairly conservative. If interested, Konya can be an overnight trip and you can also visit Çatalhöyük, one of the earliest human settlements. Konya is also a great place to watch the Whirling Dervishes.

Ephesus

Pamukkale

Turquoise Coast

Istanbul