Days 1-6: Antalya Resort Base
A full six days at an all-inclusive resort establishes the relaxation half of the trip properly, rather than treating the beach portion as an afterthought to the sightseeing.
Days 7-8: Pamukkale
A drive or short trip from Antalya to Pamukkale's white travertine terraces and the adjacent ancient site of Hierapolis — two days covers the site properly with time to also relax in the thermal pools.
Days 9-10: Cappadocia
Onward to Cappadocia for the hot air balloon sunrise, Goreme's rock-cut churches, and an underground city — see our Cappadocia sections in the shorter itineraries for site-level detail.
Days 11-14: Istanbul
Four full days in Istanbul allows a genuinely unhurried pace across both the historic peninsula (Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace) and a proper Bosphorus-side or Asian-side day, which shorter itineraries typically have to cut.
This sequence — Antalya, Pamukkale, Cappadocia, Istanbul — moves from relaxation into progressively more sightseeing-dense stops, which tends to suit most travelers' energy levels better than front-loading the busiest cities first.
Explore Antalya
Antalya
Antalya is Turkey's most popular holiday destination, attracting over 16 million visitors annually. Located on the southwestern Mediterranean coast, it offers ancient ruins, turquoise waters, and world-class resort hotels.