Turkey, Istanbul to Cappadocia
Two nights each in Istanbul, the Aegean vineyards at Urla, a forested bay near Fethiye and the rock country of Cappadocia.
- Eight nights
- Four stays
- Türkiye
- City, ancient sites, coast, rock landscapes
Eight nights across Turkey, read like a history book from the Bosphorus to Anatolia. The road runs from Istanbul to the Aegean for Ephesus and Pamukkale, down to the Turkish Riviera, then east to the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia.
- Length
- Eight nights
- Pace
- Four stays
- Style
- City, ancient sites, coast, rock landscapes
- Route
- Istanbul to Urla, near İzmir to Günlüklü Bay, near Fethiye to Cappadocia
- IstanbulTwo nights
- Urla, near İzmirTwo nights
- Günlüklü Bay, near FethiyeTwo nights
- CappadociaTwo nights
01
Days 1 to 3 · two nights
Istanbul
Two days in the city that straddles two continents. The public ferry from Karaköy to Haydarpaşa crosses from Europe to Asia, and the return brings Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque into view from the water. On land, the Grand Bazaar holds about 4,500 stalls and some 20 old caravanserais under one roof.
Where you stay
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus occupies a restored 19th-century Ottoman palace on the European shore, with the hills of Asia across the water. Its rooms keep hand-painted ceilings and Ottoman detail, and nearly a quarter of them face the Asian shore. Aqua serves seafood beside the strait.
02
Days 3 to 5 · two nights
Urla, near İzmir
A drive of about five hours brings you to the Aegean coast. From here the Greek theatre at Ephesus, built in the 3rd century BC for up to 25,000 spectators, and the white mineral terraces of Pamukkale beside the ancient spa town of Hierapolis are each a day out.
Where you stay
KeyUrla
KeyUrla is a vineyard hotel among the Aegean vines of Urla, outside İzmir, with its own wine production and cellar. It has 24 villas, an outdoor infinity pool, a restaurant and bar cooking from the local land, and a wellness area. Guests must be over 12.
03
Days 5 to 7 · two nights
Günlüklü Bay, near Fethiye
A drive of 131 miles south leads to a forested bay on the Turkish Riviera. Nearby is Kayaköy, a village abandoned about a century ago, where some 2,500 houses, churches and schools still stand empty on the hillside, and Saklıkent Gorge, whose walls rise about 300 metres, with walkways open in summer.
Where you stay
Ahãma
Ahãma stands on its own sheltered bay at Günlüklü near Fethiye, surrounded by pine forest and looking out to the Göcek islands. It has 59 rooms and a set of cabanas, a pool in the shade of the pines and no televisions. Its two restaurants are Êge Umi, for Japanese coastal cooking, and Ay, for Aegean dishes cooked over fire.
04
Days 7 to 9 · two nights
Cappadocia
The longest drive of the journey, 485 miles, crosses Anatolia to Cappadocia. Göreme National Park is a landscape of fairy chimneys and churches and chapels cut into the rock, and the village and castle of Uçhisar, the highest point in the region, are riddled with tunnels and open onto wide views.
Where you stay
Museum Hotel
Museum Hotel is in Uçhisar, about a kilometre from the castle, built into Cappadocia's rock with troglodytic architecture and views over the valleys. Its rooms and suites include some with private pools, and there is a historic pool, gardens and vineyards, wellness, and the restaurant Lil'a, which cooks Ottoman and Turkish dishes.
Ways to make it yours
This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.
Made around you
Most travel is bought. This is designed.
Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.
The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.
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