8-Day Turkey Tour from Istanbul: Gallipoli, Troy & Cappadocia

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What’s the experience like?

The bus rolled out of Istanbul just as the sky turned that soft blue before sunrise. I grabbed a window seat and watched the Sea of Marmara flicker past—sometimes calm, sometimes choppy. By noon, we pulled into Eceabat for a quick lunch (the lentil soup at the little café by the ferry terminal hit the spot). Our guide, Cem, led us along Gallipoli’s coastline. The air felt heavy near the memorials—quiet except for the wind and distant gulls. Walking those old trenches where ANZAC and Ottoman soldiers once fought made history feel raw and close. Cem shared stories about Ataturk that you won’t find in guidebooks. That night in Canakkale, I wandered down to the waterfront; locals were out fishing and selling roasted corn.

The next morning brought us to Troy. The site isn’t huge but it’s layered—literally. You can see where each civilization built over the last. There’s a wooden Trojan Horse replica (kids love climbing inside), but I was more drawn to the weathered city walls and scattered pottery shards poking through the dirt. The Troy Museum nearby is worth a look if you want to see gold jewelry and ancient tools up close.

Pergamon sits high above Bergama—a steep drive up winding roads lined with fig trees. The Acropolis ruins are impressive: marble columns against open sky, goats grazing below. Standing in the ancient theater (it’s really steep!), you get why people flocked here for performances centuries ago. Our guide mentioned Pergamon’s library rivaled Alexandria’s; apparently parchment was invented right here.

Ephesus feels like stepping onto a movie set—except it’s real stone underfoot and cicadas buzzing overhead. We walked down marble streets past what’s left of the Temple of Artemis (just one lonely column remains), then ducked into the Library of Celsus façade for photos. The Great Theatre is massive—you can almost hear echoes from gladiator days if you sit quietly enough. Don’t skip the Terrace Houses; their mosaics are still bright after all these years.

Pamukkale looked unreal—white terraces glowing in late afternoon sun, steam rising off warm pools. I waded in ankle-deep water; it felt silky from all those minerals. Some folks slathered mud on their arms hoping for softer skin (can’t say if it worked). Above is Hierapolis with its old theater and crumbling baths—worth exploring if you like Roman ruins without crowds.

Antalya brought a change of pace: palm trees, sea breeze, and busy markets in Kaleiçi Old Town. We strolled through Hadrian’s Gate and stopped at a bakery for simit bread still warm from the oven. The Antalya Museum had artifacts from nearly every place we’d visited so far—a nice way to connect all those dots in your head. Düden Waterfalls made for a cool break outside town before we hit Konyaaltı Beach for sunset views over the mountains.

Cappadocia was pure magic at dawn—the sky filling with hot air balloons as we sipped strong tea on a chilly terrace in Göreme. Later we explored rock-cut churches at Göreme Open-Air Museum (the frescoes are surprisingly vivid), wandered through Pasabag’s mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys, and tried our hand at pottery in Avanos (my bowl came out lopsided but I kept it anyway). On our last day, we squeezed through tunnels in Derinkuyu Underground City and hiked along Melendiz River in Ihlara Valley—wildflowers everywhere this time of year.