29/04/2026
T U R K E Y
One of my favorite countries I’ve ever visited ✨ Itinerary ideas:
✈️ Fly into Istanbul (2-3 nights), to discover countless rooftop restaurants with stunning views of mosques. Pro tip: be sure to stay for sunset, when you’ll hear the calls to prayer. (We enjoyed Alpek Restaurant.) Stay in the Old Town or Galata.
🕌 You can visit palaces and mosques with centuries of history. My favorites were the Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace. If you’re short on time, you can see the highlights of Istanbul’s Old Town (Sultanahmet district) within a day. You can also take a ferry between Europe and Asia!
🎈The country is huge, so you will likely take flights between places. DO NOT miss Cappadocia (3-4 nights)… this is truly one of the most magical places. Fly into NAV or ASR, then stay in Göreme (most popular) or Uçhisar (less crowded). I recommend renting a car from the airport, but you could also book shuttles or tours to get around.
🌅 Wake up for sunrise every morning in Cappadocia… trust me on this! You’ll witness hundreds of hot air balloons rising with the sun. My favorite locations to watch were the dirt roads nearby “Wild Food Sunrise Cappadocia Breakfast & Sunset Dinner” or “Red valley ATV” on Google Maps.
🥾 Cappadocia is filled with incredible cave homes & churches carved millennia ago into incredible “fairy chimney” rock formations. You’ll see them everywhere, but some great ones are Goreme Open Air Museum, Uchisar Castle, and Zelve Open Air Museum. & hiking in Love Valley.
☀️ Fly to DNZ, then take a 1 hr bus to Pamukkale (1-2 nights). First thing in the morning, taxi to the South Gate when it opens (6:30 am when I visited). Head straight to the terraces, and walk down the hill enjoying the pools before the crowds. Spend the day exploring the ruins of Hierapolis.
🛳️ You can also visit the ancient city Ephesus, which I did on a separate trip from the cruise port Kusadasi.
🏝️ Next time I visit I want to check out the Turkish Riviera!
