Days 1-4: Istanbul

The first stop in Turkey was four days in vibrant Istanbul. It is the capital of Turkey. Istanbul straddles Europe and Asia and is a mesmerizing mix between ancient and modern. In the city centre, there are historic mosques and buildings right near hipster cafes and designer shops.
With a population of 15 million, Istanbul is the largest city in Europe. You will likely spend most of your time on the European side but you can take a Bosphorus cruise right down the middle to see both sides. Even with its enormous size, you can still walk to most of the sightseeing spots.

The first stop in Turkey was four days in vibrant Istanbul. It is the capital of Turkey. Istanbul straddles Europe and Asia and is a mesmerizing mix between ancient and modern. In the city centre, there are historic mosques and buildings right near hipster cafes and designer shops.
With a population of 15 million, Istanbul is the largest city in Europe. You will likely spend most of your time on the European side but you can take a Bosphorus cruise right down the middle to see both sides. Even with its enormous size, you can still walk to most of the sightseeing spots.

From days 1-4, we visited the following places in Istanbul: -

Hagia Sophia: - To put this “historic” city into perspective, the oldest buildings in Istanbul are more than 600 years older than the oldest buildings in Paris. This 6th Century cathedral was transformed into a mosque in the 15th century. It was built by the Roman emperor Justinian 1 as a Christian cathedral.

Blue Mosque:- Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, is an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. A functioning mosque also attracts large numbers of tourist visitors. Blue Mosque is a stunning display of intricate tile work and windows.

Topkapi Palace: - In this same area, you can check out Topkapi Palace, a former royal residence that is now a museum. This UNESCO Heritage Site is the oldest surviving palace in the world. Make sure to check out the harem rooms.

Grand Bazaar & Spice Bazaar: - Still, in the old city, we headed to the Grand Bazaar and found this cute, colourful street. You can grab a quick bite to eat before you delve into the biggest shopping area you’ve ever seen. It conjures up images of traders travelling the Silk Road to bring precious and exotic spices to market.

GRAND BAZAAR

SPICE BAZZAR

Bosphorus Cruis: - You can take a Bosphorus Cruise through the middle of 2 continents. We hopped on from the area called Ortaköy. It’s a delightful, hour-long cruise that gives a completely different view of Istanbul’s beautiful waterfront houses and palaces. The cruise takes you from Europe to Asia and back to Europe. The Bosphorus bridge is also a pleasant view. The bridge connects Europe and Asia. One side is Europe other in Asia.

5-6 DAYS: EPHESUS AND PATARA

From day 5-6, we visited the following places: -

Ancient City of Ephesus: -Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, three kilometres southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of the former Arzawan capital by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. Today the city ruins are one of the biggest tourist attractions in turkey.

Patara: - Just like Ephesus Patra is also a Greek city only the city ruins are near a beach which attracts tourists cause they can see the ruins and visit the beach at the same time.

Day 7: ULUDAG

On day 7, we visited the following place: -

Uludağ: - Uludağ is a mountain in Bursa Province, Turkey, with an elevation of 2,543 m (8,343 Ft.). In Turkish, Uludağ means " great mountain". Uludağ is a city in Turkey that is covered by snow throughout the year. There are many fun things to do in Uludağ such as skiing, paragliding, ice skating etc.

8-9 DAYS: CAPPADOCIA

Cappadocia (pron. Cap-uh-dokia) is a region in the middle of Turkey comprised of multiple towns and villages. You should plan at least 2 nights here so you have 2 chances to watch or take a hot air balloon flight in case there are weather issues. Cappadocia has some really interesting and fun things to see but it’s pretty touristy, which is why 2-3 days is plenty.

From day 8-9, we visited the following places: -

Hot Air Balloon Ride: - Cappadocia is world-famous for hot air ballooning. The experiences are spectacular. There are 2 take off times so you can fly and enjoy watching them afterwards.

Visiting the Valleys: - If you plan to take a hot air balloon flight, you will get a bird’s eye view of the Cappadocia valleys. You should also go visit them on foot. One of the top things to do in Cappadocia sees all the different valleys. The landscape is otherworldly and there are interesting caves everywhere.

Underground Cities: - There are 200 underground cities in Cappadocia. The most famous and largest is Derinkuyu. Going 200 feet underground, it could house 20,000 people including their livestock stables. Kaymakli, an underground city that’s further away, was discovered in 1963 when a local found a room behind a wall in his house. I’ve had dreams where I find a hallway and realize that my house was so much bigger than I thought, but could you imagine finding a whole city!!
Downtown Goreme: - Downtown Goreme is a great place to walk around and shop for souvenirs like Turkish rugs, beautiful lamps and more. You’ll also find delicious restaurants. You can take a 15 min walk to Goreme Open Air Museum and see churches from the 10th-12th centuries.

Staying in a Cave Hotel: -Staying in a cave hotel is a prime attraction in the area. We stayed at Local Cave House because they had a super cool pool and we were only staying for a day so we wanted to be within walking distance from town. In town, there was an impressive rug store and lots of delicious restaurants.