Türkiye trip plans

25 free self-guided trip plans for Türkiye: day-by-day routes, transit directions, opening days and facts from official sources.

Adıyaman

Adıyaman trip plans →

2 days · Adıyaman
Mount Nemrut in 2 days: sunset, sunrise and Commagene
This itinerary follows the sacred sites of the Kingdom of Commagene in the order of the road from Kâhta to the summit of Nemrut. On the first day you visit the Karakuş Tumulus, the Cendere Bridge, Yeni Kale and Arsameia, ending with the sunset on Nemrut's west terrace. On the second day you watch the sunrise from the east terrace, then see the ancient city of Perre on the way back to Adıyaman. All the sites in the itinerary are open every day, so it works on any day of the week. The Adıyaman Museum is closed because of the earthquake, so it is not included. Nemrut's opening hours can change with sunrise and sunset; check access times before your visit. Getting around the area is by private car or on a tour.
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Ankara

Ankara trip plans →

2 days · Ankara
Ankara in 2 days: Republican history and Anatolian archaeology
The plan splits Ankara into two walkable clusters. Day one is about the founding of the Republic: Anıtkabir and its Atatürk and War of Independence Museum in the morning, then in Ulus the neighbouring first and second parliament buildings, the Roman Baths, the Column of Julian and the Hacı Bayram-ı Veli Mosque, which leans on the Temple of Augustus. GoTürkiye's Ankara route suggests the same stops in the same order. Day two opens with the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations at the foot of the citadel, continues with Ankara Castle, the Aslanhane Mosque and the Rahmi M. Koç Museum, and ends with the Ethnography Museum and Hamamönü. Two halls of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations are under maintenance until 2 March 2027, and the War of Independence Museum in the first parliament building is included only if it is open, with a backup stop. Hours and fees link to the official source with the date we last checked them.
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Antalya

Antalya trip plans →

3 days · Antalya
Antalya in 3 days: a self-guided itinerary
An hour-by-hour plan for the stone lanes of Kaleiçi and a swim at Konyaaltı, the ancient cities of Perge and Aspendos, both Düden waterfalls and an optional day in Side. Practical advice on heat, sun and swimming; opening hours and closing days link to the official source with the date we last checked them.
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Ayvalık

Ayvalık trip plans →

2 days · Ayvalık
Ayvalık and Cunda in 2 days: Taksiyarhis, olive oil and island lanes
This Ayvalık–Cunda plan covers two days: the historic centre of Ayvalık on the mainland on day one, and Cunda, also called Alibey Island, linked by a bridge, on day two. Day one takes in the Taksiyarhis Monument Museum, Ayvalık's first church, the bazaar and mosques, the Ayvalık Rahmi M. Koç Museum in a historic olive-oil factory, and sunset at Şeytan Sofrası. Day two covers the Cunda Rahmi M. Koç Museum in a church of garlic stone, the stone lanes, Taş Kahve and the windmill on Lovers' Hill. All three museums close on Mondays, so schedule the plan between Tuesday and Sunday. Markets are held in the centre on Thursdays and on Cunda on Saturdays; the route does not depend on them.
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Bodrum

Bodrum trip plans →

3 days · Bodrum
Bodrum in 3 days: the castle, ancient Halicarnassus and the bays
Bodrum has two layers: ancient Halicarnassus and the castle of the Knights of St John in the centre, and bays and old villages to the west of the peninsula. This plan gives the first day to the castle, the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, the Mausoleum and the ancient theatre on the slope of Göktepe. The second day runs from the Zeki Müren Art Museum in Kumbahçe to Bitez and Ortakent, the hilltop village of Karaköy built to hide from pirates, and Gümüşlük for the sunset. The third day is at sea: a day boat or a beach in the bays. The Mausoleum, the theatre and the Zeki Müren Art Museum close on Mondays; the Underwater Archaeology Museum opens every day, but because of restoration only the Uluburun and shipwreck sections are open for now. Opening hours and closing days come from official sources.
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Bursa

Bursa trip plans →

2 days · Bursa
Bursa in 2 days: the first Ottoman capital and Cumalıkızık
In 2014 Bursa was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as "Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire", and this plan spreads the site's components over two days. Day one starts at the tombs of Osman and Orhan Gazi in the citadel and goes down to the Grand Mosque, Koza Han with its silk shops and the Han District; after lunch in Kayhan, where İskender kebab was born, you cross Irgandı Bridge to the Green Mosque and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, open every day. Day two brings the garden of tombs at Muradiye in the morning, Cumalıkızık village on the slopes of Uludağ at midday, and the Atatürk House Museum or Uludağ in the afternoon. Bursa Archaeological Museum and the Ottoman House Museum are currently closed, so they are left out. Hours and rules link to the official source with the date we last checked them.
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Çanakkale

Çanakkale trip plans →

2 days · Çanakkale
Çanakkale in 2 days: Troy, Kilitbahir and Gallipoli
This Çanakkale itinerary gives one day to each shore of the Dardanelles. On day one you are on the Asian side: visit UNESCO-listed Troy and the museum at its entrance on one ticket, preview a map of the Gallipoli Campaign at the Anadolu Hamidiye Bastion in town in the afternoon, and end the evening on the waterfront beside the film horse. On day two you take the ferry to the European side; after Kilitbahir Castle, built in the time of Mehmed the Conqueror, and Namazgah Bastion, you take in the whole campaign at the centre in Kabatepe, then spend the afternoon respectfully visiting the 57th Regiment Memorial Cemetery, Chunuk Bair and Anzac Cove in the Gallipoli Historical Site. Kilitbahir, Namazgah and Anadolu Hamidiye close on Mondays and the Kabatepe centre on Tuesdays, so start the plan on a day between Tuesday and Saturday; your second day will then fall between Wednesday and Sunday. Opening hours and fees link to the official source with the date we last checked them.
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Cappadocia

Cappadocia trip plans →

2 days · Cappadocia
Cappadocia in 2 days: a self-guided itinerary
Day one covers Göreme's rock-cut churches, the fairy chimneys of Zelve and Paşabağları, the potters of Avanos and sunset over the Red Valley; day two the underground cities of Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu, then Uçhisar, Ortahisar and Ürgüp. There is an optional note on the dawn balloons. Opening hours, closing days and ticket details link to the official source with the date we last checked them.
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Çeşme

Çeşme trip plans →

Edirne

Edirne trip plans →

2 days · Edirne
Edirne in 2 days: the Selimiye, the bazaars and the bridges
Edirne has two faces: a city of mosque complexes and markets built around Mimar Sinan's Selimiye, and a border city of rivers, bridges and bastions. On day one you walk from the Selimiye Mosque to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in its complex, the Archaeology and Ethnography Museum, the Arasta, the Old Mosque, the Bedesten and the Rüstem Paşa Caravanserai, ending at the Necmi İğe House. On day two you visit Hıdırlık Bastion and the Sultan Bayezid II Complex, cross the Tunca bridges and reach the Meriç Bridge at sunset. The Necmi İğe House is closed on Mondays; the other museums open every day.
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Eskişehir

Eskişehir trip plans →

2 days · Eskişehir
Eskişehir in 2 days: Odunpazarı, museums and the Porsuk
A programme that splits Eskişehir's two sides across two days. Day one is spent entirely in Odunpazarı: the timber houses of the city's first Turkish quarter, the 16th-century Kurşunlu Complex, the Meerschaum Museum and Art Bazaar, Atlıhan and, in the afternoon, Odunpazarı Modern Museum. Day two is in the centre: the Eti Archaeology Museum, the Porsuk River, traffic-free Hamamyolu, Taşbaş and the Çukur Çarşı, and an evening on the riverside by the illuminated Reşadiye Mosque. Lunch means çibörek, balaban or simit, and the afternoon break is met halva. The Eti Archaeology Museum is open every day; OMM's closing day is not on its official page, so check before you go. Between November and March, confirm museum hours at the entrance.
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Fethiye

Fethiye trip plans →

3 days · Fethiye
Fethiye in 3 days: rock tombs, Ölüdeniz and the Lycian valley
Fethiye is a harbour town built over ancient Telmessos, and this plan splits it into three days: the town, the coast and the inland valley. Day one stays in town with the Fethiye Museum, the Amyntas rock tombs carved into the mountainside and the marina at sunset. Day two goes down to the coast: Kayaköy and its hillside stone houses in the morning, the protected lagoon of Ölüdeniz at midday and, if you like, the church ruins of Gemiler Island. Day three heads inland to the valleys of Lycia: Tlos at the foot of the Akdağlar range, the cool canyon of Saklıkent and, time permitting, Letoon and its legend. Opening hours, closing days and entry fees link to official sources with the date we last checked them.
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Gaziantep

Gaziantep trip plans →

2 days · Gaziantep
Gaziantep in 2 days: food and bazaars
Gaziantep is a city you get to know through its food, and this plan is built that way. Day one is entirely on foot: at the kitchen museum below the castle you learn the story of the dishes you will eat for two days, then move through the coppersmiths' hammering to the covered bazaars and caravanserais, and end the afternoon with menengiç coffee in a historic coffee house. Day two gives the morning to the Zeugma mosaics and the Archaeology Museum, then crosses to Tepebaşı for a church turned mosque and waits for evening in the stone lanes of Bey Mahallesi. Beyran or katmer for breakfast, lahmacun at lunch, baklava in the late afternoon: the food is spread across both days. The castle is currently closed for restoration, so the plan uses it as a landmark seen from outside. Opening days and hours link to the official source with the date we last checked them.
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Istanbul

Istanbul trip plans →

3 days · Istanbul
Istanbul in 3 days: a self-guided itinerary
Hour-by-hour plan for the old city, the bazaars and Beyoğlu, and a day on the Bosphorus, with tram, funicular and ferry directions. Opening days, ticket prices and timetables link to the official source with the date we last checked them.
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Kars

Kars trip plans →

2 days · Kars
Kars and Ani in 2 days: the castle quarter, Baltic-style streets and the Ani ruins
The plan has two clusters. Day one stays in the city centre on foot: in the castle quarter, the foot of Kars Castle, the Kümbet Mosque, the Stone Bridge, the Ottoman baths, the Evliya Mosque and the tomb of Ebu'l Hasan Harakani are all close together. In the afternoon you move on to the Baltic-style buildings of the Yusufpaşa, Ortakapı and Cumhuriyet districts, laid out on a grid in the Russian period, and the day ends at the Kars Museum. The morning of day two is for the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ani, about 42–44 km from central Kars; the shuttle run by the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, leaving from outside the Gazi Ahmet Muhtar Paşa Mansion, is the backbone of the route. In the afternoon you visit the Caucasus Front War History Museum at Kanlı Tabya. The Kars Museum and the War History Museum are closed on Mondays, while Ani is open every day; if the plan falls on a Monday, move the museums to the other day. Train details for those arriving or leaving on the Touristic Eastern Express are below.
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Kaş

Kaş trip plans →

3 days · Kaş
Kaş in 3 days: Kekova, Myra, Xanthos and Patara
Kaş sits in the middle of the Lycian coast, with Kekova and Demre to the east and Kalkan and Patara to the west. This plan stays in Kaş each night and heads out in three directions. Day one is the town itself: the harbour, the Lion Tomb, the theatre of Antiphellos and, in the afternoon, Kaputaş or a dive. Day two takes a boat from Üçağız over the sunken city ruins of Kekova and to Simena (Kaleköy), then the rock tombs of Myra, the Church of St Nicholas and the harbour city of Andriake in Demre. Day three covers UNESCO-listed Xanthos, Patara, capital of the Lycian League, with its 18-kilometre beach, and an evening in Kalkan. According to muze.gov.tr the sites open every day, but the pages give no seasonal hours, so between November and March check the hours at the entrance. Swimming is forbidden at Kekova; choose the boat operator yourself.
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Konya

Konya trip plans →

2 days · Konya
Konya in 2 days: Rumi, Seljuk madrasas and Sille
Konya's main sights sit along a two-kilometre axis: the Mevlana Museum and the neighbouring Panorama Konya Museum in the east, and Alaeddin Hill with the Karatay and İnce Minareli madrasas opposite it in the west. Day one walks this axis end to end: Rumi's museum in the morning, etliekmek at lunch, then the Seljuk madrasas and Alaeddin Hill in the afternoon. If it falls on a Saturday, the day ends with the Sema programme at the Mevlana Cultural Centre. Day two goes to Sille in the city's north-west, with the Church of Aya Elenia and its protected old quarter, and ends in the afternoon at the Tropical Butterfly Garden in Selçuklu; for drivers, Çatalhöyük is a half-day alternative. The Konya Archaeology Museum and the Konya Ethnography Museum are shown as closed on the official page, so they are not included. Hours and fees link to the official source with the date we last checked them.
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Mardin

Mardin trip plans →

2 days · Mardin
Mardin in 2 days: the old city, Midyat and the monasteries
Mardin's old city is a hillside of golden stone buildings rising tier on tier above the Mesopotamian plain, and most of it is best seen on foot; day one is given entirely to it. Start at the Kasımiye Madrasa, which opens onto the plain, then climb to the Zinciriye Madrasa, the Mardin Museum and the Great Mosque to complete the historic core. In the afternoon walk the bazaar and First Street to the city museum, and end the day with a guided tour of the Deyrulzafaran Monastery east of town. Day two heads into Tur Abdin: the stone houses of Midyat, the city museum in an old han, the guest house terrace, then the Mor Gabriel Monastery, a living community for centuries. Most museums close on Mondays, so do not start on a Monday. Opening hours and rules link to the official source with the date we last checked them.
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Pamukkale

Pamukkale trip plans →

2 days · Pamukkale
Pamukkale and Denizli in 2 days: travertines and ancient cities
Pamukkale's white limestone terraces and the ancient city of Hierapolis share one site and one ticket, so day one is given entirely to it. Climb the travertines barefoot early in the morning on the footpath from the village, swim if you like in the thermal Antique Pool among fallen columns, see the museum inside the site and spend the afternoon in the ancient city from the theatre to the necropolis. Day two moves to the Denizli side: the quieter, broad-streeted Laodicea in the morning, the cable car up to cool Bağbaşı plateau at midday, and the city museums and wood-oven Denizli kebab in the evening. The plan follows winter visiting hours; remember that the footpath closes before all the gates. Opening hours and fees link to the official source with the date we last checked them.
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Rize

Rize trip plans →

3 days · Rize
Rize in 3 days: tea gardens, the Fırtına Valley and Ayder
The Rize itinerary rises from the coast to the high plateaus over three days. Day one is in the city: the Rize Museum, the Atatürk House Museum, Rize Castle with its inner keep linked to the age of Justinian, the İslampaşa Mosque of 1571 and the Ziraat Tea Garden overlooking the sea. On day two you climb to Çamlıhemşin to see the stone bridges over the Fırtına stream and Zil Castle further up the valley. Day three is a walk on the Ayder plateau, at 1,350 metres inside Kaçkar Mountains National Park, with an optional climb to the Kavrun plateau. The Rize Museum and the Atatürk House Museum are closed on Mondays, so do not start on a Monday.
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Safranbolu

Safranbolu trip plans →

2 days · Safranbolu
Safranbolu and Amasra in 2 days: the old bazaar, mansions and castle
Safranbolu has been protected since 1975 and on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1994; this plan spreads its timber-house bazaar quarter and Amasra on the western Black Sea coast over two days. On day one you look over the town from Hıdırlık Hill, then walk to Kazdağlı Square, the Cinci Inn, the Yemeniciler Arasta, Kaymakamlar House and the City History Museum with its Clock Tower, with an optional late-afternoon walk into Tokatlı Canyon. On day two you visit Yörük Village, then drive to Amasra for its castle, the Kemere Bridge and the Amasra Museum. The City History Museum and the Amasra Museum close on Mondays, so plan the trip between Tuesday and Sunday.
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Şanlıurfa

Şanlıurfa trip plans →

2 days · Şanlıurfa
Şanlıurfa in 2 days: Göbeklitepe, the museums and Balıklıgöl
Two days in Şanlıurfa run from some of the oldest pages of human history to today's bazaars. Day one is given to prehistory: in the morning you walk among the giant T-shaped pillars of Göbeklitepe east of the city, in the afternoon you see its finds in the Şanlıurfa Museum and Roman mosaics in neighbouring Haleplibahçe, and in the evening you drink mırra coffee in the courtyard of Gümrük Han. Day two is on foot in the historic centre: Balıklıgöl with its sacred fish, the cave at Mevlid-i Halil and the castle that shapes the skyline. The beehive houses of Harran are an afternoon option; the archaeological site is currently closed after the earthquake, so check before you go. Hours link to the official source with the date we last checked them.
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Trabzon

Trabzon trip plans →

3 days · Trabzon
Trabzon and Uzungöl in 3 days: Sumela, Hagia Sophia and the uplands
The easiest way to split Trabzon into three days is to point each day in one direction. Day one stays in the city: Hagia Sophia by the sea, the Atatürk Mansion in Soğuksu, lunch in the Kemeraltı bazaar, the Trabzon Museum in a richly decorated mansion, and the view from Boztepe to close the day. Day two heads south via Maçka into the Altındere Valley, where you walk through the forest to the Sumela Monastery set against a sheer rock face, with an optional rice-pudding stop in Hamsiköy on the way back. Day three is a long day trip east to Uzungöl, a lake among forested slopes. Both of the last two days start early, because Sumela's ticket office closes early and Uzungöl is far. Hagia Sophia is a mosque today, so plan your visit outside prayer times. Hours and fees link to the official source with the date we last checked them.
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Van

Van trip plans →

2 days · Van
Van in 2 days: Akdamar, Tushpa and the Urartian castles
The Van programme divides the two shores of the lake and the Urartian layer into two days. Day one is in the city: after a long Van breakfast you visit Tushpa, the Urartian capital better known as Van Castle, then the Old City and the Red Minaret Mosque in the afternoon, and the lakeshore at sunset. Day two heads south: a boat from the Gevaş pier to Akdamar Island and the Akdamar Memorial Museum, built in 915–921, then the Çavuştepe and Hoşap castles on the Van–Hakkâri road in the afternoon. The Van Museum is currently closed for renovation; the other sites in the programme open every day.
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