Destination: Turkey

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION

Itinerary: Coast & Cappadocia

THREE WEEKS / INSTANBUL TO CAPPADOCIA

This is one trip you won’t forget a hurry. Pack your towel, pumps, pedometer – you’re seeing the sights of Old Istanbul, the highlights of the Aegean and the Mediterranean coasts and finishing off in kooky Cappadocia – a whopping 3100km of travel.



For the first week, follow the first itinerary. Then, from your base at Selçuk, day-trip to the travertines and ruins of Hierapolis at Pamukkale. The brilliant white terraces can be dizzying in the midday sun, but a dip in Hierapolis Termal’s swimming pool will restore your cool.

Heading back to the coast, ignore the overblown resorts of Bodrum and Marmaris and head straight for Fethiye and beautiful Ölüdeniz. This is the spot to take to the air on a paraglide, or lay way low on a beach towel. You’re now within kicking distance of the famous Lycian Way; hike for a day through superb countryside to overnight in heavenly Faralya and further inroads into the Lycian Way will definitely head-up your ‘next time’ list. Back on the coast, pit stop at laid-back Kas, its pretty harbourside square alive nightly with the hum of friendly folk enjoying the breeze, views, boutique browsing and a beer or two. You may want a few days more unwinding at the famous beach tree house complexes at Olympos closeby.

Antalya’s old Kaleiçi quarter is well worth a wander against the backdrop of that jaw-dropping mountain range. Then it’s time to fold your bikini into a matchbox and head inland. Catch an overnight bus north to claim your cave in Göreme. This low-key traveller’s hang-out is the best place to base yourself in Cappadocia, a surreal moonscape with phallic tuff cones, no less. For most the cones don’t overshadow the more orthodox sights including the superb rock-cut frescoed churches of Göreme Open-Air Museum and the spooky underground cities at Derinkuyu and Kaymakli.