THE TURKEY TRIANGLE: A DIY TRAVEL GUIDE

I have to admit that I never intended to travel to Turkey in November 2015; it wasn’t in my travel radar at that time. At the start of every year, I pinpoint specific days and weeks that I can take vacation leaves within the next 12 months, without any specific idea as to where I would go. Originally, those 11 annual leave days in November were meant for Greece, but I wasn’t in the mood to file numerous documents for an expensive Schengen visa for just an 11-day stay (gotta think of the travel ROI, you know!). Wanted to go somewhere beyond Southeast Asia with the least visa hassles as possible and preferably use the miles on my Emirates account. All signs pointed to Turkey.

Admittedly, I had no preconceived notions of the country, its culture, and the sights. Normally, I would research obsessively about the destination and carry a day to day itinerary (in Excel format) ... to a point that I feel like I’ve already visited the destination before even setting foot in it. This time around, I was in a #YOLO mood and decided to wing it. So armed only with an email from a friend who has been to Istanbul – not even the entirety of Turkey – a whopping 18 times, and a vague idea in my head of how to traverse the country in 10 days (excluding my Dubai stopover), I landed in Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport during a cool and crisp autumn day.

TURKEY IS MIND-BLOWINGLY BEAUTIFUL, to put it upfront. From my IG and FB posts to the conversations I have with friends, I have nothing but superlatives to describe this country. Everything was just awe-inspiring and I never expected to fall truly, madly, deeply in love with this place. It has every type of activity and sights – both man-made and natural – that even the most jaded of travelers can truly appreciate. Being in Turkey felt like I was in the middle of a colorful whirlwind of sights, sounds, smells, activities, people, places, and things – it was sensory overload in the most positive way!

This post is meant to whet your appetite for Turkey and will provide basic information on how to loop around the country on your own and what sights are must-sees in every stop so you can maximize your time there. Ten days is a squeeze with all the sights and destinations Turkey has to offer, but hey, it’s a doable timeline.

THE TURKEY TRIANGLE

Sort of! :)

Photo credit: Istanbul Tour Guides. I did the triangle myself to map out the itinerary and mode of transport. :)

From experience, it might be better to visit Pamukkale first and save Cappadocia for last, before the return to Istanbul. Cappadocia is so overwhelmingly insane that Pamukkale might pale in comparison – an unfair judgment given that it also offers a wonderful array of beautiful sights! On hindsight, seeing Cappadocia first gave my overloaded senses a relief from all that awesomeness, so it’s really up to you.

SUGGESTED ITINERARY

DAY 1-3: ISTANBUL

I arrived midday during my first day in this bustling city and thankfully, the traffic allowed me to have the rest of the day to explore the Old Town of Istanbul. The city is drop-dead gorgeous and on the day I visited the Hagia Sophia, that was the exact moment I fell irrevocably in love with this city straddling two continents!

The sights in the itinerary below are bucketed by proximity of each other and arranged accordingly so you get to explore a specific area of Istanbul a day at a time. Do check, however, if the places are open on the day you are visiting them and switch as needed, i.e. Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays, apart from regular public holidays. I’m splitting the Istanbul itinerary because I stayed for a total of five days, book-ending my trip, so scroll down for the rest.

WHERE TO STAY: In the heart of Sultanahmet. I booked at the charming Zeynep Sultan Hotel and the lively Sultan Hostel – both within walking distance to all the key sights and best for acquainting yourself with the lay of the land in Istanbul’s Old Town.

HOW TO GET AROUND: Day 1 – everything is within walking distance of each other. Day 2 – mostly walking but use the metro after Topkapi Palace. Day 3 – again walking will suffice but take a cab for Chora Church & Suleymaniye, then take the metro to go back to Sultanahmet.

DAY 4 & 5: CAPPADOCIA

The sights in this insanely beautiful region of Turkey are quite far from one another and spread out across the valleys, so book a local tour with your hotel or hostel. Packages usually cover two days for both the northern and southern part of Cappadocia, but the hot air balloon experience is on top of the tours and a MUST-DO! My second day itinerary was packed with hikes at different intervals throughout the day, but you can always opt not to and only just visit the viewpoints.

GETTING THERE: Fly via Turkish Airlines from Istanbul, fares can go as low as USD 50, one way.

WHERE TO STAY: When in Cappadocia, stay in a cave hotel! It’s a must and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I originally wanted to stay at the Kelebek Cave Hotel, but it was fully booked – right next door is the delightfully beautiful Harman Cave Hotel! It’s cozy, central, and offers views of the fairy chimneys.

HOW TO GET AROUND: For the sights, I found it challenging to go around Cappadocia without relying on an arranged tour and I recommend Road Runner – a local agency in Turkey. Public transportation is limited to nil so you will need to arrange a car service with your accommodations. Where I stayed in, it was easy to walk down to the small town square that has commercial shops and restaurants, but beyond that – I needed a ride to everywhere else.

DAY 6: ON THE ROAD TO PAMMUKALE, VIA KONYA

Most visitors skip Konya and head straight to Pamukkale by flying, but I was curious about the Mevlani Museum. It's the center of Sufism and is where the remains of the mystic Rumi are laid to rest. There’s also a fine example of the lesser-known Selcuk period architecture with the Sultanhani ruins in Aksaray.

GETTING THERE: By bus from the Avanos bus terminal in Cappadocia. The trip to Konya takes 3 hours – check if you need to switch buses in Konya, or you can always opt to stop there for a couple of hours or lunch before continuing the journey to Pamukkale. The second leg of the trip takes 5 hours straight through sleepy towns and a Mercedes Benz truck manufacturing plant... because you know, that's totally exciting! ;-)

DAY 7: PAMUKKALE & HERIAPOLIS

Easily done in a day: start with the ruins of Heriapolis and make your way down to the travertines of Pamukkale. Don’t forget to swim in Cleopatra’s pool (purported to be the fountain of youth!) – which can be done at an additional fee – then spend the rest of the day jumping from one pool to the other in the otherworldly cotton-candy terraces.

WHERE TO STAY: The modern Doga Thermal Hotel, far from town, but has beautiful views of the sunset over Denizli province and is built around mineral thermal pools where you can splash around to your heart’s content.

HOW TO GET AROUND: If staying at Doga, you need to take a tour or hire a taxi to take you the UNESCO sights, but if you’re staying in Pamukkale town, it’s easy to get to the travertines on foot as it’s situated on top of it.

DAY 8: EPHESUS & IZMIR. LATE NIGHT DEPARTURE FOR ISTANBUL

You can either fly from Pamukkale back to Istanbul, or consider a pitstop in the historical UNESCO site of Ephesus, which boasts one of the most magnificently restored Roman architecture, the Library of Celsus. Plus, you get to visit Mother Mary’s last known home.

GETTING THERE: Take the Anadolu bus from Denizli town to Izmir. The trip takes less than 3 hours.

HOW TO GET AROUND: If you plan on lugging around your luggage, book a tour at any of the agencies in the beach-side town of Izmir – the vans have more than enough space to store your luggage while doing the day trip and they can take you directly to the airport at the end of the day.

DAY 9 & 10. ISTANBUL. LATE NIGHT DEPARTURE FOR DUBAI.

Get to know the bustling and modern epicenter of Istanbul and take a jaunt to the Asian side on your last two days in this colorful city! Don't forget to ride a ferry on the Bosphorus - bragging rights for being in two continents at once, amirite? :-)

WHERE TO STAY: Anywhere near Istiklal Caddesi, the bustling heart of this side of Istanbul. I stayed at Alkoclar Keban Hotel – fantastic staff, picturesque restaurant and very central location!

HOW TO GET AROUND: Train, walking and tram for Day 4. Funicular, ferry, walking, and tram for Day 5.

VISA TIP: For foreigner residents in Singapore (PR or with valid employment passes), you can easily apply for a visa online when you have a Schengen or OECD visa valid at the time of your travel. Filipino passport holders can get a FREE multiple-entry Japan visa for a faster Turkish visa approval. I got mine in a few hours from time of application!

There you have it, a high-energy itinerary that takes you to some of the best sights in Turkey across this traveler's triangle. Hope this post inspires you to book your own DIY trip around Turkey. I will be writing in-depth articles of each destination in this post in the following weeks, so watch out for those! :)

HAPPY TRAVELS! x

#Turkey