Turkish Delights & Dust
A classic loop through the heart of Anatolia, starting from the chaos of Istanbul and winding through the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia.
Istanbul → Bursa → Selçuk → Pamukkale → Konya → Göreme → Kayseri
Istanbul’s Imperial Heart
Pick up your rental car, but honestly, park it immediately at your hotel. Driving in Sultanahmet is a nightmare you don't want. Grab a Turkish coffee and wake up.
Istanbul Airport (IST)
Pick up your rental car, but honestly, park it immediately at your hotel. Driving in Sultanahmet is a nightmare you don't want. Grab a Turkish coffee and wake up.
Blue Mosque
Step inside (respectfully covered) to see why it’s named for its tiles. The scale is humbling. Try to time your visit between prayer calls to ensure entry.
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia, officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, is a mosque and a major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. It was formerly a church (360–1453) and a museum (1935–2020).
Galata Bridge
The Galata Bridge is a bridge that spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. From the end of the 19th century in particular, the bridge has featured in Turkish literature, theater, poetry and novels. The current Galata Bridge is just the latest in a series of bridges linking Eminönü in the Fatih district and Karaköy in Beyoğlu since the early 19th century.
Bazaars and Bosphorus
Bazaars and Bosphorus (15km, 0.5h drive)
Grand Bazaar
Get lost in the labyrinth. Don't buy the first thing you see; the deeper you go, the better the prices. It’s an assault on the senses in the best way.
Topkapi Palace
The Topkapı Palace or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1853, it served as the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire, and was the main residence of its sultans.
Spice Bazaar
The Spice Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey, is one of the largest bazaars in the city. Located in the Eminönü quarter of the Fatih district, it is the most famous covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar.
The Road to the Aegean
Cross the massive Osmangazi Bridge. It's a long haul today, so keep the playlist ready. The roads are surprisingly smooth and modern.
Depart Istanbul
Cross the massive Osmangazi Bridge. It's a long haul today, so keep the playlist ready. The roads are surprisingly smooth and modern.
Bursa
Bursa is a large city in the Southern Marmara region of Turkey, 20 km inland from the Marmara coast. It's the country's fourth-largest city, with a population of 2,161,990 in 2021, and with another million living in the wider metro area. It's mostly modern, industrial and concrete-ridden; earning its living from textiles, agricultural produce and the automobile industry.
Selçuk
Selçuk is a town in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, with a population of 36,360 in 2018. It's the original site of the city of Ephesus - those Roman ruins lie 4 km west and are described on a separate page.
Ancient Ruins and White Terraces
190km, 3h drive
Ephesus
Ephesus (Turkish: Efes) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with magnificent Roman ruins. It's in the Central Aegean region of Turkey 4 km west of Selçuk and 19 km northeast of the beach resort of Kuşadası. This page only describes features within the ticketted area of Ephesus or right by its gates. That city began on the site of present-day Selçuk, where the museum holds antiquities found here.
Pamukkale
Pamukkale is a village in the Southern Aegean region of Turkey, famous for its hot springs, Roman spa town of Hierapolis, and white terraced pools: the village name means "cotton castle". It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the country's top sights, mobbed in summer. The nearest town is Denizli, 20 km south.
Hierapolis
Hierapolis was a Hellenistic Greek city built on the site of a Phrygian cult center of the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele, in Phrygia in southwestern Anatolia, Turkey. It was famous for its hot springs, its high quality wool fabrics and dyes, and as the birthplace of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus. Its extensive remains are adjacent to modern Pamukkale in Turkey.
Into the Fairy Chimneys
This is your longest driving day across the Anatolian plateau. Stop in Konya for a quick look at the Mevlana Museum (Rumi’s tomb).
Depart Pamukkale
This is your longest driving day across the Anatolian plateau. Stop in Konya for a quick look at the Mevlana Museum (Rumi’s tomb).
Sultanhani Caravanserai
A massive, fortified "hotel" from the Silk Road era. It’s a great place to stretch your legs and imagine camel caravans passing through.
Göreme
Göreme (pronounced gur-reh-meh) is a town in the Cappadocia region of Turkey, with a population of 2034 in 2022. It's at the heart of the "fairy chimney" landscape, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, with soft volcanic tuff eroded into fantastical rock formations and excavated into cave dwellings. It's very touristy.
Valleys and Underground Cities
Even if you aren't flying, go to the "Sunset Viewpoint" to watch hundreds of balloons rise. It’s the most iconic sight in the country.
Hot Air Balloon Watch
Even if you aren't flying, go to the "Sunset Viewpoint" to watch hundreds of balloons rise. It’s the most iconic sight in the country.
Kaymakli Underground City
Kaymakli underground city is contained within the citadel of Kaymakli in Nevşehir Province, in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. First opened to tourists in 1964, the village is about 19 km from Nevşehir, on the Nevşehir-Niğde road.
Pasabag (Monks Valley)
See the most striking "fairy chimneys" with multiple caps. It’s an easy walk and perfect for exploring the strange geology.
The High Citadel and Departure
The High Citadel and Departure (80km, 1.5h drive)
Uchisar Castle
Climb the rock citadel for a 360-degree view of the entire Cappadocia region. You can see all the way to Mount Erciyes on a clear day.
Pigeon Valley
Pigeon Valley is a Natural Heritage Park and formally declared municipal nature reserve in Durban, South Africa. It is an unusual example of an urban reserve with very high levels of biodiversity. It was established to provide protection for the Natal elm and other forest giants of the coastal climax forest.
Avanos
Avanos is a town in Cappadocia, in an area riddled by ancient underground dwellings. Its main industry is pottery and in 2022 its population was 15,000.
- Day 3: 5.5h driving — plan rest stops
- Day 5: 7.5h driving — plan rest stops
- Day 3: 6h driving — plan rest stops
- Day 5: 7h 36m driving — plan rest stops