The best day trips from Istanbul: Cappadocia, Pamukkale and more
By Ling and Jace
home / back to Türkiye
Rose Valley, Cappadocia
One of the main reasons we travelled to Türkiye (Turkey) was for its diverse landscapes. Many places can be reached by a short domestic flight from Istanbul, so it is possible to take day trips from the city if you’re short on time.
We’ve put together this guide with the best day trips from Istanbul, including to Ephesus, Pamukkale and Hierapolis, Aphrodisias, Laodikeia (Laodicea), and Cappadocia. We explored all of these regions on our trip, and they were unforgettable.
We loved capturing this trip and if you like any of the photos, you can find us on Instagram @ling.and.jace
Contents
Tips for planning a trip to Istanbul
Where to stay in Istanbul
The best tours of Türkiye (Turkey)
Mobile and data plans (with discount)
Making payments in Türkiye (Turkey)
Best day trips from Istanbul
Hagia Sophia at sunrise, Istanbul
Moonrise in Turkey
TIPS FOR PLANNING A TRIP TO ISTANBUL
Where to stay in Istanbul
For the most convenient base in Istanbul, we’d recommend finding accommodation in Sultanahmet, which is in walking distance to the historic centre of Istanbul.
We saw so many places on foot from Sultanahmet, including the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Egyptian Bazaar, Galata Bridge and the Cistern Basilica.
There are many hotels to choose from in Sultanahmet and the easiest way to find them is by filtering by neighbourhood on Agoda. The most incredible views of Istanbul can be found at the Alzer Hotel Istanbul, which is one of the only hotels in the Sultanahmet square. The restaurant has a clear view of the Blue Mosque.
For a view of the Hagia Sophia, we’d recommend checking out the Henna Hotel Istanbul or the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet which both have rooftop terrace views.
The best tours of Türkiye (Turkey)
On our two week trip to Türkiye (Turkey), we visited Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Fethiye. We took a few internal flights and drove a lot of it ourselves, but if you’d like to reach all of these places easier than we did, we’d recommend joining this 12 day tour that includes accommodation and transport.
All of the day tours that we’ve included in this post are with GetYourGuide or Viator which we’ve used in every country that we’ve visited. We’ve also compared lots of options for you and have only included what we think are the best value for prices from the platforms.
Mobile and data plans in Türkiye (Turkey)
If you are looking for a data plan in Türkiye (Turkey), you can get 5% off Holafly’s Türkiye eSim with this link or by using our code ‘LINGANDJACE’.
We use Holafly’s eSIMs on all of our international trips because they can be set up easily with a QR code. Many other SIM companies have a cap on the amount of data that you purchase, but all of the Holafly plans come with unlimited data and, in our experience, have excellent coverage wherever we’ve gone.
Making payments in Türkiye (Turkey)
We had no issues paying with card anywhere we went in Türkiye (Turkey), but cash is accepted everywhere, so it will always help to carry some with you. We used our Wise card that was loaded with Turkish Lira to make payments and withdraw cash from ATMs without issue.
There are hidden fees in any international exchange rate, but we always travel with a Wise travel card which can be used all over the world, including in Türkiye (Turkey). It operates like any other bank, but is much cheaper than exchanging money through a traditional bank (depending on the exchange, it can be up to eight times cheaper).
THE BEST DAY TRIPS FROM ISTANBUL
One day itinerary of Istanbul
If you have one day to explore Istanbul, the main highlights that we’d recommend seeing are the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia in the morning, finding a rooftop cafe or restaurant for lunch (like Seven Hills Restaurant or Nova Santiye Cafe), walking through the Grand Bazaar or Spice Market, and ending with a sunset cruise on the Bosphorous River.
We have compared all of the options for one-day tours of the city and would recommend this tour if you’d like to have everything organised on your trip to Istanbul. The full day tour goes through the ancient parts of the city, including the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Grand Bazaar. There is also an option to include lunch.
If you’d like to book things separately, you can get priority entry to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia on this guided tour here, which will help to skip the queues. The Blue Mosque is one of the most beautiful structures in the city, built with 20,000 handmade blue Iznik tiles. The Hagia Sophia was also one of the highlights of our time in Istanbul. It’s in such incredible condition that you can barely believe it was built at the beginning of the Middle Ages in 360AD. Remember that while both the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are open to the public to visit, they are still actively used places of worship and it’s important not to disturb the peace. They are also closed to the public during prayer time (which you can check online).
At the end of the day, the best place to see the sunset in Istanbul is on the Bosphorous River. We’d recommend walking down to the Galata Bridge where there are many markets and people fishing in the river. It’s a beautiful way to the end the day with some peaceful people watching. You can also see more of the city by travelling down the river itself on a sunset cruise.
Accommodation in Sultanahmet with terrace view of the Blue Mosque
Day trip to Ephesus, Pamukkale and Hierapolis
Pamukkale is one of the most unique places that we have ever visited, with pastel waters and calcium clouds in the travertines. Near the famous hot springs, there are also ancient sites like Ephesus and Hierapolis which can be reached by car (or a long-ish walk) once you get there.
It is possible to take a day trip to Pamukkale from Istanbul as the flight is only about one hour. The best way to day trip to these sites from Istanbul is by joining this day trip tour which includes domestic flights and transport. The tour is highly rated on GetYourGuide and goes to the ancient city of Ephesus, the hot springs at Pamukkale and the ruins of Hierapolis.
If you have more time on your trip, have a look at this two day tour from Istanbul to Ephesus, Pamukkale and Hierapolis. If you’re planning to spend longer in Pammukale, we have a full guide here with the best places to visit near the travertines.
The travertines of Pamukkale
Day trip to Aphrodisias and Laodikeia (Laodicea)
The ancient city of Aphrodisias was one of our favourite places in Türkiye (Turkey). Inside it stands the ruins of the Temple of Aphrodite, built in the 3rd century BC. At the time, the city was famous for its marble sculptors, and it was so impressive to see how many of their columns and carvings remain.
Laodikeia (Laodicea) is another huge archaeological site near Pamukkale that can be seen on the same day as Aphrodisias. There, you’ll find the ruins of the Temple of Zeus and the bones of an ancient city still being excavated.
It is possible to take a day tour to Aphrodisias and Laodikeia (Laodicea) from Istanbul as the flight takes just over an hour. If you only have one day to visit these ruins from Istanbul, we’d recommend joining this tour because it includes domestic flights to and from Denizli, and transport to both of the ancient sites.
The Temple of Aphrodite in Aphrodisias
Day trip to Cappadocia
Some of our favourite experiences in Türkiye (Turkey) were in Cappadocia, especially because the landscape is on such a huge scale. The valleys and iconic fairy chimneys are extremely mystical, and really can’t be believed until you see them in person.
While you aren’t going to see the hot air balloons Cappadocia is famous for (which are only flown early in the morning), it is still possible to experience the landscapes and scenery of area on a day trip as the flight there takes only around 1.5 hours. From Istanbul, we’d recommend this highly rated day tour on GetYourGuide which includes all domestic flights and transport. It has options to book it as a private trip or shared group, and goes to our favourite landscapes in Cappadocia near Goreme and Uchisar.
If you are planning to visit Cappadocia for longer (and we strongly recommend you do!), we have a full guide here with the most unique things to do in the area.
Rose Valley, Cappadocia
One and Two day options from Istanbul to Cappadocia
Day trip to the Mediterranean coastal town of Antalya
The Turquoise Coast (also called the Turkish Riviera) is one of the most beautiful routes along the ocean.
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast which was once a major Roman port. It’s a short flight from Istanbul and a beautiful area to just drive around. If you were interested in a tour from Istanbul, we recommend this private tour, which includes all domestic flights, transport and lunch. The day trip goes to Alanya Castle and ruins as well as the Manavgat Waterfall.
If you are planning to visit the Turkish Riviera for longer, we have a full guide here with the most unique things to do near Fethiye.
Butterfly Valley, Fethiye
Day trip to Göbeklitepe and Harran
There are so many archaeological sites to visit in Türkiye (Turkey). Göbeklitepe and Harran are two that can be reached in a day trip from Istanbul.
Göbeklitepe is the oldest man-made place of worship that has been discovered. It is the world's oldest known megalithic complex, dating back to 10,000 BCE (and predating Stonehenge by more than 6,000 years). Around one hours’ drive away from Göbeklitepe is Harran, one of the oldest cities in the world.
To get to these sites on a day trip from Istanbul, we’d recommend joining this private tour that includes domestic flights and transport. You can check the tour availability here:
Day trip to the ancient city of Troy
Another historical day trip from Istanbul runs to the ancient city of Troy, where you can see ruins like the Temple of Athena, Megaron House, the Odeon and Roman Bath.
It takes around 5 hours (one way) to get from Istanbul to the ancient city of Troy, so it is a long day trip. If you’d like to have transport organised, we’d recommend joining this tour which includes lunch on the Dardanelles.
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