Turkey itinerary advice for Ankara, Cappadocia, Konya and Antalya next Easter

[Bowbridge]

After watching Race Across the World, I have booked a flight to Ankara and a flight back from Antalya for next Easter. I have 11 nights. I am thinking

Ankara (we land at 10pm): 2 nights
Flixbus to Cappadocia
Cappadocia 3 nights
Flixbus to Konya
Konya 2 nights
Bus to Antalya
Antalya 4 nights

Has anyone been to these places? Does that sound about the right amount of time in each? Any recommendations? TIA.x

Yes, that is a good itinerary though personally I would limit the time in Konya. It is a very very religious city and it is quite difficult to get a beer. It is not far from Cappadocia, so one night might be enough for you to see the Mevlana tomb and other interesting mosques. Transport will be plentiful - just roll up at the bus station and catch the next bus.
Where would you think of staying in Cappadocia? The sights are some distance apart and transport is not particularly easy. Hiring a car for two days would be a good option. You could stop off between Konya and Antalya at Lake Egridir which is a beautiful and interesting place.
In Antalya do stay in the Kaleici where there are a lot of small characterful hotels and places to eat.
I have been to all these places in my independent travels around Turkey over the years. Your itinerary is a good one and I am sure you will have a very interesting time.

Are you tempted to add on Istanbul?

Thank you both.

@ForBusyOliveBear I spent 4 days in Istanbul a few years back, so we thought we would head for Antalya for an end destination.

Good plan.

You will probably have to change planes in Istanbul. There is now a very fast train between Istanbul and Ankara which might be more convenient.

I have got a direct flight to Ankara for £73 from my local airport. This prompted me to book the flights. This is such a good price for the Easter school holiday (teacher here!)

How long will it take to get from
the airport to Coppadacia, I can’t explain how much it’s on my bucket list? I want to stay in a cave hotel and do the balloon trip.
I am kicking myself i didn’t the two day trip when they offered it from numerous resorts I’ve been to over the years. I assumed it would always be a thing and kept bumping it to my next holiday.
I hope you have a fabulous holiday, Turkey is my favourite short haul destination.

Where is your local airport if you don’t mind me asking, I can only find indirect flights?

Stansted.

Ankara to Cappadocia is 3.5 hours (180 miles).

Cave hotels in Cappadocia are about £40-60 a night for 2 inc breakfast! Get your guide for hot air balloon rides £69 at Easter.

https://www.skyscanner.net/transport/flights/stn/esb/270326/?adultsv2=2&cabinclass=economy&childrenv2=&ref=home&rtn=0&preferdirects=false&outboundaltsenabled=false&inboundaltsenabled=false&departure-times=0-1050,510-1439&stops=!twoPlusStops

https://www.skyscanner.net/transport/flights/stn/esb/270324/?adultsv2=2&childrenv2=&cabinclass=economy&rtn=0&preferdirects=false&outboundaltsenabled=false&inboundaltsenabled=false&departure-times=0-1050%2C510-1439&stops=%21twoPlusStops

www.flixbus.co.uk/bus-routes/ankara-goreme?departureCity=a02797e9-d4ca-4162-94ae-7631b8207030&arrivalCity=4a3a7365-7243-4c34-8a23-ce109a57d91c&utm_source=google&utm_medium=sea&utm_campaign=4976734624.23625072956_191667743977.808302150396_aud-2117685796929:kwd-623782592050_1006748__&utm_term=ankara%20to%20goreme%20bus&utm_content=uk.flixbus&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23625072956&gbraid=0AAAAADs4aNzbJcvKD8yjjksbQJ0X4NCyY&gclid=Cj0KCQjwornRBhCrARIsAON5exHhUFAe0kf977-gBujjYUfXtv48t6RCOSyRgpgOhb-fqv0fbY-cpfoaAiRlEALw_wcB

Thank you.

Will you travel on the bus the night you land or the next morning?

We are planning 2 nights in Ankara before travelling to Cappadocia.

We watched the Turkey episode of ROTW again yesterday. We love exploring non-touristy places, so Ankara and Konya tick those boxes.

Ankara (we land at 10pm): 2 nights
Flixbus to Cappadocia
Cappadocia 3 nights
Flixbus to Konya
Konya 2 nights
Bus to Antalya
Antalya 4 nights

It sounds amazing, I haven’t watched the show but will do now.

In Ankara the Archeology museum is superb. Also the Ataturk tomb, but beyond that there is not a lot to see. I have been in Cappadocia at Easter when there was snow on the ground. It is high up.in the middle of a mountinous country so be prepared! Antalya otoh is usually warm.

Ohhh, thank you for the heads up about possible snow at Easter.

we shall give the cave hotel with pool a miss!

We stayed in a hotel without central heating! Though some of the cave rooms do stay at a reasonable temperature. When you book your hotels you could ask about this.

I stayed in a lovely boutique hotel in Antalya old town - the Puding Hotel. Loved it.

I did some of these with the family a couple of years ago.

Konya - if you're interested in prehistory take a trip to Catalhoyuk, billed as the world's first city - it's about 10,000 years old. Public transport is sparse, so we got our hotel to arrange a taxi to take us out there, wait for us and drive us back. If you're there at the right time (we weren't) you may see archaeologists at work. Some of the finds are in the museum in Konya, but signage there is minimal, even in Turkish, never mind English, so it's good to see the actual site first. Other finds are in the archaeology museum in Ankara, which is superb.
The Mevlana complex is also worth a visit.

Ankara - archaeology museum, as already noted. The ruined castle has fantastic views. We didn't do the Ataturk museum, but I wish we had, as everywhere we went people, even schoolchildren, treated him as a hero, so I'd have liked more background.

Cappadocia - don't miss the balloon flights. I thought they were mega expensive and wasn't fussed, but DH said we should do it and I'm so glad we did. Absolutely magical.
Someone said to hire a car - we didn't and got around very easily. I don't think we even got buses, apart from a tour bus for the Green (I think) tour, which was a day and was worth doing. We had a couple of hikes in the valleys (Love Valley, Red Valley, Rose Valley) and you can walk through the valleys to Uchisar. Routes are not well signposted, so make sure you can figure out where you're going.
I forget exactly where they are, but look out for the gravestones with a date of birth in the Hijri calendar and date of death (post Ataturk) in the Gregorian calendar; it looks like they lived for hundreds of years!