If you are in Turkey for 7 days, and if this is your first time to Turkey, you should probably spend 2 days in Istanbul to see this beautiful city and the various world famous historical sights. For the rest of the time, you should go outside Istanbul; it is here that you have many possibilities as Turkey is a vast country with many regions each with its characteristics. The following is of course just one option. The program below provides for 6 days of actual sight-seeing, with one day to allow for travel between Istanbul to wherever you intend to go and back.
In Istanbul, you can do everything on your own, because all the sights mentioned below can be reached by bus, tram, taxi or walking, provided you have a decent map of Istanbul or guide book.
For trips outside Istanbul, it is best to have a Turkish Government approved tour operator / advisor to make all the flight, connection, hotel and local transportation (included to the sights) arrangements for you. The operators have standard packages as well as ones tailored to your needs.
Most operators will do the coordination and booking, but leave it to local guides (possibly run by other tour companies) in each location of your visit to handle the local transport, meals and tours. It is a good idea, if you use a tour operator / advisor, to ask if they will provide you with a mobile phone which you can use to call them from anywhere in Turkey in case of trouble or emergency.
Day 1 Istanbul
You can use the program set out in the Suggested Trip for 1-Day section, which includes:
- Tokapi Palace
- Aya Sofia
- Basilica Cistern
- Blue Mosque
- Grand Bazaar
- dinner cruise on the Bosphorus
Day 2 Istanbul
1. (2 ½ hours) Kariye Museum (Church of the Holy Savior in Chora) - open every day of the week except Wednesday (check opening hours).
It is easiest to get to the Museum (closed Wednesday) by taxi. You can also take bus 86 ("Edirnekapi") from Eminonu along Divanyolu Caddesi to the end of the line at Edirnekapi; but this will take longer. Once at Edirnekapi, ask for directions by saying Kariye (KAH-ree-yeh). The museum is only a two-minute walk east of from there.
The Museum has very well-preserved Byzantine mosaics. Originally built in the 4 A.D., the current building was re-built in the late 11 A.D.. Most of the interior decoration—the famous mosaics and the mural paintings—dates from about 1320. Some of the mosaics are those of the dedication, to Jesus and Mary. Others are the offertory ones: Theodore Metochites, builder of the church, offering it to Jesus. The two small domes of the inner narthex have portraits of all Jesus's ancestors back to Adam. A series outlines Mary's life, and another, Jesus's early years. Yet another series concentrates on Jesus's ministry. For four centuries after the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul it served as a mosque (Kariye Camii), and is now a museum (Kariye Müzesi) because of its priceless mosaics.
On the south side of the Kariye Muzesi is the Kariye Oteli, housed in a renovated Ottoman mansion. The hotel's garden restaurant is very pleasant. It serves good Ottoman cuisines.
2. (1 ½ hours) Golden Horn
The Golden Horn is a river valley and a natural harbor which used to be where the Ottoman fleet was anchored. The area on the high grounds around the valley has been turned into a picnic area. Near the top is Pierre Loti Café, where you can enjoy a good view of Istanbul across the harbor. No food or alcoholic drink is served at the café.
Nearby is the Eyup Camii (mosque) which is open to visitors from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm except at prayer time. It is the most holy Islamic site in the country and was built by Sultan Mehmet to commemorate the fall of Prophet Mohammed’s companion Eyub-Al0Ansari during the siege of Constantinople in 688 A.D..
3. (2 hours) Dolmabahce Palace - open every day of the week except Monday and Thursday (check opening hours)
The palace is located on the banks of the Bosphorus near the Kabatas tram stop (the end of the tram line in the “new” section of Istanbul). Here you have to join a guided tour as visitors are not allowed to enter the palace alone. If you want to bring in a camera, you have to pay an extra fee.
The palace was built in the mid 19th century by Sultan Abdulmecid during the declining years of the Ottomans when he wanted to impress his European rivals. The palace is luxuriously decorated and follow European designs of the day, although there are obvious signs of aging. If you are able to and is not rushed by the guide, try to take a look at the paintings and other art objects along the corridors in the palace because many of them were drawn or created over a century ago and some depicted battles fought by the Ottomans.
4. (2 hours) Taksim Square and Military Museum
You can get to Taksim from Dolmabachce Palace by going up Inonu Caddesi. This is the business and entertainment center of Istanbul with hotels, shops, a concert hall, a convention center and an open theater (Acikhave Tiyatrosu). It is worth spending some time in this area, have a drink in a café and watch the happenings around there.
If you have some time, visit the Askeri Museum (Military Museum) - open 9:00am to 5:00 pm, Wednesday to Sunday), where collections of military costumes and weapons from the past are on display.
5. (evening) Dinner around Galata Bridge
For dinner, consider going to the “new city” side of Galata Bridge. There are many restaurants in the area; some are directly under the bridge, which are more touristy and costly. There are many others 5-minute walk away from the bridge in two to four-storey buildings in an area where one can still enjoy a good view of the sea. While these restaurants may still be touristy, they appear to also cater to local residents and are less costly. Some of these restaurants serve seafood, but there are other choices. As you enjoy your dinner, you can see Topkapi Palace and Aya Sofia from afar.
If you have time to spare on Day 1, 2 or 7 (upon your return from outside Istanbul), it is worth visiting the Archaeology Museum which is just below the Topkapi Palace. The museum has on display statues, sculptures and other objects from before Hellenistic and Roman times.
For Day 3 onwards, if you follow the program below, you will likely fly from Istanbul to Izmir on Day 3, and then fly back from Izmir to Istanbul on Day 7. Anyway, you need to adjust your time-table to fit the flight schedules.
Day 3 Flight to Izmir / Pergamum Tour
Pergamum is a pre-Greek name presumably meaning "height" or "elevation." The earliest city was built atop a cone-shaped Acropolis rising over a thousand feet above the surrounding valley. Pergamum dates back to 1000 BC, perhaps earlier, but there is no written evidence until 399 BC when the city emerged as a power during the struggle for territorial control following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC.
At the Roman city of Pergamon, visit the site of an enormous library built with Roman tiles (the building has long gone), the Asklepion (hospital) and Acropolis, the place where parchment was invented and the steep theater built on the mountain side. Pergamum's other notable structure is the Serapis Temple (Serapeum) which was later transformed into the Red Basilica complex (or Kizil Avlu in Turkish), about one kilometer south of the Acropolis. It consists of a main building and two round towers. In the first century AD, the Christian Church at Pergamon inside the main building of the Red Basilica was one of the Seven Churches which the Book of Revelation mentioned.
Day 4 Priene, Didyma, Miletos Tour
Visit Priene (east of the coastal town of Kusadasi, south of Izmir) which in its time was one of the most spectacular of all the ancient Ionians cities. Then travel on to Miletus with its magnificent theater and the Byzantine fortress on the acropolis above. Last, but not least, visit Didyma. Here you will find the largest Ionic Temple in the world, that of Apollo. Also in Didyma lies the huge, cracked head of Medusa which long ago fell from the frieze.
Day 5 Ephesus Ancient City, Virign Mary’s House and Basilica of St John
Ephesus was the biggest city in Roman Asia with as many as 500,000 citizens around 100 AD. It was also the Byzantine Empire’s most important city around the fifth and sixth centuries and have many well-preserved historical structures. You can walk among them imagining what it would have been like centuries ago.
The Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was located here during this time as well as Cave of Seven Sleepers, but be forewarned that there is not much left at the Temple of Artemis site.
After Ephesus, visit the House of Virgin Mary, about 8 kilometers south of Sulcuk. At the time of his crucifixtion, Jesus entrusted the care of Virgin Mary to St Paul. Legend has it that Virgin Mary, accompanied by St. Paul, came to Ephesus at the end of her life, circa 37-45 AD. Renaissance church historians mentioned the trip. Christians and Muslims venerate a small house near Ephesus as Mary's.
Nearby in Sulcuk is the beautiful Basilica of St John built on a hill. St John the Apostle is said to have lived here toward the end of his life, and was buried here. The Basilica was built by Emperor Justinian. Many columns and walls still remain on the sprawling grounds of the Bisilica. Strange enough, despite its beauty and history, some operators do not mention the Basilica in their itinerary; instead they would bring you to see the nearby Isa Bey Camii, an elegant 14 th century mosque. The Basilica is really worthwhile to visit.
Day 6 Aphrodisias, Hierapolis, Pamukkale
Aphrodisias is one of the oldest sacred sites in Turkey. Dedicated to the ancient Mother Goddess and then the Greek goddess Aphrodite, it was the site of a magnificent Temple of Aphrodite and the home of a renowned school of marble sculpture. The Temple of Aphrodite later became a Christian basilica through an impressive swapping of columns. Aphrodisias also offers ruins of a large theater, a stadium and other structures, as well as an on-site museum displaying artifacts.
A museum was just completed in June 2008 at the entrance to the ruins, with numerous Greco-Roman statues and other ancient artifacts on display.
After Aphrodias, the next stop will be at Hierapolis. The name of the city may mean holy city or may be derived from Hiera, the wife of Telephus (son of Hercules and grandson of Zeus), the mythical founder of Pergamum. The hot springs at Hierapolis were believed to have healing properties and people came to the city to bathe in the rich mineral waters in order to cure various ailments.
Right next to Hierapolis, you can see the gleaming white travertine terraces of Pamukkale, located next to the ruins of Hierapolis. The extraordinary effect is created when water from the hot springs loses carbon dioxide as it flows down the slopes, leaving deposits of limestone. The layers of white calcium carbonate, built up in steps on the plateau, gave the site the name Pamukkale ("cotton castle”).
Day 7 Fly back to Istanbul either in the morning or in the afternoon depending on your flight.
