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Two couples (Australian) · arrive Istanbul evening Sun 6 Sep 2026 · depart morning Tue 29 Sep 2026. This page is the plan — what's locked in, day by day. Want to shape it? Hit explore & choose on any stop to pick places, hotels and experiences; your picks gather on the right and we fold them into the itinerary.
the route, day by day
Arrive evening Sep 6. Historic Areas of Istanbul (UNESCO): Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapı, Basilica Cistern; Süleymaniye and the İznik-tiled Rüstem Paşa; private Bosphorus cruise; hamam; Grand & Spice Bazaars; Fener & Balat backstreets; a free day for Princes' Islands or the Kadıköy food market by ferry.
Anzac routing runs the Thrace shore to the Gelibolu peninsula, then the short ferry to Çanakkale. (Daytrip's standard routing goes the southern Marmara way instead — İznik, Bursa & Cumalıkızık, both UNESCO — worth knowing if Gallipoli moved off-plan.)
Private drive (~5 h) to the Gelibolu peninsula. Afternoon with a battlefield guide: Anzac Cove, Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair. Waterfront dinner in Çanakkale.
Daytrip doesn't run this pair — stops curated. The Aegean coast road is one of the great drives in the country.
Troy (UNESCO) in the morning, then the Aegean coast road south (~4.5 h). Early-access Ephesus with the Terrace Houses; Şirince village wine lunch; optional Pergamon (UNESCO) day trip, or Priene, Miletus and the oracle Temple of Apollo at Didyma — a day through ancient Ionia.
Aphrodisias sits just off the route — Daytrip offers it as a stop on the adjacent legs; do it en route and the next morning is free for the travertines.
Drive via Aphrodisias (UNESCO) — a morning among the marble workshops. Hierapolis-Pamukkale (UNESCO) travertines at sunset, thermal pools the next day at leisure.
Daytrip-verified stops through ancient Caria.
Private drive (~3 h) from Pamukkale. Bodrum Castle and marina evening; provisioning and boarding brief for the charter.
Private charter loop — Kos, Symi, Rhodes (UNESCO). Schengen passport processing at Bodrum port (~1 h).
Private gulet out of Bodrum (Gulet Escapes' Southern Greek Islands route, trimmed to a 4-day loop): Kos old town and the Asclepeion, Symi's pastel harbour amphitheatre, and the Medieval City of Rhodes (UNESCO) — swimming coves, meze and deck dinners between. Note: Greek waters = Schengen entry; passports processed at Bodrum port (~1 h), boat handles formalities.
Suggested: the Lycian coast routing (ask the operator — Daytrip's standard stops run inland via Caria). Xanthos is a UNESCO pin on your map.
Coastal transfer (~5.5 h, scenic) or short flight. Kaleiçi old town and harbour, Aspendos theatre, beach days; optional Xanthos-Letoon (UNESCO) Lycian day trip along the Turquoise Coast.
Daytrip-verified stops. The road version turns a transit day into a Silk Road day; the flight saves six hours. Group's call.
Fly Antalya → Kayseri/Nevşehir. Cave suite in Uçhisar. Sunrise balloon over Göreme (UNESCO), Open-Air Museum, valley walks, Kaymaklı underground city, pottery at Avanos; optional Ihlara Valley gorge walk between rock-cut churches.
Afternoon flight back for the farewell night.
Afternoon flight to Istanbul. Farewell Bosphorus dinner. Private transfer for the morning international departure on Sep 29.