One to five days of travel in Turkey can show you the top sights of Istanbul, as well as an excursion to another point of high interest, with or without a recommended licensed private guide.
Istanbul
Istanbul in 1 Day
Istanbul's top sights in minimal time, just right for a full-day stopover or a quick overnight visit.
Istanbul Weekend
Whether you have 2 days, or 3 or 4, this is the itinerary for your (long-) weekend getaway—or mid-week, for that matter.
Excusions from Istanbul
Depending on your interests, you may want to go beyond Istanbul, even if your time in Turkey is short. Here are the best day-trips, overnight excursions and short multi-day trips from the metropolis.
Turkey in 2 to 5 Days
You really need 2 or 3 days to see all the best stuff in Istanbul. In the extra day or two you can take one or two excursions to other top sights:
Bursa
Zoom south across the Sea of Marmara in a fast catamaran ferry to Bursa and see the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, with its fine old mosques, silk weaving trade, and thermal spas; make it an overnight and see İznik (Nicaea) as well.
Çanakkale-Gallipoli
Long day-trip by bus or car to see the Dardanelles, the Gallipoli battlefields, and even ancient Troy; possible in a day, but better as an overnight by bus or car (or on a self-drive tour all the way to Ephesus.)
Ephesus
Ephesus is the best-preserved classical city on the Aegean or Mediterranean, a must-see; go by plane for the day, or overnight, or take a Six-Day Self-Drive Tour from Istanbul via Gallipoli, Troy, Bergama (Pergamum), Ephesus and Kuşadası.
Cappadocia
It's possible to see the cave churches in this picturesque "moonscape" region in an overnight trip by plane, but two nights is better, and three nights is optimal. See Turkey in 6 Days.
4 & 5-Day Private Driver-Guide Tours
The most comfortable and efficient way to tour Turkey is with a private driver-guide. This used to be quite expensive, but now there are moderately-priced tours that show you six or more top Turkish sights in as little as 4 days.
—by Tom Brosnahan
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