Cappadocia Turkey Itinerary

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Central Turkey Itinerary
– from Antalya to Cappadocia to Istanbul

Golden Goreme

You should be very excited if you are planning a trip to Turkey.  It is easy to travel on your own. For advice on how to plan and travel in an economical way, see the TripAdvisor page Turkey: Planning a Self-Guided Turkey Trip.   Now comes the hard choice of deciding where to go.  Even if you have a whole month, you cannot see everything.  Turkey is the size of Great Britain and France combined!  

The following suggestions are based on an actual 31-day trip, which was split into two parts. Stay-overs are shown in capitals followed by the number of nights.  Each destination was assigned zero to three dots to give a sense of which sites are most worthwhile seeing.  Hyperlinks will bring you to posts with more details.  This itinerary gives the best places to go for a 14-day trip through Central Turkey from Antalya to Istanbul.

  

RECOMMENDED ITINERARY

See a map of Central Turkey Itinerary
      

ANTALYA 2 nights 

Antalya is dissed by many travellers as just a big city but staying in an old Ottoman house in Kaleiçi (the old city) is worthwhile and it makes a useful base for nearby sights.  Yes, Antalya is a big city but the old quarter, Kaleiçi, is a quiet oasis. 

Ottoman Delight

Staying in an old Ottoman house is a beautiful introduction to Turkey.  It is a much easier way to start your trip than overpopulated Istanbul. 

Kaleiçi ● It is very touristy but there are not as many touts as in Istanbul.  The old town has a very clean, restored look but it is still pleasant walking, as there are few cars.  See the view of the sea framed by the snowy Taurus Mountains near the Hidirlik Tower, especially in early AM before breakfast – and few tourists wake up early so you'll have the park to yourself. 

Antalya Archaeological Museum ●●● is one of the best arranged museums anywhere.  Ancient Roman statues are set into Romanesque-style arches with romantic lighting (not good for photography)

Stupendous Aspendos

Day Trips: 
Aspendos Theatre ●
is basically a large intact Ancient Roman theatre with lots of tourists.  Climb up to the acropolis (included in the price) for more dramatic views of the theatre and the very green countryside. 

Colourful Köprülü

Köprülü Canyon ●● is a spectacular green river visible from the country road.  The Termessos ruins is another good place to go from Antalya.  On the way east from Antalya along the old highway(there will soon be a new expressway), stop along the road for...

Turquoise Treasure

Turquoise Coast ●●●
for perhaps the second most beautiful turquoise coastal views.

KIZKALESI  1 night 

  

Medieval Maiden Castle, on an offshore islet, seems to float just above the sea.  It's OK but not a must-see. The beach is very small but the sand is so soft.  Plus there were few tourists. It made for a pleasant stopover on the long drive to Cappadocia.  

Sensational Sunset

CAPPADOCIA ●●●●  4 nights 

The region of Cappadocia is probably the best must-see area for natural beauty in the country – so don’t miss it!!!  Göreme is just one of the towns in this region but it is still a wonderful base due to its central location.  

Göreme Sunset View ●●● is an easy walk up the hill to the east of the hotel area main drag for spectacular views at sunset of Rose Valley and Göreme.

Car or Dolmuş Trips: 

Not a Fairy Tale

Cappadocia Fairy Chimneys ●●●● are extraordinary even the touristy Paşabagh site.  There are too many hikes to list here. Most are fairly easy, at least at the beginning, or you could simple go for as long as you want and return when you feel like it.  the best hikes were are Love Valley, Zemi Valley, and... 

Kizilçukur

Rose Valley ●●●●
you could walk here on a car-less dirt road but you can drive on a parallel road.  This area has many side trails.  The best spot was the Kizilçukur Viewpoint, located between the "parking lot" and the dirt road below the hill. Again, it's best to come here for the late PM or sunset lighting

Çavuşin has a less touristy, old section of town at the end of the "parking lot" road to Rose Valley

Uchisar ● there is an excellent view of the volcanic plug/castle right from main highway into Göreme but this is a very touristy spot with stalls and even a camel.  There also is good viewpoint of Göreme on the right just a short way towards the town. 

Ogling Ortahisar

Avanos – overpriced pottery

Ürgüp – good food at local prices, except for the excellent but pricey ice cream

Ortahisar ●●
there is a spectacular view of the volcanic plug in the middle of town. 

Day Trips: requires car or tour

   
Mustafapaşa ●● is an old Greek village with interesting architecture

Soganli Valley ●●

Soganli Surprise

is full of fairy chimneys, basalt columns, rock-cut churches and frescoes without the crowds in a country atmosphere. But the best part was getting there with spectacular wide open views of snow-capped mountains in early spring.  

Ihlara Valley – is another place with rock-cut churches 

SAFRANBOLU ●●●  2 nights

Super Safranbolu

Safranbolu Çarşı ●●
You can spend a day visiting and shopping in the old city with its restored Ottoman buildings.  But the views from the ring road high above the market area (çarşı) were very special. 

 

Ottoman Yörük

Car Trips: 
Yörük ●● 
it’s 10 km away to a fairy tale village full of timber-framed Ottoman buildings that are far more nostalgic and run down than Safranbolu.  

İncekaya Aqueduct – 
is very high and in mint condition.   But it is Ottoman not ancient.  It comes with a walking trail into the countryside. 

Grand Fashion

ISTANBUL ●●●●  4 nights

 

Grand Bazaar ●
It is NOT the oldest bazaar as it was only built after the 1453 conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans.  But it is probably the first covered shopping mall in the world. 

Don't Look at Medusa

Basilica Cistern ●● 
is an underground forest of Byzantine columns surrounded by a pool of water.  Make sure that you do not look at the head of Medusa or you will also turn to stone!  The ancients were very superstitious.  For instance, getting up on the left (sinistra) side of your bed was a very bad omen.  This is very much part of Western culture – you don't believe it?  Guess where the English word sinister comes from?  

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia Dome-ination ●●
had the highest dome built since the Pantheon in Ancient Rome until the Duomo in Renaissance Florence. It was the model for most major mosques in the Ottoman Empire. 

Hippodrome – 
How did a horse race end with 30,000 dead? How is this related to Hagia Sophia?  That's your homework for tonight!  Hint: check the web sites below. 

the not so Blue Mosque

 Blue Mosque ●●●
is not really blue; it’s pastel patterns and graceful symmetry and definitely worth seeing. 

Music in Kadıköy

Kool Kadıköy ●●
is the real Istanbul where the locals work and play. It's a great place to hear Turkish folk music on the streets. 

Bosphorus on a Budget

Bosphorus on a Budget ●
Choose the cruise or the non-cruise (i.e. use the cheap ferries) to see the Bosphorus

Spice Bazaar, Spicy Istanbul ● come here for the spices, the Turkish Delights, and buy the Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi kahve (coffee) beans.

  

RESEARCHING WHERE YOU WANT TO GO

   

There are many travel sites on the Web.  It is very useful to see what other tourists think are the best sites. Each city, region and country in TripAdvisor has a Things To Do section.  However, tourists have their own bias that may not match your interests.  Also many tourists have not travelled around the world to be able to compare places or know what is unique.  For more detailed information on each location, you can also review the Thorn Tree Turkey Forum, Turkey Travel Planner and Terra Encounters - Turkey web site.  For other countries around the world see our Terra Encounters WordPress web site. 

Incekaya Aqueduct

İncekaya High

Incekaya Aqueduct

Sweet Safranbolu

It’s time to bid farewell to Sweet Safranbolu and return to Istanbul.  As it’s also time to give up the rental car – you don’t want to drive in an 18 million person city – what could we do to take advantage of having a car today? 



Iznik Tiles, Topkapi Palace

 

 

 

One possibility was to visit İznik with its famous historical tiles.  It’s the only city that is still enclosed by 5 km of 10 m high, original Roman wall.  But it is a considerable distance west of Safranbolu as well as south off the main highway.  Moreover, it probably needed more time than we had.  So we opted for the İncekaya area close by our guest house. 


Raşitler Bağ Evi

Breakfast Nook

What better way to start the morning than to spend a relaxing time eating a great breakfast at our Raşitler Bağ Evi pension. 

We talked about the changes in Turkey over the last 30 years; the conflict of values between the young urbanites and their conservative countrymen; the contrast of clothes between jeans and niqabs. 



Bağlar Bounty

All the while, we enjoyed an omelet with yummy olives, scrumptious white cheese, tomatoes, and toast topped with delicious homemade jams and addicting Turkish coffee.    

    
_________________________ 
     

İncekaya Aqueduct

Bağlar Beauty

After breakfast we got lost by heading northwest along the edge of the mountain.  There were pleasant views but eventually the road came to an end.  On the other hand there were Ottoman houses to see along the way. 



Incekaya Aqueduct



 We doubled back and figured we had to head northeast (left) once we got to İncekaya Caddesi – that makes sense, follow the road with the same name. 

 

After passing through the village of İncekaya, we ignored the first sign for pay parking and were able to drive right up to the viewpoint (no charge).  This may be because it is low season. 
 

 

Incekaya Aqueduct

Suddenly there are dramatic views from the overhanging platform of 60 m high, arched aqueduct.  It looks as good as new but dates from Byzantine times.  Okay, it was restored in the 1790s by İzzet Mehmet Paşa, who was grand vizier (prime minister). 

Tokatlı Canyon

There is no public transport to the aqueduct (7 km from the centre of town) so without your own car you will either have to arrange a tour or taxi from Safranbolu.  One possibility is to hike back to Safranbolu. 

Looking down the stairs is 2 km hiking trail through Tokatlı Canyon.  We had the place all to ourselves.  After a short walk in this natural park since it was time to hit the road to Istanbul. 

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Last Post:  Yörük - Ottoman Time Warp

Next Post: Grand Bazaar – Gigantic!





Safranbolu Carsi

Ottoman Obsession

Ottoman Obsession from Ring Road

Safranbolu has many Ottoman Delights.  In fact, it is famous for both its Turkish Delight desserts and its timber-framed Ottoman houses.  Moreover, you can even sleepover in an Ottoman bedroom such as Raşitler Bağ Evi.  Another reason to come here is to visit one of the surrounding towns, such as Yörük, which is stocked with even more impressive Ottoman houses. 

Verdant Views

Sprinkled Fields

 The old city was built in a deep valley for protection from winter winds.  What we had not expected were the gorgeous views of Ottoman houses sprinkled with green fields from the ridge road that encircles high above the old town. 




Ottoman Obsession

The arc-shaped road starts east from the Sadri Artunc circle in the Baglar district as Çelik Gulersoy Caddessi, changes names to Kaya Erdem Cd., back to Çelik Gulersoy Cd. to Celal Bayar Cd. We are giving you the names so you can find the route on Google maps.  Don't worry about the name changes as you'll be too busy looking at the views to even notice the street signs.



Near Hidirlik Hill

It will be easy to follow the curving road south to Hidirlik Hill.  While there are good views from the park, our favourite views can be found along the way by parking wherever we could find a wide enough shoulder area.

 

Mandatory Mosque

 

Çarşi



Safranbolu was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site mainly because the old town, called Çarşi, is very well preserved.  If you have visited Istanbul or Bursa, you will have already seen the name Çarşi (pronounced char shi) because it means bazaar.  The old city housed places where many goods were manufactured and sold.



Man Stop

 

There has been a settlement in Safranbolu since the Hittites, one of the Proto-Indo-European (aka Aryan) tribes that was first to migrate west from the Caucasus region about 3600 years ago!  


Kervan Sarai

It later became an Ottoman caravan stopover on the route from Istanbul to the east. For that reason there are Kervan Sarai (caravanserai) in Safranbolu.  In fact this one is still a roadside inn.  


Çarşi Konak

While we think of the konaks (mansions) as Ottoman, they are descendants of Hittite architecture.  According to Ibrahim Canbula, this building technique dates back as far as 7500 years ago!!!  Some of the key elements are beautiful stone wall on the ground story, bright white stucco interspersed with wood beams above that, and overhanging wood-framed windows.  The interiors, as in Raşitler Bağ Evi, are even more spectacular.   
 

 



Left Side

Right Side



Cinci Hamami

The elaborate, multi-domed building is Cinci Hamami.   Built in 1645, it's hard to believe that this Turkish bath is still in use.  But it was more than a place for a bath or massage.  This was where you caught up on the latest gossip or closed business deals.  

Shelling Nuts

Preparing Tourist Crafts?



Looking the Other Way

Leaving the Main Square

 

Yemeniciler

Safranbolu specialized in leather goods in Ottoman times.  Yemeniciler is an old guild bazaar where shoes called yemeni were made.  Built in 1661, it consists of an oval of 48 wooden shops that now sell tourist souvenirs. 


Beautiful Fountain

 

From the 13th century to the advent of the railway in the early 20th century, Safranbolu was an important caravan station on the main East–West trade route.  This not only brought great prosperity, Safranbolu had a great influence on urban development over a large area of the Ottoman Empire.

Demircilar Street?

Iztuzu Mehmet Pasha Mosque
















Iztuzu Mehmet Pasha Mosque

Down the hill, is a square shaped mosque topped with a bowl-shaped dome.  Iztuzu Mehmet Pasha Mosque was built entirely of cut stone by Grand Vizier Mehmet Pasha in 1796.  He was Grand Vizier (prime minister) three times, very unusual.

 

The railroad was built 10 km west of Safranbolu to service the new iron industry. As a result, Karabük became the main administrative and commercial centre.  The net result was the diminution of Safranbolu, which resulted in the preservation of the historical centre.

Saffron Cure

Saffron

But why did this town become a major stop on the caravan routes?  If you thought the name of Safranbolu sounds like saffron then you are right.  Bolu is derived from polis, the Greek word for city.

This area was a major saffron growing and selling centre.  While Iran produces 90% of saffron today, it was originally native to Greece and Turkey.  Why is saffron so expensive? It is one of the world's most costly spices because saffron comes from the slender stigma (flower) part of the plant.

 

Little One

But why was saffron so esteemed?  Sure, it is an extremely powerful dye but that would hardly drive up the price.  It was esteemed for its use in perfumes and medicine.  This reputation was enhanced by history. 

During his Asian campaigns, Alexander the Great used Persian saffron in his infusions, rice, and baths as a curative for battle wounds.  Alexander's troops imitated the practice from the Persians and brought saffron-bathing to Greece.  In Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra – who was Greek by the way, a descendant of one of Alexander’s generals – used saffron in her baths so that lovemaking would be more pleasurable.

The 14th-century Black Death caused the demand for saffron-based medications to peak, and Europe imported large quantities of threads via Venetian and Genoan ships from Mediterranean lands. 

Kaymakamlar Museum



Kaymakamlar Muze on Hidirlik Yokusu Sokak was the konak (mansion) of a military commander.  In fact the name is derived from Kaim Makam, or lieutenant colonel, the rank of the owner.  It offers a pamphlet for a self-guided tour but the information provided is very sparse.  The museum could be better by explaining more about Ottoman culture and make us connect with the people.  

 

The Men's Room

 

In fact, our impression was that Raşitler Bağ Evi is more beautiful than this house.  The main plus of the museum are the mannequins that depict the typical use of the rooms as well as the dress of the inhabitants. 

 

View Distorted by Window

 

 

While it is a large building, it had to house an extended family.  All rooms were used for living, working, and dining.  The rooms have a minimum of fixed furniture other than a divan along a wall. 

 

The Women's Room

 

 

The most interesting artefact is a whirling closet that enabled the women to serve food to men from outside the family in another room without being seen!  The rooms served as bedrooms at night when the beds are rolled out of the closets onto the floors.

The richly carved chestnut and pine wood ceilings are also very special.
 

Sweet Safranbolu

To end on a sweet note, Safranbolu is famous for is sweet (helva) morsels (lokum).  

Don't Look - You'll Just Get Hungry



Halva (helva in Turkish) is Arabic for dessert or sweet.  The delicious one we grew up with is the nut butter type made from tahini (sesame) paste that may also contain pieces of nuts like pistachios.  It often comes in chocolate or vanilla flavours.



Have some lokum



Turkish Delight in Turkish is called lokum, which means morsel or mouthful.  This contagious confection – try just eating one – was invented in Ottoman times (1777). 

Lokum is made of a gel of starch and sugar sprinkled with icing sugar.  It may also contain coconut, hazelnut, and even rosewater flavourings.  It is the precursor to the American jelly bean (Boston 1861)!!! 

The shop in the old city offers tasters.  Another excellent store is Safran Tat on the east side of the Sadri Artunc circle next to the petrol station in the upper town. 

 

 The baklava were delicious!  In fact, Safran Tat may be one of the best places in the country.  It’s time to fuel up for your next Ottoman Delight, Yörük, in our next post. 
 

 

Last Post:  Safranbolu Essence