Turkey, also called Türkiye, the country that is lying partly in Asia and partly in Europe. The perfect country for exploring and adventure seeking spirits. Little did I know that Turkey was more than partying and beautiful beaches. Back when I was around 12 years old, I went to Turkey with my family. We went to Alanya, and from what I can remember, it was a place just for charter tourists and party animals. But I was wrong.

In September 2022 I had to choose a country that was outside Schengen area because the visa of my fiancé was about to expire. I found cheap flights to Antalya, and since Turkey is not part of the Schengen area, this would be the perfect place for us to go, so we could finally be together after 3 months apart.

I started to do some research about the country, and surprisingly, the country had a lot to offer. I started to get very excited, because I hadn’t explored or really traveled in a long time. I sent pictures to my fiancé and told him all the things that I wanted to do in Turkey. And I will tell you all about our itinerary in this article.

Pablo, my fiancé went to Turkey a week before me. He had been in Spain and Sweden the previous month since he was not allowed to enter Norway. I flew to Antalya and we spent a week there to relax, bond again and to plan the next move.

We tried to explore as much as we could the week that we stayed in Antalya. We quickly found out that the city has a lot to offer, everything from hiking, parks, beaches, good restaurants, waterfalls, and one of the most beautiful old towns I have seen.

The itinerary looked like this: Antalya - Kaş - Fethiye - Pamukkale - Antalya - Side - Cappadocia - Istanbul. In this blog post you will learn more about each destination and the coolest things to do.

Antalya

The best things to do in Antalya

Check out the Old Town of Antalya. There you will find narrow cobblestone streets, boutique hotels, cute hostels, souvenir shops, art galleries, rug shops and very good restaurants. I highly recommend the free walking tour, you will meet other travellers and you get to know about the history of Antalya. You will find buildings and a fortress gate from the 18th-century.

The first day I arrived, Pablo took me to the Old Harbor, where we had lunch. It was a very beautiful place where the mountains were visible in the horizon, expensive yachts parked in the harbor and a tiny beach occupied by tourists. The view of the whitewashed and red-roofed old houses was very inviting for the eyes. The Harbor is kind of the entrance to the old town, its worth checking out early morning or for sunset. If you go on an excursion, this is most likely the spot where the boats head out.

If you go to the old town, check out the Hadrian’s Gate, the main entrance gate into the Kaleiçi district, also referred as the old town. The gate is very well maintained and preserved. When you walk through the arches of the gate, don’t forget to look up and notice the carvings and the sculptural decorations. They call it the Hadrian’s Gate because of the AD 130 visit by Emperor Hadrian’s visit.

Check out Konyaalti beach. It is not the best beach of Turkey, but it is really good to jump into the water after a hot day in the sun. Although the beach is rocky, the water is crystal clear and turquoise blue. The beach tend to be very crowded during the weekends and after lunch during weekdays. I recommend coming early if you want the beach less crowded. There are good toilet and shower facilities, a promenade where you can take a walk or run to explore more of the strip with good cafes and small shops.

Konyaalti beach in front with mountains in the back

If you are like me and love waterfalls that tumbles directly into the ocean, you should check out Düden Waterfalls. It is possible to go there by foot or boat. We went there by foot, and the view from the upper part is gorgeous, but I am sure going with a boat is even better.

Another highlight of Antalya is the Tünektepe Teleferik. I wanted to find a way to hike the Bey mountains but the heat were unbearable so we heard that Antalya has a cable car running for 1,700 metres up the 618-metre Tünek Tepe hill. We aimed for the sunset and I don’t regret the choice. I don’t care about the view of Antalya city, but the backdrop of mountains was incredible. Layers of mountains and the sun setting was truly an experience.

The urban lifestyle of Antalya is located in the Lara district. Expensive beautiful hotels, sandy beach, cliff jumping and clear water makes Lara so special. I regret we didn’t stay in this area longer but I highly recommend you to do so. 20 minute taxi ride from the old town. We went for a long walk next to the ocean, we stopped at beautiful lookouts and went down to one of the many piers where you can rent a sun-bed and jump into the ocean.

Other things worth checking out in Antalya:

Aqua Land is a place for adrenaline seeking people. Its small but has some fun slides worth checking out.

Shopping malls in Antalya has movie theatre and good shops if you like shopping. I personally went there for the movie theatre and some bikini shopping.

It is possible to go on an excursion to Turkey’s best-preserved ancient cities. Termessos national park is located inside a pine forest on a rocky podium. If you are into history from the roman times this place is worth checking off your list.

Aspendos is a theatre from the 2nd century BCE. The theatre can seat 12,000. Every September the theatre has a venue for the Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival.

Kurşunlu Waterfall is located northeast of Antalya. The nature park is surrounded by pine forest and several waterfalls. There is a loop you can walk that takes about 40 minutes, depends on how many times you stop to take pictures. If you want to be there without too many people, I recommend going early before the tourist buses come, they tend to be there around 9-10am.

After a week in Antalya, we figured it was time to move. We rented a car for 12 days, so we could explore the Mediterranean side of Turkey. We did a loop, we went from Antalya - Kaş - Fethiye - Pamukkale - Antalya.

Kaş

The drive from Antalya to Kaş was very beautiful. When we arrived in Kaş I was shocked how beautiful the little city were. We booked a very nice airbnb up in the hills, with ocean view. We were located close to restaurants, kaş old town and other attractions.

What to see and do in Kaş

Since we had a car, it was easy to get around and see everything that we wanted. Kaş is a small town with good restaurants, a really beautiful old town, nice beaches, good hikes and perfect scenic roads.

Old Town is a must see. We didn’t even know it excited. I hadn’t done any research about Kaş. The first night we drove to the closest restaurant from our Airbnb. We thought that was it, just a road with some restaurants and one grocery store. The day after I tried to google something, and it took us to the city centre, which turned out to be the old town. And it was so beautiful. The narrow streets with rug stores in every corner, art, souvenirs, literally a tourist’s dream. Steep cobblestone streets and colourful flowers made the place extra ordinary. A must see when visiting Kas.

Drive to Cukurbag Peninsula, a small Mediterranean peninsula right by the city centre of Kas. We did a loop and ended up at a really nice beach called Kas Belediyesi beach. Other beaches worth checking out in the area is İnceboğaz Çınar Beach. The views are great, so I recommend driving the loop around the Peninsula.

Drive 20 minutes towards Kaputas beach, a pebbly beach and a natural wonder. This is said to be one of Turkey’s most beautiful beaches. I can totally agree that it was beautiful but it is very touristy and a lot of rubbish. It's supposedly not allowed to smoke cigarettes, yet you find cigarette buds all over the beach. The best time to go is after 1600 to get the best shot. I went during sunrise and the sun won’t hit the beach before later. It was still beautiful but I wish we had time to see the place during sunset too. Parking is almost impossible after 10am. The busses and cars are lined up on the street.

Turkey has many canyons worth checking out. Saklikent canyon is one of the most beautiful in Turkey and it has depths reaching up to 300 meters, it is said to be one of the world’s deepest canyons. We went there and we regret we didn’t get there earlier. There were so many people, we could barely take any pictures and it was almost impossible to enjoy. But, we hiked all the way in, which is not recommended because of difficult climbing. There was a man helping us, we had to pay him though but it was worth it, so we got to hike all the way to a cool waterfall. When I read reviews from this place, it says these guides are scammers, but honestly, I didn’t care. I thought it was worth every penny. We didn’t agree on payment beforehand so he charge us way too much, so make sure you agree about price.

Check out the Lycian Way hiking trail. It is a 540 km long hike that stretches from Antalya and all the way to Fethiye. It takes about 29 days to finish the hike but you can do like we did, hike parts of it. It takes about an hour to hike to the best view in Kas, definitely worth it.

Paragliding is very popular in Turkey, we decided to do it in Fethiye. But with that said, the paragliding in Kas is supposed to be very outstanding, so if you can afford to paraglide twice I would consider Kas as well, if not, I would recommend to do it in Fethiye. I am terrified of heights and I don’t like to put my trust in someone else’s hands, but paragliding was an experience I will never forget.

Stay at Nur Sukran’s place. A really beautiful Airbnb with a magnificent view. The room has ocean and pool view, surrounded by mountains and a pure sight of Kas. The apartment is short walk away from one of the most popular beaches in Kas; Akçagerme, two minutes away. The place also includes a delicious breakfast (not sponsored)

Visit Akçagerme beach, a very popular pebbly beach with showers, beds for rent and good food options. Take a swim after a good hike at the Lycian Way or just relax there all day under an umbrella with your favourite book.

After Kas, we drove towards Fethiye. One of my favourite places in Turkey. We booked a really bad Airbnb in the middle of the city kind of far away from main attractions, but it didn’t matter since we had a car anyway. Fethiye is very popular for hiking, paragliding and stunning viewpoints.

Fethiye

What to see and do in Fethiye

The first day, we went to eat lunch at Akmaz beach, close to our Airbnb. I could tense that we were close to Greece, the food at the restaurant had a lot of Greek cuisine. The beach overlooked Fethiye city centre and the mountains, a cool spot to check out if you have time.

Paragliding in Fethiye is very popular. Most people come to Fethiye just for that. We went with Sky Sport Turkey, more expensive than other companies but worth every penny. They were super professional and had good equipment. It is located in Oludeniz town. The company drive you all the way up to the Babadag mountain at 1960 meters, it is about a 40-minute drive to the top. The instructor will calm you down, get to know you, ask if you are ready and explain everything you need to do. It felt very safe, even though I was scared most of the flying time. I even did tricks with the instructor and it felt like a carousel. Super fun.

Check out Oludeniz town and beach. A short drive from Fethiye. Every picture or post card you see from Fethiye is actually from Oludeniz. It has a really nice beach, party places, good restaurant and shopping. It is also where you sign up for paragliding.

Drive to Butterfly Valley. After some research, I thought butterfly valley was a hiking trail, it is not. It is a lookout, with some paths you can walk to find a good picture spot. Really cool viewpoint you should not miss out on. We also went with a boat to get to the valley, where you can swim, hike to a waterfall, eat food and just look at the massive cliffs.

Take a Boat to Butterfly Valley. As I mentioned, we also did this. The view from above was very nice, but taking the boat into the Beach was extraordinary. The first thing we did when we arrived to the beach was to hike to the waterfall. It is about a 20 minute hike into this small but beautiful fall. The valley itself was what made it worth it for me, very impressive. If you have good climbing skills, you can hike further but it is risky.

Check out the Amyntas Rock Tombs. These are the 4th-century B.C. Tombs of Amyntas, carved into massive rocks overlooking the city. It is an incredible sight. We parked our car right below the entrance and payed about $2 pr person.

Take a boat to Akvaryum Bay. This is a hidden gem with crystal clear water. Good for swimming and relaxing. A lot of small fishes, so ideal for snorkelling.

Go to Fethiye Old town. We went there for 1 hour or something, it is cool to check it out, buy some dried fruit, maybe some shopping or just eat food at a cute restaurant. Not the coolest old town in Turkey but definitely worth checking out.

Drive to Kidrak Beach. I really enjoyed this place. It had free WIFI on the entire beach, a good restaurant, several chill spots with hammocks, showers and toilet facilities. I stayed at this beach for hours after the Butterfly Valley viewpoint. The entrance is 30 TL if you have a car.

Check out the Sun City Beach Club. This is a secluded area of Oludeniz. A nice beach, good restaurants, drinks, and it’s all inside a natural park. The entrance fee is 75 TL.

Drive or take a taxi to Kabak Beach. You will have to park the car at the top and trek down the hill. It is possible to drive down to the beach if you have 4x4. You can also rent a small bungalow if you want to chill and maybe meet some interesting hippies.

Hike parts of The Lycian Way. This was the best part of the whole trip. I really enjoyed this walk. We hiked for about 5 hours before we returned back and it was amazing. The views and the trail was just beyond everything else I has seen in Turkey. A must do, if you go to Fethiye.

After Fethiye, we went to Pamukkale. Pamuakkle is a town in western Turkey. About 3 hours from Fethiye with a car. The road trip was beautiful and we passed cute small towns and mountain passes.

Pamukkale

What to do in Pamukkale

Go to The Travertines of Pamukkale. (Thermal pools) There you will find mineral-rich thermal water flowing down white travertine terraces. But keep in mind that these travertine sometimes does not have water in them. When we went, it was all dry. Very disappointing but still worth it. Although, there is one place where everyone step into the water and take pictures, there will always be water. But it is not as spectacular as the other ones. In the reviews they say the water is hot, but when we went it was super cold. Nothing was like we had expected, but it changes everyday so maybe you are lucky.

You can also check out the Cleopathra Antique Pools. It is a cool sight, you can also enter the pool at an extra cost. We did not do this, it was way too many people an it took away the real experience of being in an ancient pool.

Walk around in the park, you will see the ancient roman city, Hierapolis. Also check out the Amphitheatre.

We stayed at Melrose Viewpoint Hotel, a cute family owned hotel with a pool and included breakfast, it is also very close to the Travertines of Pamukkale.

After Pamukkale, we drove back to Antalya, but we took a shorter way back via E87. It took us about 3 hours and 30 minutes. When we arrived in Antalya, we stayed in the Lara district. The next day we delivered the car and took the bus to Side. A popular tourist town next to Antalya. The first night we stayed in a really cheap hotel, we decided to upgrade and went for a beach hotel for adults only. We stayed there for 3 days.

Side

What to do in Side

There are several things you can do in Side. Go shopping, visit the Apollon Temple, take a walk on the beach promenade, swim in the ocean and chill at a good restaurant. The prices in Side are way higher then rest of Turkey, this is purely a tourist town and even the taxis have a fixed price, they refuse to use the meter. The ancient city of Side is also worth a visit. Everything is within walking distance, and you can easily to it all within one day. We stayed at Sunprime Dogan Side Beach.

Tazi Canyon is a hidden spot not far from Side. I found the canyon through google earth. Super cool place, keep in mind that driving there can be a little tricky if you are not used to narrow roads. The road there is so scenic and if we had more time I would love to stop around every corner to take pictures, but our time was limited. When we arrived to the Tazi Canyon, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The most beautiful canyon I have seen. Keep in mind there are a lot of people. I would recommend to go early to beat the crowd.

Cappadocia

After 3 days in Side, we took the night-bus to Cappadocia. It takes about 8-10 hours depends on the traffic and stops. Cappadocia is outstanding. A region in central Turkey and known for its fairy chimneys, which are tall, cone shaped rock formations clustered in Monks Valley, Göreme. Some of the formations looks like mushrooms, penises and what not. People used the nature to carving the rocks into houses and churches. You can even go inside the charges to this day, and still see the architectural carvings and paintings.

What to do in Cappadocia

Visit the Open air museum

Stay in a Cave Hotel

Shoot photos at the Carpet Galleria Ikman (Check out their instagram for Inspiration)

Explore the underground cities

Check out the Guvercinlik Valley

Go on a ATV safari, if you don’t have the license to rent a motorcycle

If you like horses, I highly suggest you to check out the Horse safari during sunrise or sunset

Go to a cave hotel, or a viewpoint to Watch balloons at sunrise.

Do the balloon ride or visit a balloon landing site. We stayed in Cappadocia for a week, and they only flew the balloons twice.

Explore the valleys

- Love valley: Located just outside of Goreme with penis or mushroom shaped chimneys

- Pigeon valley: Valley filled with holes where the pigeons hide.

- Rose valley: This valley show of some really beautiful colours at sunrise and sunset. All the chimneys turn pink/red, also known as The Red Valley.

- Rent an old car to explore with or without a private driver.

After Cappadocia, we took a plane to Istanbul, we had heard so much great things about this city so we had to check it out.

Istanbul

The lively life of Istanbul was too much for a country-gal like me. I wanted to leave before I even arrived. It was just way too many people, everyone smoked cigarettes and just too busy. But on the other hand, if you like cities, I think you will appreciate Istanbul more than me. It has a lot of beautiful architecture, magnificent mosques, and tasty food but a lot more expensive than the coast.

Best things to do in Istanbul

Before we went to Istanbul, we asked locals where they recommended us to stay in the city, and they said the Sultanahmet area.

The Blue Mosque: If you stay in the Sultanahmet area, walk across the square to the Blue Mosque. It is built in 1616 and famous for its blue tile work. The Mosque is massive so it is very easy to find. It has free access. You can go there by yourself or do a walking tour.

The Grand Bazaar: This is a place you have to check out on your Istanbul trip, but keep in mind, people smoke cigarettes inside the Bazaar so it is hard to breath if you can’t stand cigarettes like me. But it was a cool experience and I’m glad I did it.

Istanbul has so much for to see, I won’t go into details, but I will mention other cool things to see such as museums, all the Mosques, and maybe take a ferry between Europe and Asia to see the city from the water. I also wish I had time to join a walking tour of Fener Balat to discover hidden gems of Istanbul. Also check out the few parks of the city.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take much pictures in Istanbul. It has beautiful sites, I was just kind of tired of the city and not motivated to take any photos.