The Aegean Legacy — Self-Launched

Fly into Istanbul (IST or SAW). Skip the private transfer and take the Havaist airport bus to Sultanahmet/Taksim (~£4) or the Metro + Marmaray combo (~£1.50). Check into a Sultanahmet hostel or budget guesthouse and spend the evening wandering the Hippodrome and the courtyard of the Blue Mosque at dusk, when it's floodlit and nearly empty. Get an Istanbulkart from a kiosk and top it up — it covers trams, ferries, buses and funiculars.

🚌Havaist bus IST to Sultanahmet ~£4 (or Metro ~£1.50)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Sultanahmet (£12-20)

• →Havaist airport bus or Metro to city centre
• →Evening walk Hippodrome & Blue Mosque
• →Buy Istanbulkart transit card

Self-guided morning in Sultanahmet: Blue Mosque (free), then Hagia Sophia (now a mosque — free entry to the prayer hall, separate paid visitor galleries) and Topkapi Palace if you want the Ottoman interiors Dolmabahçe covers on the tour. In the afternoon take the T1 tram to Kabataş and walk to Dolmabahçe Palace (combined ticket ~£12). Alternatively book a small-group old-city walking tour on GetYourGuide (~£25-35) to get the context a tour leader would give. Optional sunset Bosphorus commuter ferry (Şehir Hatları, ~£1) is far cheaper than the tourist cruise.

🚌T1 tram + walking, ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Sultanahmet (£12-20)

• →Blue Mosque (free)
• →Hagia Sophia
• →Dolmabahçe Palace
• →Optional Bosphorus commuter ferry
• →Optional GetYourGuide old-city walking tour

Take an early bus from Istanbul's Esenler or Alibeyköy otogar to Eceabat (~5.5 hrs, ~£12-15; Pamukkale, Kamil Koç or Metro). From Eceabat, join a half-day guided Gallipoli battlefield tour with a local operator (TJ's Tours, Crowded House or Hassle Free — ~£30-35, includes ANZAC Cove, Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair, The Nek and the trenches). The peninsula is sprawling and poorly served by public transport, so a small-group minibus tour is the realistic self-launch option. Overnight in Eceabat or ferry across to Çanakkale.

🚌Intercity bus ~£13; tour minibus; optional ferry ~£1

🛏Eceabat/Çanakkale guesthouse (£15-22)

• →Bus Istanbul–Eceabat
• →Half-day Gallipoli guided battlefield tour
• →ANZAC Cove, Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair, The Nek

Morning local dolmuş or taxi to Troy (~£2-3), then explore the ruins and the Troy Museum with an audio guide or self-guided info boards (combined ticket ~£12). Catch a midday bus from Çanakkale south via İzmir to Selçuk/Kuşadası (~6 hrs, ~£15-18). Base yourself in Selçuk rather than Kuşadası — it's quieter, cheaper and walking distance from Ephesus. Optional stop at Behramkale (Assos) or Pergamon if you're happy to split the journey with an extra night.

🚌Dolmuş + intercity bus ~£20 total

🛏Selçuk guesthouse (£14-20)

• →Troy archaeological site & Troy Museum
• →Bus Çanakkale–Selçuk

Walk or take the 15-minute dolmuş to Ephesus and arrive at opening to beat the cruise crowds (entry ~£15 — buy via the official site or Klook). Wander the marble streets, Library of Celsus and Great Theatre, then stroll to the Temple of Artemis stump nearby. Afternoon dolmuş up to the hill village of Şirince (~£2) for fruit wine tasting and village wandering — no need for a carpet-weaving demo, though the co-op showrooms in Selçuk are free to visit if curious. Return to Selçuk for dinner.

🚌Dolmuş, ~£5 return

🛏Selçuk guesthouse (£14-20)

• →Ephesus self-guided visit
• →Temple of Artemis
• →Şirince village & fruit wineries

Bus Selçuk/İzmir to Fethiye (~5 hrs, ~£13-16) via Muğla. Book a 2-night/3-day Fethiye–Göcek gulet cruise direct with a small operator (e.g. Fethiye-based gulet agencies via GetYourGuide/Klook or direct email — shared cabin ~£90-130 per person including all meals). Board mid-afternoon; sail out to Turunç or Tarzan Bay for the first swim and snorkel stop. Bring your own mask and snorkel — rental gear on boats is often borrowed and battered.

🚌Intercity bus ~£15; gulet included

🛏Shared gulet cabin (included in cruise price)

• →Bus to Fethiye
• →Board shared gulet
• →Afternoon swim & snorkel at Turunç Bay

Full day on the water: morning swim at Hamam Bay (ruins of the Cleopatra Baths on the shore), then a short walk up to the ruins of the Lycian town above Sarsala Bay. Anchor at Bedri Rahmi Bay to see the fish relief carved into the rock. All meals on board are included in a typical gulet package — breakfast, lunch and dinner cooked by the crew.

🚌Gulet

🛏Shared gulet cabin (included in cruise price)

• →Hamam Bay swim
• →Cleopatra's Baths ruins
• →Lycian ruins hike at Sarsala Bay
• →Bedri Rahmi Bay

Sail through the Yassıca and Göcek islands, the prettiest stretch of the route, with snorkelling and swimming at Kızılada (Red Island). Disembark in Fethiye late afternoon. Check into a guesthouse near the harbour and eat grilled fish by the water; the market area around the fish market lets you buy fish and have it cooked at a nearby lokanta.

🚌Gulet; walking in Fethiye

🛏Fethiye guesthouse (£15-22)

• →Yassıca Islands swimming
• →Göcek Islands sailing
• →Red Island snorkelling
• →Fish market dinner in Fethiye

Early bus Fethiye to Pamukkale/Denizli (~4.5 hrs with a change, ~£10-13). Drop bags and walk up to the white travertines (combined ticket with Hierapolis ~£15) — go barefoot on the terraces and time it for late afternoon light. Explore the Roman city of Hierapolis above the terraces, and swim in the Antique Pool with its submerged Roman columns (extra ~£10) if you fancy it. Stay in Pamukkale village itself to be on the terraces at sunrise tomorrow.

🚌Bus ~£12

🛏Pamukkale village guesthouse (£14-20)

• →Travertines of Pamukkale
• →Hierapolis ruins
• →Optional Antique Pool swim

Bus east toward Konya (~5 hrs, ~£12). Stop for a few hours to see the Sultanhani Caravanserai on the way if your service allows a break, and visit the Mevlana Museum in Konya (free or small donation) — the whirling dervish lodge and mausoleum of Rumi. Continue by bus to Göreme/Nevşehir (~4 hrs, ~£10). Overnight in a cave hostel or guesthouse in Göreme. Optional whirling dervish or Turkish night show in Göreme (~£25) if you want the folklore evening.

🚌Two intercity buses ~£22

🛏Cave hostel dorm or guesthouse, Göreme (£15-25)

• →Sultanhani Caravanserai
• →Mevlana Museum, Konya
• →Bus to Cappadocia

Walk from Göreme village to the Open Air Museum (~20 min, entry ~£12) to see the rock-cut churches with Byzantine frescoes. In the afternoon either hire a scooter/bike or join a small-group green-tour minibus (~£30, includes Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu underground city, Ihlara Valley and Uçhisar). Or take the local dolmuş between villages independently and self-guide. Sunset from Rose Valley or the Göreme viewpoint is free and the best part of the day.

🚌Walking, dolmuş, or green-tour minibus ~£30

🛏Cave hostel dorm or guesthouse, Göreme (£15-25)

• →Göreme Open Air Museum
• →Fairy chimneys at Paşabağ/Zelve
• →Underground city (Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı)
• →Sunset in Rose Valley

Optional pre-dawn hot-air balloon flight (~£150-180 direct with Cappadocia balloon operators — book ahead and only if weather allows; it's the one splurge worth considering). Otherwise, morning at leisure in Göreme. Midday dolmuş to Kayseri or Nevşehir airport and a budget domestic flight to Istanbul (Pegasus/AJet, ~£30-45 booked ahead) — much faster and often cheaper than the 11-hour bus. If you'd rather follow the tour's route by land, break the bus journey in Ankara (~£8) to see Anıtkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum, then continue to Istanbul (~£12).

🚌Dolmuş + domestic flight ~£40 (or buses ~£20)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Istanbul (£12-22)

• →Optional hot-air balloon flight
• →Optional Anıtkabir in Ankara
• →Flight or bus to Istanbul

Spend the morning on anything you missed — the Grand Bazaar, Süleymaniye Mosque, the Basilica Cistern (~£8), a ferry to Kadıköy for lunch, or a Turkish bath (hamam ~£20-35). Then take the Havaist bus or Metro/Marmaray back to the airport. If you're flying from SAW, allow an extra 45 minutes for the transfer.

🚌Havaist/Metro to airport ~£4

🛏None (departure day)

• →Grand Bazaar / Basilica Cistern
• →Ferry to Kadıköy
• →Airport bus to IST or SAW