Turkey: Coastlines & Cappadocia — Self-Launched

Land at IST or SAW and take the Havaist airport bus or Metro to Sultanahmet (around £3–5). Dump your bag at a hostel or small pansiyon in Sultanahmet or Karaköy, then do a self-guided wander: Hippodrome, Blue Mosque courtyard, Gülhane Park down to the water. Do NOT buy the Aya Sofya ticket twice-over — ask about the Museum Pass Istanbul, or just buy individual entries. Evening: cheap balık ekmek (fish sandwich) by the Galata Bridge and a tea on a rooftop.

🚌Airport bus/Metro ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm or simple pansiyon, Sultanahmet/Karaköy — £15–22 (private double £35–45)

• →Self-guided Sultanahmet orientation walk
• →Galata Bridge & Karaköy evening wander

Hit Aya Sofya and Topkapı Palace early (combined roughly £30–35 with the Basilica Cistern). Alternatively buy the Museum Pass İstanbul if you're doing several sites in one go. Late afternoon, catch the public Bosphorus ferry (Şehir Hatları, around £1.50–2) rather than a tourist cruise — it runs up to Anadolu Kavağı and back for a fraction of the price. Dinner in Kadıköy across the water for the best-value meyhane food.

🚌Tram + public ferry ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm or simple pansiyon — £15–22

• →Aya Sofya
• →Topkapı Palace
• →Basilica Cistern
• →Public Bosphorus ferry to Anadolu Kavağı

YHT high-speed train from Istanbul (Pendik or Söğütlüçeşme) to Ankara takes about 4.5 hours, roughly £12–18 booked on TCDD Taşımacılık or via the TCDD app. Ankara is a functional capital rather than a highlight, but it's the natural break in the journey east. Drop bags and walk Kızılay and the old citadel neighbourhood (Hisar) for the views and cheap lunch. Overnight near Kızılay or Ulus.

🚌YHT train Istanbul–Ankara ~£15

🛏Budget hotel or hostel near Kızılay/Ulus — £18–25

• →Ankara citadel (Hisar) walk
• →Kızılay street food

Morning at Anıtkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum — free entry and genuinely striking. Then either a direct day bus Ankara–Göreme (about 5 hours, £10–14) or the overnight bus (around £12–15) to arrive early the next morning. On arrival in Göreme, check into a cave-style guesthouse — the rock-cut budget places are atmospheric and cheap outside peak season.

🚌Bus Ankara–Göreme ~£12

🛏Cave guesthouse in Göreme — £18–28 dorm/private

• →Anıtkabir mausoleum (free)

Self-guided walking day. Göreme Open Air Museum entry is roughly £8–10 with the Dark Church separately. Then walk the Love Valley or Pigeon Valley trails straight from town (free, well-marked) or take a dolmuş to Uçhisar and walk back through Bağlıdere. Sunset from Rose Valley or Sunset Point above Göreme. Optional Turkish bath in Göreme around £12–15.

🚌Dolmuş hops ~£2

🛏Cave guesthouse in Göreme — £18–28

• →Göreme Open Air Museum
• →Love Valley / Pigeon Valley hike
• →Rose Valley sunset

Book the balloon direct with a Göreme operator (Butterfly, Royal, Voyager) or via GetYourGuide/Klook — standard flights run £130–180 per person and get much cheaper if booked a day or two ahead in low season. After a nap, hire a scooter or take a red-tour dolmuş loop to Devrent (Imagination) Valley, Zelve Open Air Museum and Paşabağ fairy chimneys. Evening: whirling dervish ceremony at a Göreme han (around £10–12).

🚌Scooter hire or dolmuş loop ~£10

🛏Cave guesthouse in Göreme — £18–28

• →Sunrise hot-air balloon flight
• →Devrent Valley
• →Zelve Open Air Museum
• →Whirling dervish ceremony

Long travel day. Overnight or early bus Göreme–Antalya with a change in Konya (about 9–10 hours total, £16–22). In Konya, if you have a layover, the Mevlana Museum and mausoleum is free and worth the stop — several buses schedule a break there. Arrive Antalya and settle into Kaleiçi (the old town) where budget guesthouses cluster.

🚌Bus Göreme–Antalya via Konya ~£18

🛏Guesthouse in Kaleiçi, Antalya — £20–30

• →Mevlana Museum, Konya (free, if layover allows)

Take a dolmuş or local bus towards Termessos (around £3 each way), then walk the last stretch up to the dramatically sited Pisidian ruins on the mountain — free-ish entry, superb views, and almost no crowds. Afternoon back in Antalya: Hadrian's Gate, the Roman harbour, and a swim off Konyaaltı or Lara beach. Cheap dinner of Antalya-style kebab in the old town.

🚌Dolmuş to Termessos return ~£7

🛏Guesthouse in Kaleiçi, Antalya — £20–30

• →Termessos ruins hike
• →Kaleiçi old town & Roman harbour
• →Beach swim

Bus Antalya–Demre/Kaş direction (about 3.5 hours, £8–10). Book a half-day Kekova boat trip from Üçağız or Demre harbour (roughly £15–20 including lunch) to see the half-sunken Lycian city of Simena and swim over the ruins. Stay in Demre or nearby Üçağız/Kaş in a small pansiyon — dinner of fresh fish by the harbour is the move.

🚌Bus Antalya–Demre ~£9

🛏Pansiyon in Demre/Üçağız — £20–28

• →Kekova sunken city boat trip
• →Swim stops and Lycian ruins

Morning bus along the coast to Kaş (about 1 hour, £4), a lovely little harbour town — grab a coffee, look at the Lycian rock tombs, and continue on the bus to Fethiye (2.5 hours, £7–9). Settle into a hostel or guesthouse near the marina or in Ölüdeniz-adjacent Çalış. Evening: stroll the Fethiye fish market where you buy fish and pay a restaurant to cook it.

🚌Local buses Demre–Kaş–Fethiye ~£13

🛏Hostel/guesthouse Fethiye — £18–28

• →Kaş harbour and Lycian rock tombs
• →Fethiye fish market dinner

Dolmuş to Ölüdeniz (£2–3). Hike the Lycian Way section from Ölüdeniz towards Faralya above Butterfly Valley — free and spectacular, about 3–4 hours one way. Alternatively take a shared boat trip from Ölüdeniz out to Butterfly Valley and the Blue Cave (around £15–20). Swim, sunbathe, and don't bother with the paid paragliding unless it's on your bucket list (roughly £80–100).

🚌Dolmuş to Ölüdeniz return ~£5

🛏Hostel/guesthouse Fethiye — £18–28

• →Ölüdeniz lagoon
• →Lycian Way hike towards Faralya
• →Butterfly Valley boat trip (optional)

Bus Fethiye–Pamukkale/Karahayıt (around 3.5–4 hours with a change, £10–13). Enter the Pamukkale travertines and Hierapolis ruins on the same ticket (roughly £12–15) — go late afternoon to catch the light and dodge the midday tour buses. Cleopatra's Antique Pool is a separate extra (£12ish) and often not worth it. Overnight in Karahayıt or Pamukkale village, both cheap.

🚌Bus Fethiye–Pamukkale ~£12

🛏Pansiyon in Pamukkale/Karahayıt — £18–25

• →Pamukkale travertines
• →Hierapolis ancient city

Bus or dolmuş via Denizli to Selçuk (about 3 hours, £8–10). Early afternoon, walk or take the 10-minute minibus to Ephesus and enter late in the day when it's cooler and emptier — entry roughly £15–18, and the Terrace Houses add about £8. Back in Selçuk: the Temple of Artemis stump, St John's Basilica, and the İsa Bey Mosque. Base yourself in a Selçuk guesthouse.

🚌Bus Pamukkale–Selçuk ~£9

🛏Guesthouse in Selçuk — £18–26

• →Ephesus ancient city
• →Terrace Houses
• →Temple of Artemis & St John's Basilica

Dolmuş up to Şirince (about £1.50), a hill village of old Greek houses and fruit wine. Walk the lanes, taste wines, have a pide lunch. Back in Selçuk, book a half-day Turkish cooking class direct with a local outfit or via GetYourGuide (roughly £30–40) — often the single best-value thing in the region. Alternative: a day trip to the Şirince hills vineyards or the Ephesus Museum.

🚌Dolmuş to Şirince return ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Selçuk — £18–26

• →Şirince village
• →Turkish cooking class (half-day)
• →Selçuk Ephesus Museum

Travel day north: bus Selçuk–İzmir–Çanakkale (6–8 hours, £15–20) or take the train to İzmir then bus. Once in Çanakkale, catch a dolmuş to Troy (Truva) — the wooden horse and the 4,000-year-old layers are worth 2 hours (£6–8 entry). Evening on the Çanakkale waterfront with a kumru sandwich. If you want the Gallipoli battlefields, book a half-day guided tour from town for about £25–30.

🚌Bus Selçuk–Çanakkale ~£18; dolmuş to Troy ~£4

🛏Budget hotel in Çanakkale — £18–26

• →Troy (Truva) archaeological site
• →Çanakkale waterfront

Bus Çanakkale–Istanbul (about 5 hours, £13–17) or the ferry across the Dardanelles plus bus. In Istanbul, sort last-minute bazaar shopping at the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar, a final çay by the water, and book your airport transfer. If you're continuing onward, Çanakkale has limited flights — Istanbul or İzmir are your hubs.

🚌Bus Çanakkale–Istanbul ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm or pansiyon Istanbul — £15–22 (or depart)

• →Grand Bazaar & Spice Bazaar
• →Last evening in Istanbul