I'm sitting at the airport ready to head back home and wanted to provide our itinerary for anyone planning a trip to Turkey. There is so much here that we still did not do it all but we are leaving satisfied that we saw plenty. You may want to extend your trip by a couple of days if you want it to be less physically exhausting. However, if you are a fan of walking till your feet hurt and shoes break and not sleeping in, this may be the perfect itinerary for you. As evidence, Harneet had to bid farewell to his favorite pair of shoes on Day 1.

Here is the itinerary:

1.5-2 days in Istanbul - see The Blue Mosque, Haggia Sofia, Topkapi palace, Cistern Basilica, and take a long walk along the Bosphorus. Restaurant recommendations are in my detailed posts.

2 days in Cappadocia - definitely catch a sunrise hot air balloon ride, view the balloons another morning from a rooftop, stay in a cave room, do either the rose Valley or love valley trail, rent a car and visit the Ilhara valley and the Derinkuyu underground city. Try all the fun local foods.

1 day in Antalya - walk around the old town and check out Hadrian's Gate right in the center.

2 days in Fethiye - drive from Antalya to Fethiye and stop at Konyaalti beach, the Olympos ruins, the ancient Lycian ruins of Xanthos and Patara and land in Fethiye. In Fethiye, check out the harbor, visit the Amyntas Rock Tombs, the Kayakoy ghost village and the Oludinez beach.

1 morning and afternoon in Ephesus: plan for an evening flight out of Izmer and drive to Ephesus on the way to the airport. Check out Meryamanna and the Ephesus ancient city. This can take 5-6 hours so plan accordingly.

1 more day in Istanbul: Congratulate yourself! Go to the Bazaars (Grand, Mahmutpasa, Spice), buy stuff and walk around the city. Check out the New Mosque (and we didn't get a chance to do so but the Rustem Pasha mosque right there).

Fly back from Istanbul airport. Don't forget to eat all the food I mentioned in my separate posts. Restaurant recos are also included.

Until my next vacation - bbye!