Turkey itinerary 10 days — How to spend 10 days in Turkey perfectly?

Turkey is an extremely unique country located across the two continents of Asia and Europe. Only the largest city in Turkey, Istanbul, has two parts located in two continents. But that’s not the only interesting thing about this country. I had a 10-day wonderful trip in this country with countless memorial experiences. Today, I want to share it with you to help you planning an upcoming trip smoothly. So, how to spend 10 days in Turkey and what to see in Turkey in 10 days? Let’s check it out our suggested Turkey itinerary 10 days in my field trip to Turkey for you refer to.

The 5 reasons Turkey is for you

• If you are a multicultural lover, Turkey will give you the feeling of stepping into the intersection of many different civilizations. Because of its unparalleled geographical location stretching across the two sides of Asia – Europe, Turkey brings the cultural beauty influenced by many ethnic groups to live here.
• The country’s rich history comes from many dynasties and empires from Alexander the Great to the Ottoman. Surely, you will be overwhelmed.
• The large architectural buildings, mostly Islamic works that will make architecture lovers want to visit. Istanbul owns the largest mosques in the world.
• Beautiful nature is another reason that make you want to come to this country right away. The rocky valleys with weird shapes of Cappadocia, the coast of the Mediterranean, thermal pools dubbed the white cotton castles in Pamukkale, etc. All will make you amaze.
• Turkish people are quite gentle and friendly. If you don’t like a country with cold people, then Turkey is for you!

Below is my suggested Turkey itinerary 10 days with the detailed on how to spend 10 days in Turkey and what to see in Turkey in 10 days.

Turkey itinerary 10 days — Day 1: Vietnam – Istanbul and getting to the central city

Day 1 you will spend to getting to Istanbul. But actually you will feel quite comfortable because flights from Vietnam to Istanbul often take off at night and land in Istanbul in the next morning, so you almost will have more than half a full day in Istanbul.

How to spend 10 days in Turkey — Day 2: Istanbul

Istanbul is divided into two parts of Asia and Europe. Today, you spend time exploring the European side with many famous religious buildings:

• Blue Mosque: The grand and splendid mosque of Istanbul.
• Hagia Sophia: Located very close to Blue Mosque so you can visit on the same route, now it’s a magnificent museum inside.
• Grand Bazaar: The famous market for more than half a millennium in Istanbul with countless shops, extremely large, selling all kinds of things from food, spices, souvenir items, lamps, jewelry.
• Topkapi Palace Museum: Once was a residence of Sultans (Kings) and their royal family.

Turkey itinerary 10 days — Day 3: Istanbul – Antalya

I chose to fly to Antalya on day 3 because the time is as optimized as possible. In the afternoon, I took a stroll around Antalya harbour, an ancient Roman-style harbour, and you’ll be lost in centuries past. If possible, you can take a boat tour on beautiful old-fashioned sailboats. Then stroll through Antalya Old Town with its many beautiful restaurants and cafes.

What to see in Turkey in 10 days — Day 4: Antalya

Today, you should visit the Antalya Archaeological Museum, the largest museum with the largest variety of antiquities in the region. After that, head to Termessos, located not far from Antalya, an ancient city with intact ruins above 1,000m high.

Day 5: Antalya – Konya – Cappadocia

Today, you should stop by Konya and then visit the very peaceful village of Sille. Travel time as well as visit will take you all day but it’s a worth visit. Then in the evening, get on the train or bus to get to Cappadocia.

Day 6: Cappadocia

Cappadocia has the most to explore in Turkey in terms of nature and culture. Today, you should wake up early to see the hot air balloon in Goreme village. Then stop by the underground city of Derinkuyu. You can visit more local pottery and carpet weaving workshops for sightseeing and shopping. At sunset, stop by Uchisar castle (fortress) to see the beautiful rocky valley with strange and weird shapes.

Turkey itinerary 10 days — Day 7: Cappadocia

Today, let’s continue to get up very early to fly a hot air balloon, because normally it is not possible to see a hot air balloon every day. Balloons can only fly when there is no strong wind, no rain, no snow. So you should spend as much time as possible in Cappadocia.

Day 8: Cappadocia – Istanbul

Flying back to Istanbul from Cappadocia takes very little time, only 45 minutes. However, there is a small note that Cappadocia has 2 airports. One of them is Kayseri Erkilet Airport (ASR), 1 hour drive from the center of Cappadocia. This is the airport with the most Turkish Airlines flights, so you should remember to book tickets at this airport and check out early because the airport is quite far from the center of Cappadocia.

How to spend 10 days in Turkey — Day 9: Istanbul

Today, you will continue to explore Istanbul after flying back from Cappadocia. Some interesting places and things to do you should refer to:

• Take a boat trip on the Bosphoros Strait
• Visit Dolmabahce Palace
• Explore the colorful Old Town of Balat
• Istanbul Museum of Modern Art

Day 10: Istanbul – Vietnam

Let’s fly back!

Travel tips

Visa & e-Visa

Turkey is a country that is not too difficult to get a visa, but for Vietnamese people, the visa application can only be submitted to the Turkish Consulate in Hanoi. If you stay in Hanoi, it is relatively simple, but if not, you have to print out the documents and send them to Hanoi.

However, I find it quite troublesome to apply for such a visa, so I suggest you to apply for an e-visa.

Conditions for applying for an e-Visa:

• When applying, you must have a visa or temporary residence card from the Schengen area, USA, UK or Ireland.
• That visa must be valid when you enter Turkey, otherwise it may be refused entry.
• You must enter and leave Turkey using an airline that Turkey regulates, they are Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, Onur Air or Atlasglobal Airlines.
• You must enter Turkey by air.

Thus, you can just apply for a Schengen visa to go to Europe, and then register for a Turkish e-visa, which will save you a lot of effort in preparing documents. You can refer to how to apply for a simple Turkish e-Visa in another blog post.

Currency

Currency in Turkey is lira, $1 = 8.42 lira. But you just calculate it as 9 lira for easy remembering. In Turkey, foreign currencies are not used for payment, so you have to exchange money.

It is best to exchange USD or Euro in Vietnam in advance and then go to Turkey to exchange Turkish currency because lira exchange in Vietnam is quite rare, and in Turkey, Vietnamese money is not accepted.

Fly to Turkey

Turkish Airlines now operating 2 routes from Saigon or Hanoi to Istanbul, this is also almost the only airline with direct flights to Istanbul from Vietnam. Ticket prices range from $657.91 to $789.49/round trip.

Traveling between cities

By plane

The fastest way to travel between cities is by plane, and you should rest assured that the cost of flying in Turkey is also quite cheap even if you fly with Turkish Airlines which is a national flag carrier. It will cost you from $30.70 to $52.63 for round trip flights from Istanbul – Cappadocia.

Train

You can also choose a train to getting around Turkey. The easiest way to buy tickets is to go to the train station and buy tickets 1 hour in advance before departing, usually there are not too many passengers so you do not need to book too early.

The second way is to use Turkey Pass for unlimited travel for 59 euros/3 days, 132 euros/8 days. You can buy it here: https://www.interrail.eu/en/interrail-passes/one-country-pass/turkey

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, from and to Istanbul you can refer to

• Istanbul Welcome Card
• Hagia Sophia Introduction Tour with Audio Guide
• Istanbul Classics Tour
• Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, & Basilica Cistern Combo Tour in Istanbul
• 4G SIM Card (MY Delivery) for Turkey from joytel2u
• Istanbul Museum Pass
• [Sale] Sea Life Aquarium Ticket in Istanbul
• Round Trip Ferry Tickets between Prince’s Islands and Istanbul
• Princes’ Island Full Day Tour from Istanbul
• Istanbul Bosphorus Cruise Tour

Are you looking for more top things to do in Istanbul: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Let’s check it out here. And My trip to Istanbul — Explore the bridge city of Asia and Europe. And Turkey travel guide here.