Routes · Europe

Nairobi to Türkiye: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Antalya

Nairobi → Istanbul → Cappadocia → Pamukkale → Antalya

Türkiye classics & balloons Best season (general guide): Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct

Türkiye packs in a lot of history and scenery, and this route links four of its best-known places. From Nairobi you'll fly to Istanbul, a city on two continents. From there you fly inland to Cappadocia, hop west to Pamukkale's white terraces, and finish by road on the Mediterranean coast at Antalya. The itinerary spends three nights in Istanbul, three nights in Cappadocia, one night in Pamukkale and three nights in Antalya.

How to pace it: After the flight from Nairobi, plan days one to three in Istanbul: first Sultanahmet, then Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapı, and finally Bosphorus ferry and Kadıköy. Next, plan days four to six in Cappadocia: first fly to Cappadocia, then Göreme, dawn balloon (wind permitting), Göreme open-air museum, valley walks, and finally spare balloon morning. Next, plan day seven in Pamukkale: first fly to Denizli, road to Pamukkale, then travertines and Hierapolis. Next, plan days eight to ten in Antalya: first road to Antalya, then Kaleiçi, beach or ancient site day, and finally free day on the coast.

Istanbul comes first, with three nights for the domes and minarets of the old city, a ferry across the Bosphorus, and the food markets of Kadıköy on the Asian side. Cappadocia, a short domestic flight away, is a landscape of soft volcanic rock carved into chimneys, cave houses and rock-cut churches, and the open-air museum at Göreme is the place to start. If the wind allows, many visitors take a dawn hot-air balloon flight. Pamukkale's travertine pools and the Roman theatre of Hierapolis fill a day, and from there the road runs south over the mountains to Antalya, whose walled old harbour quarter and nearby ancient cities end the trip by the sea.

Spring, from April to June, and autumn, from September to October, are the most comfortable seasons. In summer, Pamukkale's white terraces reflect intense heat, and inland sites can be very hot at midday. Balloon flights in Cappadocia are cancelled when winds are too strong, so give yourself more than one morning there to keep a spare chance.

Remove your shoes and cover up when visiting mosques, and women may need a headscarf, often provided at the door. The Istanbulkart transport card covers the metro, trams and ferries.

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