Why This Tour
The 12-Day Western Turkey Tour adds the Mediterranean coast — Antalya, Perge, and Aspendos — to the classic western Turkey circuit. If you have one extra day beyond the 11-Day Best of Turkey route, this extension takes you through some of the most impressive Roman-era sites in Anatolia before heading inland to Cappadocia.
The Antalya Difference
The addition of Antalya brings three significant experiences that the shorter 11-day route misses. Perge is one of the richest sources of Roman sculpture in Turkey — many of the masterpieces in the Antalya Archaeological Museum were excavated here. Aspendos has the best-preserved Roman theatre in the world — it still hosts performances today, and standing in its centre you can whisper and be heard in the back row, 2,000 years after it was built. And Kaleiçi, Antalya’s old town, is a living district where Ottoman houses, Roman harbour walls, and modern cafes coexist in narrow stone streets.
The Route Logic
This itinerary follows the same geographic logic as our shorter tour — south from Istanbul through the Dardanelles, down the Aegean coast, then inland — but curves through the Mediterranean before turning north toward Konya and Cappadocia. Along the way, you pass the turquoise waters of Salda Lake, sometimes called “Turkey’s Maldives.”
The route covers 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Istanbul’s Historic Areas, Troy, Pergamon, Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Pamukkale-Hierapolis, the Xanthos-Letoon area near Antalya, Çatalhöyük, Göreme National Park, and the rock sites of Cappadocia.
Who This Tour Is For
This tour appeals to travellers who want the ancient world and Mediterranean beauty in a single trip. The emphasis is on the Aegean and Mediterranean coast — Ephesus, Pamukkale, Antalya, Salda Lake — rather than the archaeological deep-dive that defines our 14-day route. If your priority is “classical antiquity plus stunning scenery” rather than “Neolithic origins,” this is the right choice.
- The same itinerary is available as a private tour for custom dates
Compare Your Options
If you only have 11 days, the Best of Turkey Tour covers the core route without Antalya. If you want to add Göbekli Tepe and southeast Turkey, consider the 14-Day Treasures of Ancient Turkey.