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Nine days in Turkey is the length at which Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus stop feeling rushed: three nights in Istanbul, two in Cappadocia, one at Pamukkale and two on the Aegean near Ephesus, with domestic flights at both ends of the route. Our 9-day Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale and Cappadocia tour follows this shape from $1,453 per person, and the budget version with an overnight bus starts from $1,173 per person.

The extra day compared with an eight-day trip goes where it helps most: a second evening on the Aegean, so Ephesus is never squeezed between two long drives. Below is the plan day by day, what each region takes, the three ways to cover the long middle leg, and how the route works in reverse. For a shorter version, see our 8-day Turkey itinerary; with one more night, compare the 9-night, 10-day packages.

The nine days at a glance

Nine days means eight nights. Take away the arrival afternoon and the morning of the flight home, and you have seven full days. The route below uses two domestic flights and one long road day, which is the standard pattern for this length.

The order matters less than the rhythm: a busy day, then an easier one. Days 2, 5 and 7 are the long sightseeing days. Days 3, 8 and the second half of day 4 are lighter on purpose.

Days 1 to 3: Istanbul

Three nights is the minimum we suggest for a first visit to Istanbul. Long-haul flights often land early in the morning, before hotel rooms are ready, so keep day 1 for a slow walk around Sultanahmet Square and an early dinner.

Day 2, the old city. With a licensed guide you can cover Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, the Basilica Cistern and the Grand Bazaar in one long day, or swap the bazaar for Topkapı Palace if palaces interest you more than shopping. The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays, so do not leave it for a Sunday afternoon. Hagia Sophia's visitor route is ticketed for foreign visitors; our Hagia Sophia ticket update explains what the ticket covers.

Day 3, the water. A morning boat on the Bosphorus shows you the palaces, wooden mansions and fortresses that line the strait between Europe and Asia. Follow it with the Spice Bazaar and an afternoon in Galata or the old Greek and Jewish quarter of Balat. If you want to spread Istanbul over more days later, our 3-day Istanbul itinerary goes into more detail.

Days 4 and 5: Cappadocia

Fly from Istanbul to Kayseri or to Nevşehir Kapadokya airport. Both are served from Istanbul, the flight takes around an hour and a quarter, and the drive from either airport to the hotels in Göreme, Uçhisar or Ürgüp takes up to about an hour. Choose a morning flight and you still have the afternoon for the Göreme Open-Air Museum, whose rock-cut churches keep their painted walls.

Day 5 starts before sunrise if you have booked a balloon. Flights take off only when the Directorate General of Civil Aviation gives permission for that morning, so a booking is never a guarantee; our balloon price update covers the categories and what happens if a flight is cancelled. After breakfast, a full day can take in the valleys around Göreme and Çavuşin, the pottery town of Avanos, and one underground city: Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı, both cut many levels into the soft rock.

Two nights is enough to see Cappadocia properly but gives you only one balloon morning. If the balloon is the main reason for your trip, spend the ninth day here instead of on the Aegean, so you have two sunrise chances. Our page on cave hotels in Cappadocia explains what you get for the money if you want to sleep in the rock.

Day 6: Cappadocia to Pamukkale, three ways

This is the one hard day of the trip. By road, Cappadocia to Pamukkale is well over 600 km through Konya and the lakes district, most of a day even with few stops. There are three ways to handle it.

1. Private car or tour vehicle by day. You leave after breakfast and arrive at Pamukkale in the late afternoon, when the terraces are at their best. A stop in Konya for the Mevlana Museum, the tomb of Rumi, breaks the drive in two.
2. Overnight bus. Some budget packages, including our 9-day Best of Turkey package, use a night bus for this leg. You save a hotel night and a daytime drive, at the cost of a broken night's sleep.
3. Fly via Istanbul. There is no direct flight from Cappadocia to Denizli, the airport for Pamukkale, so flying means changing in Istanbul. It works, but it rarely saves time over the road and costs more.

At Pamukkale you walk barefoot on the white travertine terraces, so bring a bag for your shoes. The Roman city of Hierapolis sits on top of the same hill, with a large theatre and a long necropolis along the old road. Late afternoon and early morning are the coolest and least crowded times. Our guide to the Pamukkale travertines and Hierapolis covers the walking routes.

Days 7 and 8: Ephesus and a free Aegean day

From Pamukkale to Selçuk, the town next to Ephesus, is about three hours by road. Leave early and you are at the gates when they open. The ancient city is open every day from 08:00 to 18:00, with the ticket office closing at 17:30, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Day 7 belongs to Ephesus: the marble streets, the Great Theatre and the Library of Celsus. The Terrace Houses, the roofed Roman homes with their mosaics and wall paintings, have a separate ticket and are worth it. Two to three hours with a guide covers the main site.

Day 8 is the day that makes nine days different from eight. Choose one:

• The House of the Virgin Mary on the hill above Ephesus, and the hill village of Şirince for lunch.
• The Ionian cities to the south, Priene, Miletus and Didyma, on a long day with a driver.
• A beach afternoon in Kuşadası, which suits families and travellers in summer.

Stay two nights in the same hotel, in Selçuk for quiet or in Kuşadası for the seafront. Our guide to hotels in Kuşadası for Ephesus compares the two.

Day 9. Izmir airport is about an hour from Selçuk. Fly to Istanbul and connect home, or end the trip in Istanbul with a final night if your flight leaves late.

Running the route in reverse

The same nine days work the other way round, and sometimes better:

• Arriving in Izmir. If your international flight can land at Izmir, start with Ephesus and finish in Istanbul. You then end the trip in a big city with good connections home.
• Hot months. In July and August, Pamukkale and Ephesus are hot by late morning. Starting on the coast lets you see them early in the trip, while you are still fresh, and finish in Cappadocia, where nights are cooler.
• Balloon chances. Putting Cappadocia last lets you add a spare morning at the end. If the balloon is cancelled on the first morning, you have another chance before you fly out.

The only thing that changes is the long road day, which becomes Pamukkale to Cappadocia instead. If you are unsure which way suits your dates, our tailor-made Turkey tour page explains how we plan a route around your flights.

Entrance fees along the route

Most tour prices cover the guide, transport and hotels; check on each tour page whether the main entrance tickets are included. These are the foreign-visitor prices at the state sites on the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's current list:

For one person, the five tickets come to €118, before Istanbul's museums and any balloon flight. The ministry revises its prices from time to time, so check again close to your travel date.

Tours that cover this

Each of these follows the nine-day, four-region shape described above, with a licensed guide, hotel pickup and domestic flights. Prices are per person.

• Best of Turkey package, 9 days with 2 flights and an overnight bus: from $1,173 per person. The budget way to cover all four regions.
• 9-day Turkey tour: Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale and Cappadocia: from $1,453 per person.
• Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Antalya and Cappadocia tour, 9 days: from $1,440 per person, adding the Mediterranean coast.
• 9-day private Turkey package tour: from $2,479 per person, with your own guide and vehicle.

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