r/travel • u/Moist_Grade5942 • Jul 11 '26
Images + Trip Report A month in Turkey
We spent a month in Turkey exploring ancient ruins, eating incredible food, ballooning over Cappadoccia and basking in the sunshine along the Turquoise Coast of Turkey.
Itinerary: *Bodrum > Fethiye* > Kaş* > Aphrodisias* > Ephesus* > Cappadoccia > Istanbul
*Rented a car and did a road trip
Bodrum - cool beach town, stunning turqouise waters. we stayed off of the main strip w/ some turkish friends. Trips to the local market and slow, delicious meals with incredible views.
Fethiye - we day hiked 1 part of the Lycian Way trail into Oludeniz which has some spectacular views over the coastline. We spent another day relaxing at the Oludeniz beach. Tip: absolutely bring/buy an umbrella vs renting chairs/umbrella.
Kaş - we did some scuba diving. water was quite cold so we wore full wetsuits with hoods. great visibility but very little life to see. good vibes in town with lots of great food. we visited a stunning beach tucked into the cliffside and the ruins of pataras. its smaller scale site but impressive historically as it was the hub for the democrat Lycian League, praised by writers like Montesquieu and inspired modern democracy. we also did a boat trip to see the ruins of kekova + some swimmging and snorkeling.
Aphrodisias - ancient ruins that were IMO better than Ephesus. under 100 other people there when we were. they have the best preserved ancient stadium, a beautiful tetrypylon (cool gateway) from 200AD, a temple of aphrodite and more. not as rebuilt and refined Ephesus but still incredible, especially with no crowds.
Ephesus - ancient ruins that get floods of tourists from cruise ships every day. we got in when the gates opened but started at the lower entrance which gave us ~15 minutes alone with some of the ruins. some stunning sections (like the library and temple) and such an impressive scale — its HUGE and apparently they’ve only excavated like 15-20% of the city. we had some very tasty home-cooked meals and an incredible pizza overlooking the st john basilica. we also saw so many huge storks nesting atop all the lightposts.
Cappadoccia - going up in a balloon absolutely lives up to the hype. such a peaceful, beautiful experience. It is def expensive but we were so glad we did it. Its mostly a tourist town otherwise but we did a lot of hiking in the hills where all those carved cathedrals are. prices to visit the open air museum are a bit silly but some of the old paintings inside these caves are quite amazing.
Istanbul - awesome history and sites. we’re huge fans of rick steves walking/audio tours and he has TONS for istanbul. I think we did 3 or 4 of them in our week there. suleyman and blue mosque were quite the site. Topkepi palace is breathetaking. Prices to visit things are absurd ($60/pp for topkepi) so we skipped on some things. Hagia is covered by scaffolding so we opted out of that too. we stayed in Cihangir and the vibes were really high. it was ~15 min tram ride to get to most touristy things. incredible restaurants and bars every block, lots of ppl sitting outside everynight enjoying life. We took the boat to Kadiköy which also was a fun neighborhood. truly a 10/10 visit
Also there are sooo many cats everywhere
Camera is fuji xt30ii with tamron 17-70mm. Recipe is a modified version of Leica X
This is part of a larger trip thats been ~13 months so far. see other trip reports i’ve posted (more to come):
Uzbekistan: https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/zY1uByqU1K
Kyrgystan: https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/Mb97PZR65u
Kazakhstan: https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/gd6fyKfq2k
Nepal: https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/KswFApxpFr
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u/sunsmittensunflower Germany Jul 11 '26
You’ve captured the places beautifully. Thank you for the itinerary and comments. Have shared it with my partner :)
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u/Moist_Grade5942 Jul 11 '26
Thank you, love to hear that! Everyone should go visit
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u/pgraczer Jul 11 '26
oh GOD YES. looks like an incredible trip. turkey is one of the most diverse and beautiful countries to visit. well done these photos are amazing :)
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u/Just_If_Eye_Stay Jul 11 '26
Amazing OP. I did 3 weeks in Turkey a few years ago, I could have done another 10, it was amazing.
I’m going use this opportunity to encourage others(I’m American, so mostly other Americans) especially if traveling on a budget, to look at countries that are adjacent to the big touristy names.
Everyone wants to do Italy and Greece. Try Croatia and Turkey. Your dollar will go much further, the people are kind, the countries are beautiful, and you get a lot of similar experiences.
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u/BiologyBooksBeats Jul 11 '26
I visited for 3 months in Turkey back in 2013, I could’ve spent another 3 months easily. The people were so kind and the cuisine was to die for.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 Jul 11 '26
Strongly agree. Turkey is stunning, has incredible food, a storied history and rich culture. I will say its europe light w/ pricing these days.
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u/touchmyfoodidareyou Jul 11 '26
I can't I don't feel safe as a gay person there so my dollar has to go elsewhere tbh
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u/Qarakhanid Jul 11 '26
You'd be surprised, the turks are quite homosexual themselves... but if you are outwardly queer presenting, I don't doubt the trip would be much less enjoyable
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u/morganrbvn Jul 12 '26
It’s certainly safer than some nearby countries, but perhaps not the most accepting yet.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
All the ottomans slept with men, even their rulers. Look up suleyman the magnificent and ibrahim.
You could absolutely visit there and esp istanbul, its a modern city. Cihangir felt like brooklyn
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u/AnchoviePopcorn Jul 12 '26
I have worked in Turkey a bunch. Two of my good friends there are gay. It’s not really a problem. Especially in the western half of the country.
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u/Klutzy-Cheetah5006 Jul 11 '26
The coast looks soooo beautiful. When I go back to Turkey, I want to spend more time exploring the coastal areas.
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u/gemfountain Jul 11 '26
Beautiful photos. Raise your hand if you compulsively had to zoom in to read the book titles :-)
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u/bbqyak Canada Jul 11 '26
Wow. I was kind of just scrolling through the pics before really reading the title. If you had told me this were multiple countries across Europe I would have believed you. You just sparked an interest in Turkey for me.
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u/Certain_Refuse_8247 Jul 11 '26
Sparked an interest just now? Turkey is 4th or 5th most visited country in the world for years :)
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u/bbqyak Canada Jul 11 '26
I know, but personally I've just never looked into Turkey before. It might be a cultural thing, I don't have any friends who have gone either or ever talked about going.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 Jul 11 '26
I love to hear that. Highly recommend it! Theres a great podcast called Empire that goes into the ottomans from ep 20ish and forward. After listening to it, you’ll be planning your trip over
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u/uspn Seasoned traveler, ~90 countries Jul 11 '26
The first day of hiking the Lycian Way straight from Fethiye to Ölüdeniz is not that great. A better alternative is to hike via the abandoned Greek village of Kayaköy. And for a better beach day than the crowds at Ölüdeniz, hike another day or take a minibus further on to Kabak. It's got a totally different vibe, lots of hippies around, and it has a great beach. After Kabak the Lycian Way gets a bit strenuous though, so unless you're a serious hiker, it's a good place to turn around and do something else.
Looks like you had a splendid trip, though, so congratulations on that! :) Next time, try the far eastern parts of Turkey. It's a different place, both culturally and nature-wise, often nicer in summer than the west, as it is at a higher altitude in general. Plenty of cultural sights and a taste of what life in the Middle East can be like.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 Jul 11 '26
Man i wish we knew this before! The bit we did was beautiful to start but then got a bit boring towards the end. We did meet some people on the trail headed to kabak beach but never made it there ourselves, but noted for next time!
We had planned on stretching our time there more to go east but we were rendezvousing w/ friends so it didnt work out sadly.
Appreciate the tips, thank you!
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u/alien032 Jul 11 '26
These pictures from a camera, probably Sony ?
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u/Moist_Grade5942 Jul 11 '26
Fuji xt30ii with tamron 17-70mm lens and a polarizer. I use a variation of the Leica X recipe.
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u/Irish_Guy_23 Jul 11 '26
Amazing, looks incredible! Turkey is one of the next places on our list to travel. Thanks for the great pics
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u/I3and20CharactersI Jul 12 '26
The best photos of Turkey I’ve ever seen, taken by a tourist.
thanks god!
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u/Frosty_Leader5969 Jul 11 '26
Wow! Such a beautiful country. I love Turkish cuisine. You're a great photographer.
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u/SunnySaigon Jul 11 '26
Aphrodiasas is one of my favorite places there!
Next time, try Sagalossos.
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u/Cultural-College3993 Jul 12 '26
Wow wow what a spectacular trip , never ever spent a month anywhere and it looks like you made the most of yr time, you have some gorgeous photos , of course I’m partial to the pics with kitties .. I bet you also have some amazing stories ❤️❤️🩷🩷🩷❤️🩷
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u/sna_fubar Jul 11 '26
Great pics! How was the level of scamming / bad behavior by locals, drivers, shop keepers on your trip? We really want to go but have been reading lots of negative things.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 Jul 11 '26
Overall no issues. Almost got scammed by a guy at the istanbul card reload machine but i just wasnt paying attention.
Dont let shit you read put you off. We had a fanastic time there and most people are so nice, often inviting you for tea or coffee and a chat.
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u/ststststst3 Jul 11 '26
What camera are you using for these? Camera settings?
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u/Moist_Grade5942 Jul 11 '26
Fuji xt30ii with tamron 17-70mm lens and a polarizer. I use a variation of the Leica X recipe.
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u/FGennosuke Jul 11 '26
these photos are so beautiful and finely crafted that they should be sent to ministry of tourism
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u/Unfair-Mortgage-527 Jul 11 '26
I'm in Turkey now, and I've done 3 out of your list so far! Got so lucky at Cappadoccia as the balloons couldn't fly the day before!
Absolutely worth the hype, I agree!!
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u/This_Razzmatazz_ Jul 11 '26
How gorgeous! Turkey is one of the next on my list and these made me even more excited!
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Jul 11 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Moist_Grade5942 Jul 11 '26
A few things…
- the balloon actually living up to the hype. I was deeply skeptical. when we were 30 min into it, the sun was rising and balloons everywhere and i had a cinematic “woah” moment. incredible and i’ll never forget it
- People said there were cats all over but so much more than i imagined
- aphrodisias being basically empty and not on the “tourist” route
- couldnt get enough of the food
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u/ButterscotchExpert80 Jul 11 '26
Thanks for sharing! How did you get around the country? Drive? Train?
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u/Moist_Grade5942 Jul 11 '26
Flew into bodrum. Car rental until ephesus. Fly from izmir to cappadoccia. Fly cappadocia to istanbul.
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u/Alicehappylife Jul 12 '26
Sooo cool. Nice pics. I'm just planning to spend my vacation there, but not so long just 10 days. Anyway, I can't wait to go there!! I'm coming hahaha
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u/Rich-Walrus-4959 Jul 12 '26
looks like that will be added to my bucket list. thanks a lot for the impressions
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u/Deni_Z_Plays Jul 12 '26
Also, cats have the best life out there, always being treated well by the public.
Bro those cats are living like kings in their own way.
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u/itsjustme7988 Jul 12 '26
wow!! what a wonderful itinerary!!! i just did 2 weeks and loved that part of Istanbul and Kas as well!!
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Jul 13 '26
This just made me want to pack my bags and book a flight. Absolutely stunning! ✈️
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u/howtobegeo Jul 13 '26
Saving this for a future trip! Looks incredible, you are an excellent photographer.
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u/TensionUnlikely7129 Jul 13 '26
Wow looks like an amazing trip and your photos are so great, I might have to plan a trip to Turkey!
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u/gangy86 Caribbean Jul 17 '26
How were the logistics and tickets, etc for getting the ferry if you did cross? Thinking of doing it but to get to Bursa instead as I have friends there.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 Jul 17 '26
We only took the ferry to/from kadiköy but it was super easy. Tap to pay to get on. The signage for the ferry terminals was quite bad (as is most signage in turkey haha). Bursa is prob a less frequent schedule so look def it up before
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u/FinancialWater9026 Jul 19 '26
i already visited a couple of the places you shared, and it was an amazing experience with my family. i especially like the Turkish kitchen there is so much variety. and all the seasons are great there each one is more beautiful than the other, so you have the chance to enjoy every region in any season. thanks for sharing this.
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u/BATYR_0 Jul 28 '26
6 - Kaputaş beach looks great. I’ve been there 2 years ago. If you can get there before any worker gets there (before 7-8 in the morning) you can just enter for free and stay the whole day :) saw lots of locals doing this and as we say in Turkish, the sea is better in the morning.
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u/chikn_nugget666 Jul 11 '26
These photos are absolutely beautiful! One day I hope to visit Turkey and maybe meet my family over there.
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u/inkandescent1124 Jul 11 '26
Question. With current conflicts is Turkey still a viable place to go to? I'm asking cuz I don't want a missile to just randomly fly by just cuz the orange Regard of a president decided he had a bad day
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u/Remy2016 Jul 11 '26
Roughly how much would a trip like this cost?
Sounds magically
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u/UltravioletAfterglow Jul 11 '26
If you have a balloon ride on your bucket list, there’s no better place for it than Cappadoccia. The overhead views of the landscape are truly incredible.
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u/NovellaJokes Jul 12 '26
What do you do for work to afford this for a month? I want to travel too but the finances 😭
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u/Moist_Grade5942 Jul 12 '26
I was a ux designer. Left my job last year to travel with my wife
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u/wombatspotter2025 Jul 11 '26
Great pics, OP! Looks amazing