Location: Sultanahmet
Day 1 - 1 Jun 2019
Hagia Sophia
Content: Right next to the Blue Mosque is Hagia Sophia, a museum that has recently turned into a mosque (in June 2020). During my visit, it was serving as a museum only and the entrance fee was 100 Turkish Lira.
The Blue Mosque
Content: Visited the Blue Mosque, also called the Sultanahmet Mosque. The mosque is free to enter for both Muslims and non-Muslims, however, during the prayer times, non-Muslims cannot enter the mosque. Also, women are required to cover their heads with a scarf and wear clothes that cover their shoulders and knees. Men are required to wear full-length trousers/pants.
Location: Kadıköy
Day 1 - 1 Jun 2019
Holiday Inn Istanbul - Kadikoy
Content: Centrally located near to all the tourist spots in Istanbul, Holiday Inn is the perfect 4 star hotel to spend few nights in Istanbul
Location: Taksim Square
Day 2 - 2 Jun 2019
Taksim Square
Content: Today I stepped out of Sultanahmet to see the rest of the city and caught a tram to Taksim Square. I would like to name Taksim as 'The heart of modern-day Istanbul'. The place is so lively and buzzing, it is almost impossible not to spend the entire day there! After strolling around the square and taking many pictures, I found a cool group of street performers and quickly spent an hour watching them dancing and playing music.
Location: Beyoğlu
Day 2 - 2 Jun 2019
Feyruz Cafe
Content: For light snacks and lunch Taksim restaurant cafe is the best place to grab a shawarma. For lunch, I just walked a few meters to a food street in Taksim and ordered Shawarma and Hummus from a tiny food stall.
Location: Nador
Day 2 - 2 Jun 2019
Istiklal Caddesi
Content: It was almost time for the sunset, and many friends suggested that Ortokoy is the best place to witness a sunset in Istanbul, and that's exactly what I did! I hopped on a bus, directly from Taksim to Ortokoy. I went straight to Ortokoy Mosque, which is a beautiful mosque built right across the river. It has a vibrant seafront area with seatings and many chic cafes and restaurants.
Location: Prince Island
Day 3 - 3 Jun 2019
Kizil Adalar Island
Content: This day was all about the long day trip to the Princes Islands! The Princes Islands are a cluster of nine small islands near mainland Istanbul. Only four of the islands are open to the public and they can be reached by a public ferry in 90 minutes from the mainland. The ferries to Princes Islands run all day and the last ferry return back from the Islands at 6 PM in the evening. There is no prior booking required, it works on a first come first serve basis. I choose to visit Buyukada Island, the largest island. The best activity to do on the island is to ride a bicycle on the beautiful streets and enjoy seafood sitting at the edge of the Marmara Sea. You can also visit the other three accessible islands, however, I just loved my time ay Buyukada so much, I didn't mind not visiting the other islands. I came back to the mainland before sunset.
Location: Balat
Day 4 - 4 Jun 2019
İstanbul
Content: One of the must-see places to see in Istanbul is the color Balat neighborhood, which is famous for its colorful houses, street art, and chic cafes. I spent the entire morning walking in the narrow steep alleys of Balat.
Location: Fatih
Day 4 - 4 Jun 2019
Grand Bazaar
Content: Next up, I made my way to the Grand Bazar for some souvenir shopping. Grand Bazar is closed only on Sunday so plan your visit accordingly. It can get very overwhelming to visit due to the tourist crowd, loud shopkeepers, and all sorts of haggling and bargaining happening around. Nonetheless, it is a must-visit place for souvenir shopping of all sorts!
Location: Nevşehir Merkez
Day 5 - 5 Jun 2019
Cappadocia Caves Hotel
Content: I booked a beautiful cave hotel in Cappadocia to spend my 2 nights there. It had a beautiful balcony overlooking the valley. I dined in at the hotel at all tikes.
Location: Cappadocia
Day 5 - 5 Jun 2019
Cappadocia
Content: We started the next day early for the hot air balloon ride which starts at 4 AM in the morning. The tour was organized by Turkiye Balloon, which lasted for almost 90mins. It is a must-do activity to do in Cappadocia.
Location: Özonak
Day 5 - 5 Jun 2019
Özonak
Content: After breakfast at the hotel, we visited the Ozkonak Underground City. There are many underground cities in Cappadocia, however, only three including Ozkonak are open to the general public.
Location: Göreme
Day 6 - 6 Jun 2019
Göreme
Content: Our first stop in Cappadocia on the last day was the Goreme Open Air Museum. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back to 400-1200AD. Back in the day, it was a university for Christians, who seek refuge in the stone-built complexes from the Muslims in the area. Still, there are a lot of chapels and churches built inside of the caves in Goreme.
Location: Nevşehir Merkez
Day 6 - 6 Jun 2019
Pasabag
Content: As it was nearing sunset and everyone was already tired, we made our next stop to Pasabag, also known as The Monk's valley. The place is filled with 'fairy chimneys', which are structures supposed to be formed millions of years ago due to sand erosion. Later on, the monks used the areas to meditate as it was far away from any civilization.