Vroom Essential · 7 nights
Istanbul & Antalya — Seven Nights
City + coast, well-organised.
The Highlight
Why this journey
This is the trip that balances ambition and rest — three nights to absorb the imperial city, four nights to recover on the Mediterranean. You'll see the monuments that matter, sail the Bosphorus, and still have time to lie on a sunbed with nothing more urgent than sunscreen reapplication. It's the classic city-plus-sea combination, and it works because the rhythm is right.
Day by day
How the journey unfolds.
Day 1-3
Istanbul
Old city day tour, Bosphorus ferry, free evening.
Your first three nights are spent in Istanbul, where the pace is deliberate and the itinerary intelligent. A full-day tour takes you through the old city — Hagia Sophia, built in 537 AD and still breathtaking in scale; the Blue Mosque, shimmering with Iznik tiles; and Topkapı Palace, the sprawling nerve centre of Ottoman rule for four centuries. Another morning, you board a public Bosphorus ferry and sail the length of the strait, past palaces, fortresses, and fishing villages, watching the city slide past on both shores. Evenings are yours — İstiklal Caddesi at dusk, a rooftop dinner overlooking the domes, or simply a long walk through Sultanahmet as the call to prayer drifts over the cobblestones.
Day 4
Fly to Antalya
Private transfer, beachside 4-star check-in.
After a leisurely Istanbul breakfast, you're transferred to the airport for a short domestic flight to Antalya. On arrival, your driver takes you to your beachside 4-star hotel — likely on Lara or Konyaaltı Beach, with balconies facing the Mediterranean, a generous pool, and sunbeds already waiting. The afternoon is yours to settle in, test the water, and feel the shift from city to coast. By evening, you're on the terrace with a cold drink, watching the sun set over the sea, and the trip has officially changed gear.
Day 5-6
Kaleiçi + Aspendos
Two half-day tours, two beach afternoons.
Two half-day tours punctuate two long beach afternoons. First, a walking tour of Kaleiçi, Antalya's beautifully preserved old town — narrow cobbled streets, Ottoman houses draped in bougainvillea, and the old harbour where wooden gulets bob in turquoise water. Then a morning at Aspendos, home to one of the world's best-preserved Roman theatres, seating 15,000 and still acoustically flawless. You'll stand on the stage, test the sound, and feel the weight of two millennia. Each tour ends by lunch, leaving the afternoons free for swimming, reading, napping, and the slow, sun-soaked rhythm of a proper beach holiday.
Day 7
Farewell
Private transfer home.
Your final morning is slow and easy. One last swim, one last breakfast by the pool, one last walk along the shore. When it's time, your driver collects you from the hotel and takes you to Antalya airport in comfort. You leave Türkiye with two entirely different landscapes in your memory — the domes and ferries of Istanbul, the sun and sea of the Mediterranean — and both feel essential.
Local Secrets
What the guidebooks don't tell you.
Small, insider-only moments we quietly arrange for guests on this journey.
In Istanbul, take the evening ferry to Kadıköy and wander the market streets — quieter, more local, less touristed.
In Kaleiçi, stop at Mermerli Beach for a swim below the old town cliffs — locals love it, tourists miss it.
Ask your Antalya hotel for a quiet beach cove away from the main strips — the water is clearer, the crowds thinner.
At Aspendos, test the acoustics from the stage — a whisper carries to the top row, just as it did 2,000 years ago.
Best time to visit
April to June and September to October offer the best of both worlds — mild in Istanbul, warm enough for swimming in Antalya. July and August are hot on the coast but perfect for beach days, though Istanbul can feel crowded. Winter is quiet and atmospheric in the city, mild in Antalya, but some beach facilities close until spring.
Good to know
- Domestic flights between Istanbul and Antalya are frequent, short, and reliable.
- Most nationalities receive a 90-day visa on arrival or via online e-Visa.
- Carry small cash for ferries, bazaars, and tea gardens in Istanbul.
- Antalya hotels often offer all-inclusive options — check if meals and drinks are included before booking extras.
What's included
Considered from every angle.
- Hotels in both cities
- Domestic flight
- Private transfers
- Guided days in each
Destinations on this journey
