Turkey 11-Day Independent Travel Counterclockwise Loop Route Sharing and Review

Starting a trip only requires a thought and a plane ticket. Departing from Shanghai, let's talk about flight options first. I chose an Emirates connecting flight with checked luggage through Dubai, rather than a direct flight. First, the connecting flight price was very good, just over 5,000 RMB round trip; second, the Emirates flight experience was better, reflected in seat comfort and meals; third, I could get off the plane during the layover to stretch my legs briefly. ✈️ Specific flights: Outbound: 10.23 morning Shanghai Pudong (EK305) → Dubai (EK121) → Istanbul (arriving that night) Return: 11.3 evening Istanbul (EK118) → Dubai (EK304) → Shanghai Pudong (arriving 11.4 evening) 🗺 Itinerary overview: Counting the days, there are a full 11 days, traveling a counterclockwise loop. Below is the day-by-day itinerary reference. 1: Istanbul European Old Town City Walk 2: Old Town sightseeing → evening flight to Izmir 3: Rent a car in Izmir → Çeşme (1h) → Selçuk (1.5h) 4: Leisure time in Selçuk + Ephesus ruins 5: Selçuk → Göcek town (2.5h) 6: Göcek → Fethiye (1h) paragliding 🪂 → drive to Kaş in the afternoon (4h) 7: Leisure day in Kaş 8: Kaş → Antalya (2h) return car → fly to Cappadocia → Göreme 9: Early morning hot air balloon 🎈 Leisure in Göreme → evening flight back to Istanbul 10: New European district City Walk + cruise sightseeing 11: Take public ferry round trip to the Asian side, experiencing the Eurasian vibe ✨ Travel insights: Turkey offers a lot to explore, both natural and cultural, with surprises at every stop. If it’s your first time, I recommend doing a loop like mine to get a relatively complete initial impression of the country. However, I must say, because of constantly changing hotels (at most two nights per place), driving for 5 days, and taking 3 domestic flights, it was quite tiring. So if you’re not a special forces type, I suggest reserving at least 2 weeks of pure travel time for the loop. More updates coming: 🚗 Turkey self-driving guide 🏛️ Attractions & accommodation & activity recommendations 💰 Travel preparation & budget reference If you want to know anything else, feel free to leave a comment below.