Planning my dream elopement

[u/luna721]

Hello!

My fiance and I will be traveling from the US to do an elopement in Türkiye mid-May.

Rough plan:
Fly to Istanbul, then to cappadocia (will take essentially an entire day)
Spend 3 full days in cappadocia
One day we will do our elopement day so sunrise photos, sunset photos, dinner etc

I know there’s lots to do there like red/green tour, open air museum, hot air balloon flight obviously

We want to do all the best things and stay in a luxury cave hotel.

From there we will either take the bus or drive (??) …
Originally I was thinking Antalya for a few days to just relax but now after more research I’m wondering if we should instead go to Kas or bodrum or Izmir instead. The vibe for this part of the trip would be just relaxing, enjoying good food and drink, spa time etc

After that, we will either drive or fly back to Istanbul to spend 1-2 days there: grand bazaar , hagia Sofia, sunset cruise on the bosphorus and whatever else is recommended.

So any and all recommendations are appreciated but especially:

What to not miss in each place
Any hotel recommendations
Second stop recommendation (Antalya vs kas vs ???)

Does it make sense to rent a car and drive ourselves or should we try to stick to public transportation?

Thanks! We are so excited to come visit this beautiful country

[u/OrangeGhoul]

Imperial cave hotel in gerome was pretty nice. A car could be handy here but taxis are everywhere.y

1-2 days in Istanbul is selling yourself short. I think you’d wish you stayed longer. You do not want a car here. Public transportation is quite good and taxis are everywhere.

[u/Additional-Penalty97 → u/OrangeGhoul]

Dont use taxis in İstanbul

[u/madshine]

Kaş is amazing. Driving from Antalya to kas is such a beautiful experience. 

[u/indiedrms]

Rent a car. Drive to Kaş, then Efes if you have time and drive back to İstanbul.

[u/NoAcanthocephala8967 → u/indiedrms]

Yep kaş is great. But that's a very long drive from Istanbul, like 10 hrs with no stops. Driving in turkey can be a bit confronting for a foreigner depending on where you're from. Better to fly to Antalya or Dalaman and hire a car and drive a few hours from there (I've driven from Antalya)

[u/JulesInIllinois]

I can't imagine going to Turkey and not visiting Ephesus. One of the most romantic towns in Turkey is 10 minutes up the hill from Ephesus, called Sirince. The views from Artemis restaurant are stunning. You can literally walk around and drink free wine samples all afternoon while drinking in the most beautiful vistas. They make wines and artisinal soaps from the local flowers. You could do that and Yalikavak or somewhere in Bodrum. Walking from bay to bay in Bodrum is breathtaking. It's gorgeous there.

May is very early for Bodrum. So, it will be less crazy than peak season in summer there. I've been to Antalya, Side, Belek and Fethiye in April. It's warmer earlier there because they a farther south and on the Med vs the Aegean sea. The resorts in those areas are a lot of fun, too.

I also recommend more than two days in Istanbul. There's so much to see and do there. It's just a beautiful city packed with history, culture, etc. I think you should visit Kadikoy (great restaurants) on the Asian side, Buyukada/Princes Islands), Sariyer for views and great seafood restaurants, Dolmabahce (harem tour), cistern, Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace (fascinating tours) and Sultanahmet/Hagia Sofia. My favorite hotel is the Bosphorus Swisotel across the street from Dolmabahce Palace. You can easily walk up that main street or cab to the places in downtown Istanbul. If you stay in Sultanahmet, opt for a good hotel as some are shady in that touristy area.