Turkey in Winter - 3 weeks - recommendations

You said, "...drive from Kayseri up the east coast..."

Did you mean WEST coast? If not be aware that there is no coast on the eastern side of Turkey and that snow and cold weather would make that very difficult during January.

About how many kilometers of driving do you consider reasonable for two weeks? Do you intend to fly to Kayseri? Do you want the car for all of the remaining time? For reference a car suitable for long-distance driving will cost you about 60-70 AUD per day for a one-way rental Kayseri to Istanbul. Fuel costs about 2.5 AUD/liter with a Turbo Diesel getting using about 6-8 liters/100km.

Oops, I did mean west coast!

I intend to fly from Istanbul to Kayseri. Nothing is final - we are in the planning stages, hence this forum.

Have you experience travelling in Turkey. Since its winter I don't want to waste time in many coast towns (still want to see a few) when could be seeing other sites.

Would you suggest flying, train and bus over hiring a car? We are happy to pay, although if there are better options and a car is a waste of money, we can scrap the idea. Any significant cities to see during winter?

I would reckon that Istanbul is a must see,try to allow 4-5 days there(even 5 or 6 ) and you most DEFINATELY DO NOT need a car there :)

Anything east of Ankara should be taken under caution as the weather from there east in January is treacherous.
Fly to Kayseri to see a little of Cappadocia.That actually looks very pretty and even more magical under a dusting of snow.From there drive down onto the south coast and visit Antalya then drive along westwards.Anywhere along the coast is going to be pretty much sleeping as they are summer places but Kaş still has a bit of life as does Fethiye as both are working towns rather than just resorts.This is also where you'll find the best of the weather too.
From there head up north inland to Pamukkale,Aphrodisias and on to Selçuk Ephesus.You can then hand back the car at Izmir airport before flying back up to Istanbul.You could even take a drive up to Bergama just north of Izmir,before returning the car.

If you feel this is too much driving then take the overnight bus down to Antalya and pick up a car there.The section from Antalya to Izmir is where you would get most benefit from a car IMHO.
3 weeks on this route would give you time to explore off the beaten track places at lesiure.

If you wanted rather than flying to Kayseri you could fly or take the high speed train first to Ankara which has several good points of interest and then take the bus down to Göreme in Cappadocia.2 days in Ankara could be used profitably and still not feel rushed.

Thank you for your detailed response - it's appreciated.

Firstly, is there anything of significance on the way from Cappadocia/Kayseri to Antalya? If not I guess taking a bus or train would be a more economic option?

Since we want to spend a week in Istanbul, would 10 days going from Antalya up to Izmir be enough? If we choose against hiring a car, since it's winter would buses or trains be too time consuming and a hassle up the west coast?
Which would you recommend- hiring a car or bus and train, and what are the reasons?
Thanks again.

The most direct way between Cappadocia - Antalya is rather bleak. A slightly longer way goes by Tüz Göl (Salt Lake) but it's nothing I call a "must see" in Turkey.

Excepting Cappadocia, I'm a bit reluctant to recommend any specific places in the interior of the country. This January was our first mid-winter visit to Turkey and two days stranded by a true blizzard were enough to convince me that winter weather in Turkey can be both extremely severe and rapidly changing. Snow is a possibility in Cappadocia but it tends to be light and also closer to spring.

Even in January, 10 days from Antalya to Izmir will be very easy to fill and you will also find a car to be a great asset. As long as you stay close to the coast you're extremely unlikely to have any problems with snow.

I definitely won't say that January is the best time to visit Istanbul (It is almost always cold, cloudy and wet/snowy) but at least you won't be battling over-large crowds in places like Topkapı Palace.

Alright, thanks for that. I think we will fly Istanbul to Kayseri. Somehow get to Antalya from Cappadocia, then hire a car and go up the west coast to Izmir. Do you think it's essential to book a hotel for the towns from Antalya to Izmir? Perhaps not due to off season?

We have to travel in January due to work schedules and are having to deal with the weather in Istanbul. We're a young couple in our twenties from Australia looking for a different kind of holiday. I've travelled a lot through Asia and lived there. My partner is from North Africa and are looking for a holiday neither of us has really experienced. Do you have any other recommendations for countries to go instead of Turkey that time of the year? A hot weather holiday is not essential to us - although nice weather is always a bonus so open to options and interesting ideas!

Just realized that I confused "Antalya" with "Ankara". ARGGH!!!! There are too many places names that begin and end with the letter "a" in this world!

Anyhow, until you near Antalya the scenery is quite bleak. Bus and airplane are your only real choices for transport. The journey takes about 11-12 hours by bus (costing about 30 AUD) and it's particularly good as an overnight journey as with an early evening departure you'll have sunlight for the portion with good scenery. There are seasonal direct flights but in January your only flight choices will be via Istanbul.

Absolutely no need to book your hotels for the road trip portion in advance. Some of the coastal resort hotels will be closed for the season but you find some great deals at those which are open.

Pamukkale is a wonderful and unique place but it is well inland and fairly high in elevation so winter weather might be a problem. The backtracking route there (from and returning to near Izmir) is probably the best way to avoid any problem with the weather. I was stuck just south of Denizli on the most likely highway you would take were you to go there directly from the southern coast.

I've spent time in Turkey during all four seasons now and truly love it anytime of year. Unfortunately however you don't have a great chance of truly nice weather in January. The southern and western coasts have a Mediterranean climate with warm dry summers and cool, wet winters. Overcast skies are common and such prevents the sea from taking on its amazing blue color. Cappadocia will probably be freezing between evening and morning but most days will get above the freezing mark for at least few hours. Despite being quite far north (it is the same latitude as Chicago, Illinois) Istanbul is blessed with moderate temperatures. We were just there a month ago and saw old trees considered "tropical" blooming.

I've done little international traveling during the winter but I have done quite a bit during the late fall and some in spring. While I still suggest Turkey if you want warmer weather you might consider Egypt and perhaps Jordan. We were in Egypt during April and there are some incredible bargains as tourism is still VERY low. Jordan is an amazing place--we visited in November to perfect weather--but January is the most likely time to find rain and crazy, multi-day sand storms.

Very interesting. Tell me about it all the names confuse me I have to keep referring to a map. We have a lot to take into consideration. Certainly Jordan would be beautiful too.

Another option - spend 6 days in Istanbul and a couple in Cappadocia then spend the remaining 18 days or so in another country to gain more benefit due to weather conditions(e.g intense snow). But would we be crazy to miss some of the cities on the west coast of Turkey while we are there such as Euphesus etc?

"take the overnight bus down to Antalya and pick up a car there.The section from Antalya to Izmir is where you would get most benefit from a car IMHO"

As Sarikanarya says, take the bus. It's cheap and convenient. You could even take a daytime bus - see http://www.captivatingcappadocia.com/bus-from-cappadocia/ - though the scenery on this route is nothing special.