TURKEY
Comfort‑first, school‑age family travel — with real itineraries, real costs, and practical planning you can copy
WHY TURKEY FOR FAMILIES
Turkey was one of our most memorable family trips because it offered such a rich mix of experiences that worked brilliantly for all of us. Our journey took us from Cappadocia, where sunrise balloon launches, to the energy and culture of Istanbul, where history, food, and neighbourhoods made exploring easy and engaging with children. We added adventure by paragliding over Pamukkale’s white terraces and brought history to life walking the ancient streets of Ephesus. It was a trip that combined culture, adventure, and wonder—without feeling rushed—and created shared memories that still stand out for our family.
Destination Guides
From the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia to the ancient ruins of Ephesus and the historic city of Istanbul— here's what each destination is actually like with school-age children, based on our real family experience.
Itineraries & Routes
First time planning Turkey with kids? Start with our family-friendly 10–14 day itinerary covering Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale — with honest advice on pace, transfers and what to skip.
Planning Your Trip
Is Turkey safe for UK families? What do kids eat? When should you go? Tour or independent? What are the costs? We answer every practical question in one place.
Hotels We Loved
We've stayed in Istanbul, Cappadocia and along the Turkish coast. Here are our honest family hotel reviews — what worked, what didn't, and which properties are genuinely good with children.
pLANNING TIPS
When to Book
We usually aim to book our big trips around a year in advance, as soon as flights are released. This gives the best choice on flight times and routes, and often better value on family‑friendly hotels. For planning guidance start here.
Booking Tools
We explored Turkey as a tour package with Tour Radar. For a comparison of our tour verses DIY, see here.
If you opt to DIY, start with comparison websites like Trip.com to review the latest flight, hotel, and route options. We booked our flights independently of the tour with Wizz Air.
For accommodation we personally tend to favour Hotels.com and Expedia, mainly because their loyalty schemes have consistently worked well for us on longer trips.
Finding Things to Do
Start here. We focus on things that genuinely work well with kids, not just the headline attractions.
You can also browse platforms like Get Your Guide and Viator to explore tours and activities — they’re a great way to see what’s available, compare options, and build an itinerary that suits your family’s interests and pace.
How to Budget
We always start with a realistic budget for each destination and build the trip from there. For Turkey, you’ll find a full budget breakdown showing exactly what we spent and where — flights, accommodation, activities, transport, and extras — to help families plan future trips with fewer surprises. Find our guide here.
What to pack
For Turkey we have shared a practical, family‑tested packing list, designed to help you pack smarter, lighter, and with confidence, available here.
A quick note on links: some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you choose to book through them, we may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you.
We only ever share places, tours, and experiences we’ve personally used and genuinely enjoyed. If you’re planning your own family summer trip, feel free to use these links as a starting point — they’re the same ones that helped us plan efficiently, avoid unnecessary expense, and cut down hours of searching.