If you are planning on entering Topkapi, please be advised of the looooong lines... My husband and I gave up on it when we saw the length of the line.
Can't you fly from Istanbul to somewhere close to Cappo and rent a car at the airport?
The Bosphorus is amazing day and night; you will be happy with a boat ride there at any time.

Cappo is very driveable yourself... distances short and road are good.

If you are planning a lot of the major sites in Istanbul, consider the Museum Card... doesn't save a lot of money, but you can cut the lines.

Itinerary is a bit rushed, but flying to Izmir to visit Efes and to Kayseri or Nevsehir for Capp would help. Near Efes, you can stay in Selcuk or the bigger city of Kusadasi, (koosh-a-desu)and hire a taxi to take you to the ruins. Far less cost than car AND driver. For Pam, you could hire a car and driver in Koosh or Selc to drive you to Pam and stop at Aphrodisias(and the colorful poppy fields)en route. Alternatively, you could rent a car at Izmir airport for the brief stay near Efes, then drive to Pam yourselves on very good roads.

If you can fly from Denizli (near Pam) to Capp that would be very convenient. Check it out...we drove everywhere so I'm not sure of any flights from Den to Capp. Perhaps these pics of Turkey (and Istanbul below) will give you some ideas of what to squeeze in on your tight sked.

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/ScenesOfTurkey#

travel04: Will you also have 8 people while in Turkey? That could change things. I'll just assume you're leaving 6 happily eating gelato and pizza in Naples. Here's Istanbul in all its glory. Fab city!
Stu

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/ScenesOfIstanbul#

omg no, the same 8 of us are traipising across to turkey as well )) Ok thanks - i have so much research to do re Turkey transportation....when i went to egypt we rented a mini van (familytrip) and had a driver and guide drive us around....

but to cut costs i thought we could do the same thing here except drive it ourselves if it's safe and roads are good....

i'll look into flying as well....thank you!

lovely pics, thank you tower!

Best way to Ephesus is a low-cost plane flight from Istanbul to Izmir. Try Onur air or Pegasus Air for flight schedules. As with all low-cost airlines, prices go up the closer to the departure date.

I agree with Stu that your itinerary is a bit rushed. Particularly when you factor in the delays that come from traveling with a group of 8 and the long lines at sites in Istanbul. The Museum Pass does let you cut to the front of some lines (though I wasn't able to figure out how to do so successfully at the Blue Mosque); I doubt it would be cost-effective for your plans, but it might be worth it to save some time. And for what its worth, I was not able to see the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and Spice Market in a single day - but then, I took my time at these places.

I rented a car and generally found it easy to get around in Turkey. (You might find my trip report helpful - just click on my name to find it.) But bear in mind that the drive from Pamukkale to Cappadocia is long - maybe 11 or 12 hours (you'll have to check), not counting breaks. A flight would probably suit you better if you are committed to trying to see all these wonderful locations on this trip.

Enjoy!

true...well....it is rushed...in hindsight...i'd like to see if i can convince the group to stick to naples and amalfi coast for all 16 days....or skip amalfi coast and just do Turkey including the coast.

in the event that that does not happen....we'll make the best of it i suppose.....

so i guess it looks like istanbul to Izmir one way flight? I can take a taxi to hotel and ephesus? Then maybe i need a guide/car from Izmir to Pamukale and back. Then a flight to Cappadocia and a flight back to Istanbul?

let me read up some more on this...thank you again!

It is better to be based in Selçuk for Ephesus. Either taxi or bus service to Selçuk. The Izmir airport is on the right side of town in that one does not have to go through Izmir to get to Selçuk.

I may be too late but just in case... I think that your itinerary is a bit rushed and you will be spending too much time travelling b/n cities. There is a lot to see and experience in all of these places besides the obvious sites. I would cut out Pamukkale and stay in Selcuk two days and dedicate the extra day exploring the town and perhaps go to Sirince for a few hours.
I highly recommend Atelier Travel, Murat Ozguc and his wife, Pinar, were fantastic in helping us plan our 3 week trip 4 years ago.
You will enjoy Turkey what ever you decide.

With such a group, I would fly to Cappadocia if possible and rent a van there, or let people split up into their own groups (a couple of drivers and taxis) there, depending on what they want to do.

At any rate, the hot air ballloon flights are super early (it will still be dark when you start) in the morning and they will pick everybody up at your hotel. They give you a little breakfast snack, but you will be back at your hotel in time for a late breakfast. So, you will need to plan that for a morning after spending the night in Cappadocia.

Look at Hotel Esbeli Evi for one of their suites if some of you do not mind sharing an apartment-like space - two bedrooms, two baths, plus lovely sitting room.