fuzz

Hi, all. We are planning a trip to Turkey for a week at the end of July. I have been over 20 years ago, but it's my wife's first time there. We will be traveling with our 8 year old, but our 2 year old will be staying back.

We are getting ideas about suitable itineraries.

We fly into Istanbul on a Saturday night, arriving about 7 pm and leave the following Sunday mid day.

Obviously, we plan to spend time in Istanbul. However, we are figuring out what to do with the rest of our time, given travel considerations, weather, etc.

So a few points/questions:

1. Is it reasonable to fly into Istanbul, then grab a flight on to Izmir, where we can visit Ephesus the next day? It may be very hot then.

2. We also want to try to do Cappadocia with a hot air balloon ride. Will the balloons go up even when it is very hot? What happens if your day in canceled? Do they give refunds if you cannot make another day? Would you suggest flying in the night before, taking the ride and leaving that afternoon/evening?

3. Is it worth going to Bodrum?

4. We are going to have to make cuts. The last time I went (1992) was with a conference. We did Izmir, Ephesus, and Istanbul. I know we want to see the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, and take a Bosphorus cruise. Is it worth the entry price to go inside Dolmabache Palace? I understand the Grand Bazaar is a bit of a tourist trap and the books I have been reading say that there are better places to buy goods if you want.

5. Are we trying to do too much in one week?

Thanks in advance. And please feel free to mention anything I may have overlooked.

fuzz

chinoz

I think it's entirely possible to do the triangle in week, but it'll likely be a bit rushed.

We just did the triangle and Bodrum in 12 days, which was a perfect for us.

To answer your questions as far as I know:

1. Plenty of flights from IST to ADB daily. You can take the train down from the airport to Selcuk and see Ephesus (About an hour long ride).

2. Hot air balloons go up everyday of the year I was told, weather conditions permitting. They all go very early in the morning 5am so it is best to fly in the night before. You could also fit in a tour/hike of the area as well and leave that night.

3. Loved Bodrum peninsula. Lots of great towns.. easy to get around in the minibuses. Liked Yalikavak marina where you can see massive million dollar yachts docked there. Bodrum city itself was ok... not much to see imo.

4. I think IST is doable in 3 days for all the main sites. Topkapi was the favourite for us. Others could be done in a few hours. There's a short bosphorous cruise from the official IST ferry that takes 2.5 hours for 12 TL. Grand Bazaar is nice just to walk around and see what's available, but you'll constantly have decline offers to see shop owners goods and it gets repetitive after awhile.

5. Personally think it's just on the edge of being too much, but depends on your travel style I guess.



can answer other questions if needed while it's still fresh in my mind

fuzz

Thanks! I will pose more questions, but one so far.

Will it be too hot at the end of July for Ephesus and Cappadocia?

chinoz

Ephesus:
It'll be hot for sure.. in May it was 28-29 celsius (low 80's) with the sun out and no clouds.

My suggestion is to go first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon. Cooler and also less people. Also try to pick a day when one of the large cruise ships aren't docked in.

Cappadocia:
Unless you plan on doing a lot of hiking I don't think the weather will really matter. Plan for it to be hot and sunny. If you are there for a short time would suggest staying in Goreme.. small and walkable. Although any of the other surrounding towns work too.

leigh787

I agree with chinoz here. Additional thoughts: Since you're based in ATL, you're also going to have to contend with time difference struggles so rushing things will only make it less enjoyable than it could've been if you went at a more leisurely pace. Besides, you ought to budget a day or, at the very least, a half day to visit the other side of Istanbul - I'm thinking Beyoglu in particular. Very interesting stuff there, and there's the Galata Tower if you don't mind climbing some stairs. The fish sandwiches right under the Galata Bridge are to die for, if you like fish.

For Cappadocia, not entirely sure but I believe they give you a partial refund if the day's ride is cancelled.

For reference, I recently went Istanbul, Izmir (for Alacati), and Cappadocia and that trip took 12 days. We went relatively slow but even then I could've used a spare day or two because there was so much to take in!

deniah

Bazaars and street markets don't hold appeal to me. Tourist kitsch and pre-ground spices - do you really plan on buying these?

Traveling around here is not entirely straight forward. For example, Capadoccia chimneys are in Nevsehir, whereas flights land in Kayseri, necessitating ground transport. With a family and young kid - perhaps it's worth a think to book a tour?

Likewise, Izmir to Selcuk (ephesus) is typically serviced by minibus with noone speaking English... so unless you like hanging around the otogar, having it all pre-arranged is probably better.

Luckily between Turkish and Pegasus, flights between the aforementioned cities are quite frequent. One thing i could suggest is to immediately head to these places to get your "checklist" sightseeing done, and then save Istanbul city-exploration for last, so you can do that at your own pace

chinoz

I found that at Otogars there's is usually one person who can speak passable english or at least point you to the right bus to get on. He's usually the first person who'll come up to you.

The difficulty for the dolmus is when you're not getting off at an official stop/otogar/end point and asking for the bus to stop.

Otherwise i found them extremely easy and cost effective to use.

fuzz

Thank you for all the advice! We are thinking we will land in Istanbul and head right on to Izmir. See Ephesus, then head over to Cappadocia for a couple nights, then fly back to Istanbul, where we will end our trip. We are checking out hotels and flights. Thanks again!

fuzz

As we look in Goreme, the Kelebek Hotel has only two rooms the nights we would like to stay-- Suite 101 (Hayloft) or room 18. The junior suite (room 18), is a cave room but without A/C. Does anyone have experience here? Alternatively, any other recommendations in Goreme? We would like a cave room or suite, if it's an experience worth doing. Otherwise, how is the Goreme Hotel or Grand Cave Suites?

Thanks in advance.

deniah

Forgot the name of the place where I stayed, but it's worth doing once. I think you get a better impression or sensation walking into a cave hotel, than actually being inside the place.

It's a small side of novelty.... not worth praying top dollar for.... but the prices are reasonable so might as well get it off the check list

chinoz

We actually stayed at the Kelebek hotel.

Fantastic place with great service. Stayed in room 17 that had a nice terrace where you can see the balloons going up early in the morning.

Breakfast is also excellent.

fuzz

We booked a room at Kelebek. However, we are now reconsidering our itinerary. We had planned on taking a flight to Izmir the same night we land in Istanbul, spending one night in Izmir with a tour of Ephesus, then heading to Cappadocia for two nights before returning to Istanbul.

Now, we are considering dropping Izmir/Ephesus. We would land in Istanbul, then potentially take a flight to Cappadocia, spend two nights there and head back to Istanbul for the remainder of our trip. Perhaps a bit less hectic... Thoughts? What would you suggest? I have been to Ephesus over 20 years ago, but my wife and daughter obviously have not. Do you think it's OK to skip Ephesus?

We are scheduled to land in Istanbul at about 4:45 pm. The last flight to Nevsehir airport leaves at 5:45 pm. That's impossible to make, isn't it? After all, we have to clear customs, etc. I don't want to have to check into a hotel and then head back in the am to the airport to get to Cappadocia.

Which airlines do you recommend? Turkish is the only one flying to NAV. We could fly to Kayseri instead...

deniah

thtas a risky connection. very risky. even if it lands on time, you've got the long turkish immigration (unless you have premium access). then its a walk out of international into domestic terminal, another security check, etc

fuzz

I figured that connection was way too short. Of course, our flight could land early, but also late!

Unfortunately, the last flight out to NAV is at 17:45, too tight.

Do you think we should skip Izmir/Ephesus? We are trying to avoid having to spend just one night in IST before heading to Cappadocia.

chinoz

I would fly into ASR. There are more flights and only a slightly longer drive. Kelebek provides a shuttle service (10 euro per ) that's comfortable.

Try this website
https://www.aerobilet.net/

If you're not really into Roman ruins I would say Ephesus can be dropped. What's your current itin now?