Originally Posted by alanwar

I am considering going on an 11 day escorted tour around Turkey in the middle of march. The itinerary include Istanbul, Canakkale, Troy, Asclepion, Kusadasi, Pamukkale Hot Springs, Necropolis, Hieropolis, Konya, Caravanserai, Cappadocia and Ankara. I don't know much about Turkey but so far it looks like a very interesting place full of history and also a very interesting culture. I would appreciate your advice and perspectives around this trip.


1. The idea of being herded around and sitting on a bus for days on end seems like torture. But it does seem that getting to the sites does involve a fair bit of traveling anyway. How difficult would it be for a moderately traveled American to rent a car and drive around on my own ? Are car rentals even cost effective ? Are intercity buses easy to navigate ?

2. What would you consider the must-do's ? Looks like Istanbul, Ephesius, Cappadocia and Kusadasi would be on the list. Anything else ?

3. It seems that March is still winter. Is it foolish to go at that time ?

4. Despite my reservations, I'm able to get this whole tour including airfare from Seattle, USA for about $3300 all in which seems to be a pretty good deal. Is it ? The trip is through Gate 1 travel. Has anyone had any good or bad experiences with them ?

5. Any other random advice for traveling to Turkey ?

thank you,

Alan