otherchelebi

Hello, We have decided today that we can manage another trip of a week or so, driving from istanbul to Urfa, and then to Gaziantep, Kilis, Aleppo, and Antakya. Having checked the Aleppo forum, i have some additional questions now:

We thought of this trip as a scouting mission for the next one which should include the rest of Syria and possibly Jordan.

We were planning to leave Istanbul on the 22nd of April and cross to Syria on the 25th or 26th, to stay one night only.

1. Reading on the forums that it is difficult to find hotel space, should we just arrive in Aleppo early in the morning and leave in the evening?

2. Will a single day and one full meal give us enough of a taste of Syria, Aleppo and Syrian cuisine?

3. If we manage to stay, how useful will it be to have our car with us in terms of visiting any nearby Roman or or Crusader or Ottoman ruins, not too far from the city?

4. How easy is it to have a car in Aleppo and/or on the highways leading to aleppo and to any sites outside?

5. Would it be a better idea to just take a taxi from Gaziantep or kilis for the day, whose driver can act as a guide and a shopping negotiator at the souk?

6. If you say i must spend at least one night in Aleppo and i cannot find a room in the city, how about Hotel Dedeman?

wishiweretherenow

Sorry that I don't have any answers for you but I did sign up for this site just so I could thank you for all the information you have given out about travel in Turkey. You are the best guide book!
We plan to go to Turkey again next spring, primarily to several places in Anatolia!
Hope you get info for your current trip.

otherchelebi

Wishweweretherenow, thank you very much. Fortunately, i have some answers on Trip Advisor and if the current uneasy situation settles down a bit, we will probably take a one or two overnight trip to aleppo with our car, combined with visits to some of the dead cities outside the town and the Monastery of St. simeon Stylit the Elder (The Younger's monastery is in Turkey and not too far either.)

I will also try to write a trip report and post it on the Lounge.

thanks again,

OC

wishiweretherenow

Otherchelebi, I just happened to read your warning about terrorists on Trip Advisor right before I checked into this site. Funny! We aren't going until the spring of 2012 so I hope it's all settled by then. We want to visit Arapgir
& Cemisgezek (really small towns) where my grandparents were born & then loop from Erzurum, Kars, Ani, Mt Ararat, Van,Diyarbakir,Nehmut Dagi to Malatya. (Anything else we should make sure we don't miss?)
If that doesn't take up all our time we would then fly to Antalya & rest up in Cirali before heading up the coast to see the Lycian tombs. We would end up in Istanbul for several days & either fly to Germany (friends & family) or back home to Seattle.
Geez, I'm worn out just from writing it. We are getting up in years & don't expect to get back to Turkey again so we are trying to see parts we haven't already seen.
Sounds like a really long trip, doesn't it?

Lynneb

Hi, I've just been in Aleppo and it's a great city. You need a full day there to it justice and to enjoy an evening meal. There are lots of hotels but they are difficult to find. Most of the better converted houses are in the Christian quarter and you need to go by foot - cars can't get up the narrow lanes. The best restaurants are also in that quarter. Dedeman is ok but a little further out. I think a new hotel has just opened opposite the Citadel (next to the souk) - not sure of it's name though.

otherchelebi

Unfortunately, we were forced to cancel this trip due to the unrest in Syria and also the potential problems brewing in the Southeastern provinces of Turkey, after the Higher Election Board vetoed the Candidacy of twelve local independents in the coming national elections. Although the center of unrest seems to be Diyarbakir, i feel that it will spread to Gaziantep and surrounding areas as well, and with valid justification.

Scott_Geyer

Hello all I am american Living in turley and I just recently returned from the part of turkey that you are wanting to visit. First off I would strongly urge not to go there unless you have had a lot of experience traveling in Turkey and know some Turkish. It is very dangerous as soon as you go past gaziantep as you are entering the PPK Capital of the world. Also there is a lot of work you need to do to go to syria, you can;t just show up at the border or they will deny you. You were right to cancel your trip, but if that area of the world ever calms down I would highly recomend seeing the sights over there