Ephesus or Cappadocia

Wow! I love both places, but - yes - Cappadocia is unique. If you have to chose.....that's what I'd do. Tough one.

Depends on what you think would be most interesting to you. I loved Ephesus, but it can be done in one day. If you're looking to spend 3 days in a single location Cappadocia would be a better choice.

Somewhat different items...one is ruins, one is countryside.

I did both on my last trip. Ephesus can be seen in 1/2 day. Very interesting and was worthwhile, but once you seen it...

Cappadocia is an area, with caves, river walks, outdoor museum, underground cities,hot air balloons,etc.. You could not see Cappadocia in one day.

If you had time, I would pick Cappadocia over Ephesus. I stayed in Goreme and found it to be very enjoyable.

Thanks for all your responses! I thought, given the amount of time, that trying to do both would just be a little too much moving around.

I agree with the prior posters, but if you have 3-4 extra days to spend, then you should consider what else you could do with them in addition to Ephesus (e.g., go on to Bodrum or someplace else on the coast). Bodrum is touristy but it is still pretty (especially if you can get on a gulet for couple of days). It would be a different type of vacation than Cappadocia.

I have seen ruins before as well, but I have to say Ephesus is very impressive because they have reconstructed quite a bit.

That is a REALLY tough choice as we REALLY loved them both and spent more than a week in each and wish we could have stayed longer.

It is possible to see all three in 6 days according to the great website travel planner:

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/itin/6to10Days/6-TopSights.html

He gives good intineraries for any amount of days.

I am into slow travel, but if you are not going to be back to Turkey anytime soon, I would consider doing all three.

Istanbul is great but all the key sites can be seen in two days or less as most are walkable from most tourist hotels.

The heart of Turkey ( like most countries) is seen in the smaller towns so you will get more out of time in Selcuk ( sirince) and Goreme or Urgup etc than Istanbul.

Ephesus is astounding and do not miss the museum, St John Basilica, Mary's house, Sirince, and more.

Capaddocia is also astounding & you will feel like you are walking on the moon if you stay in Goreme as there is no place like it on the planet, ( No place like Ephesus either).

You will not find better hospitality anywhere in the world ( more so outside of istanbul) & the food is wonderful.

Of course you must stay in a 4000 year old cave house and see the incredible frescoes & underground cities and pottery places etc etc etc.

If you will not be back to Turkey for a while, I would do all three. ( It will make you want to come back for more).

See our Turkey pages on our blog ( archives from this past summer) if you want more info on hotels, restaurants and places that worked for us.Lots of pics.

I visited both places in September and
my choice would be Cappadocia...it is not to be missed! You need at least two full days ... three would be even better. Ephesus is nice but in a few hours you are done.....

Hey ...

I've visited both of these spots as well.

Ephesus is one of the seven wonders of the world....It's impressive if you like ruins, and history...but can be looked at quickly....

http://www.focusmm.com/aceph_00.htm

but if you want to be visially stimulated...Cappadocia is "the bomb" really cool

http://www.focusmm.com/cappa_01.htm

Hope that helps...

If you go to Ephesus then check out what cruise ships are going to be there at that time. You may be OK at that time of year,
Our trip to the Ephesus site was totally spoiled by the passengers off 3 huge cruise ships docked that particular day. Thousands of people were pushing and jostling - it was like a modern day busy shopping street instead of a world heritage site!!!
LOVED Ephesus town though - a lovely place. We walked up the hill away from the main streets to get away from the tourists and saw the very friendly, welcoming locals going about their everyday business. Even saw an old couple in local dress.
Cheap to eat there as well

Hello Carylspall,

Do you know how to check to see what cruise ships are going to be at Ephesus any given day?

Oh YES, do see Ephesus on a non cruise ship day. I can imagine how that kind of a crowd would ruin the experience.

We were there in high season, but got there before it opened ( specifically on a non cruise day) and had the whole place to ourselves for quite a while which was WONDERFUL! It never even got too crowded although we were there for many hours. We also really enjoyed talking to some people working on archeology excavations there.

http://www.soultravelers3.com/blog/0BAD5F8E-5955-48F9-993D-4A9363ED34D1.html

I highly recommend this place if you decide to go to Ephesus:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/blog/C667E1A6-31C5-4A90-828E-AFBCCF36729E.html

We stayed at two different places in Capaddocia as the different towns are quite unique and a different experience is had in each ( wish I had time for a night or two in the french area as well ).

This is a great place to stay in Goreme where you can walk to the open air museum which is fantastic:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/blog/351D9382-CAA9-4BBD-95A5-E771C469A7B0.html

Of course one of our favorite hotels in our 16 months in Europe so far was in Capaddocia at the famous Esbelli Evi:

http://www.soultravelers3.com/blog/32CC7B6A-E3DB-46C4-9436-146BE4D46298.html


Some must sees in Capaddocia:
http://www.soultravelers3.com/blog/F59F4F04-8E75-4C3B-8010-566365019E6D.html


There is so much more to see in Turkey, but it would be very hard to go to Turkey and miss Istanbul, Cappaddocia or Ephesus. Tough choices!

Sorry - I'm not sure where you can check it out, but I think you will be OK in April.
A friendly cafe owner in Kusadasi(sorry I called it Ephesus town before - oops!)told us that they have 90 cruise ships a week in high season.Do not expect to get any bargain souvenir items there as the locals are well used to tourists!

If you are planning to see Istanbul, Ephesus and Cappadocia in 8 days, you can.
Basicly; Arrive and stay 3 days Istanbul, according to direct flights schedule between Izmir to Kayseri, fly to Izmir stay at Kusadasi, Sirince or Selcuk for Ephesus, fly next day to Kayseri for Cappadocia, fly back to Istanbul a day before flying back home. Doable and enjoyable.
Cappadocia's landscape or history peerless to any you have seen so far or planning to see rest of your life.

Happy travelling and greets from Snowy Cappadocia

Murat

Thanks for all the suggestions! One additional question: does anybody have any suggestions for a hotel in Istanbul?

Dear Sgreif,

I would recommend Hotel Celal Sultan which is conveniently located at the heart of the old city, 3-5 minutes to walk to all must-see places such as St. Sophia, The Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, The Grand Bazaar etc.

For more info, please visit:

http://www.celalsultan.com/

With all good wishes.

My husband & I were in Turkey Sept 06. It was a fantastic trip. I fould a hotel in National Geographic Traveler for "Stays under $150. Do not know how much they are now. The hotel was Dersaadet Hotel. Their site is www.hoteldersaadet.com
Our room had a view of the Marmar sea. It was walking didtance to anything we wanted to see. They had a breakfast on the rooftop terrace that had a view of The Blue Mosque. I would go back in a heartbeat.We were lucky on our trip to go to Cappadocia-not to be missed,staying in a cave hotel was quite an experience-the hot air baloon ride was phenominal. We drove down the coast and stayed in a small village-Assos-saw Troy on way down and then went to Kusadasi and saw Ephesis and the Virgin Marys house.a trip of a lifetime. Hope this helps Chris

FLy to Cappadocia
visit Cappodocia for ON 2 days and then fly to Izmir.
Visit Ephesus then fly to istanbul.
regards
Nejat incedogan
nincedogan@aol.com

Empress Zoe, Sari Konak, Yesil Ev, are some of the smaller hotels in Sultanahmet (very close to all the major sites in Istanbul) that get good reviews here.

I would agree with the rest of the posters...try to see both if possible and fly between the two desinations to save time...

One thing to also consider is...In Selcuk you have the Isa Bey Mosque, Church of St. John the Baptist, temple of Artemis and the House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus, museum of Ephesus, Sirince, all close by to visit.

The Isa Bey mosque was built by the famous architect Ali in the name of Mehmet Bey's son Isa Bey in 1375. Many architectural pieces and columns used in construction were brought in from the Ephesus ruins and the temple of Artemis. The structure, which displays an asymmetric plan, is the oldest known example of Turkish mosques with courtyards and Anatolian columns with transepts. The Mosque also exhibits typical Seljukian characteristics in the details of its rich elaborations and the mosaics of the southern dome as well as the monumental height of the main portal in the west.
Close by as well are the areas of Priene, Miletus, and Didyma. These place will take at least a day's visit.

We spent just the morning visiting the Church of St. John the Baptist, Ephesus and the Virgin Mary house.

My photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/canmom/sets/72157594522635754/

I also love Cappadocia but it has been many years since we last visited there...about 10 years ago...

Turkey is such a big country with many wonderful places to visit...enjoy...

A couple of friends of mine photo pages...

http://travelswithbillandnancy.com/turkey-1.htm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arbutusq/

I've been to both places twice each. I loved them both, but I agree with the others, they are quite different. If you're into the ancient world, the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world) was at Ephesus. Cappadocia is quite unique and I don't believe you can see anything similar anywhere else. Hard choice, but with limited time, Ephesus will be closer than Cappadocia.