Photography, food, history: suggestions for Turkey in the fall?
May 25th, 2012, 05:41 PM
#1
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Photography, food, history: suggestions for Turkey in the fall?
6 of us 60-ish people are looking at a fall trip. We're all experienced travelers and enjoy doing things on our own but also appreciate the benefits of a good guide when appropriate. We are adventurous eaters & cooks and at least one of us is a well-known 3D photographer. Can any of you suggest someone who was helpful in planning your trip to Turkey?
May 25th, 2012, 07:08 PM
#2
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There is no more interesting for shots in Turkey than Cappadocia and Pamukkale.
And the Turkish cuisine is greatly under appreciated.
https://picasaweb.google.com/1135238...11555/WATurkey
And the Turkish cuisine is greatly under appreciated.
https://picasaweb.google.com/1135238...11555/WATurkey
May 26th, 2012, 12:28 AM
#3
The best and unbiased help you will get for planning your trip will be on Fodors, on this thread. You already started on the right path. Have a look at Aduchamp's trip report from 2010 and some others 2009, 2010 and 2011.
All those reports range from 4 to 21 days usually and cover the standard locations and routes, most of which would be a mistake to miss. However, you can opt for less known and almost as interesting places and routes, in which case you may need to do a bit more homework like reading a few books and checking on my trip reports and my wife's webshot albums, as well as my responses to threads started by other potential travelers to Turkey.
Here are the links to my profile and our webshots albums :
http://www.fodors.com/community/profile/otherchelebi/
http://community.webshots.com/user/esercelebiler
If you have time to read, I suggest the following in addition to any of the standard travel books like Fodor's :
John Freely's Books on Istanbul and the regions you wish to travel. They are rather dull but very informative in terms of historic sites.
"Human Landscapes from My Country" by Nazim Hikmet. A masterpiece epic poem very well translated to English which gives you a good idea of the characteristics of the local population (available on Amazon, where I reviewed it)
http://www.amazon.com/An-Ottoman-Tra...cm_cr-mr-title
Travelogue by a 17th Century Istanbulite. Unfortunately most of the selections in theis book are from his travels in other parts of the Ottoman Empire. But the book provides some good background information and perspective to the region. Also available on Amazon and also reviewed by yours truely.
You should also get a decent map of Turkey as soon as possible and not depend on those inserts in travel books or the maps you get on google which will not allow you to make marks.
For your internal flights, check the schedules and prices on the web sites of THY, Pegasus, sunexpress, Bora Jet, Atlas Jet rather than the intermediaries like Expedia.
The earlier you buy internal flights, the cheaper they are. You must use a telephone instrument which will allow you to punch your credit card number to purchase tickets on-line.
Driving in Turkey is easy, with good roads and signage, except for the lack of route numbers. (check recent trip report by Ted Gale on Fodors).
Buses are good but you would be wasting too much time if you took them between main destinations instead of flying.
If you wish to visit the possibly more risky Eastern and Southeastern regions, it is better to fly to a central city in that region and take a pre-arranged private tour. I recommend Fest Travel for cultural, able but expensive private tours. Otherwise, negotiate with a local company through your hotel rather than an International or national Turkish tour operator.
I hope you enjoy your planning.
All those reports range from 4 to 21 days usually and cover the standard locations and routes, most of which would be a mistake to miss. However, you can opt for less known and almost as interesting places and routes, in which case you may need to do a bit more homework like reading a few books and checking on my trip reports and my wife's webshot albums, as well as my responses to threads started by other potential travelers to Turkey.
Here are the links to my profile and our webshots albums :
http://www.fodors.com/community/profile/otherchelebi/
http://community.webshots.com/user/esercelebiler
If you have time to read, I suggest the following in addition to any of the standard travel books like Fodor's :
John Freely's Books on Istanbul and the regions you wish to travel. They are rather dull but very informative in terms of historic sites.
"Human Landscapes from My Country" by Nazim Hikmet. A masterpiece epic poem very well translated to English which gives you a good idea of the characteristics of the local population (available on Amazon, where I reviewed it)
http://www.amazon.com/An-Ottoman-Tra...cm_cr-mr-title
Travelogue by a 17th Century Istanbulite. Unfortunately most of the selections in theis book are from his travels in other parts of the Ottoman Empire. But the book provides some good background information and perspective to the region. Also available on Amazon and also reviewed by yours truely.
You should also get a decent map of Turkey as soon as possible and not depend on those inserts in travel books or the maps you get on google which will not allow you to make marks.
For your internal flights, check the schedules and prices on the web sites of THY, Pegasus, sunexpress, Bora Jet, Atlas Jet rather than the intermediaries like Expedia.
The earlier you buy internal flights, the cheaper they are. You must use a telephone instrument which will allow you to punch your credit card number to purchase tickets on-line.
Driving in Turkey is easy, with good roads and signage, except for the lack of route numbers. (check recent trip report by Ted Gale on Fodors).
Buses are good but you would be wasting too much time if you took them between main destinations instead of flying.
If you wish to visit the possibly more risky Eastern and Southeastern regions, it is better to fly to a central city in that region and take a pre-arranged private tour. I recommend Fest Travel for cultural, able but expensive private tours. Otherwise, negotiate with a local company through your hotel rather than an International or national Turkish tour operator.
I hope you enjoy your planning.
May 29th, 2012, 01:16 PM
#6
Late September and early October is an excellent time. Although the days will be getting somewhat shorter, the weather will be pleasant for both sightseeing and basking under the sun at most places and the seas quite warm for swimming if you wish some beach time.
It is not a particularly rainy time, but you never know. The evenings will usually require something like a light cardigan in istanbul and areas like Cappadocia. The sea should be good for day tours at Fethiye, Gocek or Bodrum.
I recommend comfortable walking shoes rather than sandals for sightseeing, hats, sunscreen, container for water and an antihistamine (like claritine) started some days before your trip against sun and any other possible allergies.
It is not a particularly rainy time, but you never know. The evenings will usually require something like a light cardigan in istanbul and areas like Cappadocia. The sea should be good for day tours at Fethiye, Gocek or Bodrum.
I recommend comfortable walking shoes rather than sandals for sightseeing, hats, sunscreen, container for water and an antihistamine (like claritine) started some days before your trip against sun and any other possible allergies.
