sfk_traveler

Hello everyone,

My husband and I are planning a 10-day Turkey trip with our (will be) 11 month old daughter in May. I was wondering if you could help with the following questions?

1. Hotel recommendations(around $125 -150 USD) for in or near Sultanahmet. If we stay outside of Sultanahmet, how easy would it be to go back to our hotel during the day for nap-times, etc? Would we take train or taxi to do so?

2. I ruled out Cappodocia in this trip as it doesn't seem too baby-friendly(maybe in a few years). I really don't want to rule out Ephesus, but do you think we'd be able to do Ephesus justice with a 11 mo old? Would a day-trip from Izmir be out of the question?

3. There seem to be so many beautiful Med. coastal towns. We definitely want to spend 2-3 days near the sea. I have heard Antalya is quite touristy and crowded - is there another Med coastal city that would be baby-friendly(convenience stores, resort-type hotel(s)) but maybe a little less crowded?

I would be very appreciative if you could help with ANY of these questions

yorkshire

I'll give it a shot to "top up" your post.
1. Probably best to stay within Sultanahmet, however, take a look at the tram line map. A place elsewhere could be just as easy to get to on the tram. The crowds in Sultanahmet can make it difficult to get around, and it can be noisy--so hopefully someone else can recommend a quiet place. Try to avoid taxis if you can help it (it's just a hassle).

2. If your child can go on hikes with you, then it would be fine. I don't see it as less child friendly than anywhere else. Does anyone know if there is an age restriction on the balloon rides? The people there are so warm, and it is a calm feeling place, so it might be nice to spend a few days there. No rushing advised though.

Hopefully some others with children and more Turkey experience will chime in, but that's a start.

Michael

I would not consider Cappadocia any less child friendly than Ephesus. However, do not expect to be able to use a stroller when visiting the sites. Leave the stroller in the hotel and use a backpack carrier. But that would be true for Ephesus, and in my opinion, for any major site in Istanbul, such as the Hagia Sofia, Topkapi, the Blue Mosque, the Chora Church, etc.

sfk_traveler

Thank you so much for the info so far. Agreed about the carrier - I didn't think we would get far even with an umbrella stroller at the historic sites.

I guess I was also thinking that Ephesus would be easier to plan into our itinerary given that we only have 10 days total. I was thinking perhaps we could go to Izmir and take a day trip or so to Ephesus.

Any other help would be greatly appreciated!

yorkshire

Have you been to Turkey Travel Planner? That website is so great, he should charge admission.
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/
With 10 days, I'd bookend time in Istanbul with one place on the coast. (You can likely find a small charming place near Izmir, visit Ephesus, and get in some relaxation.)

laurie_ann

With baby consider staying in Sirince and visting nearby Ephesus. See www.nisanyan.com for ideas for accomodation. The proprietor of that inn also publishes a book and website about small accomodations in Turkey which is very good. You can easily fly from Istanbul to Izmir, then it is maybe 45 minutes easy highway drive to Sirince. We stayed at Nisanyan House in Sirince. We flew to Izmir but didn't see anything of the city just went right on to Sirince. Don't know if Izmir has any visitor worthy sites or accomodations.

We also stayed at Ibrahim Pasha in Istanbul. I think it would be a very nice accomodation for a young family. It is on the quieter side of Sultanamet, right next to the Hippodrome and easy walking access to Aya Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, etc. take the ferry on the Bosphorus or tram to other areas. Taxis are easy to use too.

stormbird

We stayed at the Alzer Hotel, which is right on the Sultanahmet and were very happy with it.

You know, this is probably going to sound outrageous but here goes. What about a babysitter whilst you do Ephesus? We stayed in a small family run pension in Selcuk and if they did babysitting I would not have hesitated. Obviously, this wasn't an issue for me so I don't know but it is worth considering.

Just bear in mind that Ephesus takes quite a few hours to go through. This same pension also did a free drop off and pick up to Ephesus. If memory serves me right we were there for 3 or 4 hours.

There are some beautiful coastal towns and one of our favourites was Kas. We also enjoyed Side near Antalya and Bodrum. I would recommend any of those in a heartbeat.

sfk_traveler

Thanks everyone.

Still looking for additional hotel recommendations - I was reading more about Barcelo Saray. Has anyone stayed there? The only negative reviews I have read is that service is not extraordinary. Any other recommendations?

One thing I am considering is to fly to Dalaman instead of Izmir and do one of the Med coastal towns, like Fethiye/Olu Deniz. Not sure if travel time from Istanbul to here will be too tiring for the baby. We could also do Ephesus from here, right?

As far as the Ephesus trip - 3 or 4 hours is manageable with the baby. Are there private cars you can hire? This way, if the baby starts to melt down, we can just head back early.

Thank you all again.

sfk_traveler

Hello again everyone,

Just wanted to see if anyone could help me with my last question. As previously mentioned, we were planning 10 days in Turkey. The more I read about Fethiye/Olu Deniz - the more it seems like a place we should try to fit in (instead of Bodrum). However, practically speaking, it seems like Istanbul, Selcuk-Ephesus & Bodrum are more doable for this length of trip and given that we will have our 11 mo. old daughter with us.

Would we get the resort-y/R&R/beach getaway feel we are looking for from Bodrum? Or should we try to go down to to Olu Deniz/Fethiye/etc?

One unrelated question - instead of Sultanahmet, many books/people are recommending a stay in Beylogu. I know there is public transport between the two areas, but is it a straight shot, or would we need to make train/bus transfers?


Thank you all

propertravel

Hi Sfk_traveler,

May is good month if you are traveling with a baby.
Sorry to hear that you ruled out Cappadocia which would still be perfectly manageble with a baby.

Bodrum is ofcourse more close from Ephesus and on the way you could still do few nice stops. Bodrum downtown is not your cup of tea and you will not have the resort feeling. Probably Torba area is better and ideal.

However if you decide for Fethiye, it is still doable.

Keep in mind that Mediterranean is warmer than Aegean so far for the tempratures of the sea.

If you stay in Sultanahmet and wish to go to Beyoglu & Taksim area, tram is a good choice with one change for a two minute finucular ride. Or from Pera area with Tunnel station 30 sec. finucular ride you are at Karakoy and hoop on the tram you are in Sultanhamet in 5 + minutes.

Happy travelling,

Murat