freshcarrots

Flying into Istanbul and spending four days there, flying into Izmir and touring Ephesus, staying at the beach in Kusadasi few days, then off to Pamukkale. We cannot afford to drop $1000 on Cappadocia, so we nixed that visit. Now we have four nights to spare before flying from Izmir back to Istanbul. We would love to hop to one of the Greek islands but again sounds expensive with taking car and port taxes etc. We have heard Bodrum is extremely crowded and 99% Brits. So not our cup of tea. If anyone has suggestions, would love to explore. Older couple with our college son. Challenging!

tedgale

The most bewitching, historic, visually stunning part of Turkey lies just to the south of Kusadasi and/or Pammukale. You'd need a car.

Here is my trip report from one year ago. The passages on the areas south of Izmir/ Ephesus begin about halfway into the thread.

It was one of the most memorable trips of my life, not least because the Turkish hosts in our various hotels were so warm and welcoming:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...springtime.cfm

Fra_Diavolo

The important thing about Pammukale is to get away as quickly as possible. The famed pools are a shadow of their former selves, the town a dump, the ruins of Hieropolis . . . meh. Fortunately the fantastic Roman ruins of Afrodisias are a mere 50 miles or so away, so you will not have wasted your time driving to Pammukale. After being disappointed at the pools, point your car south over the mountains to the delightful coast. I would recommend Kas for a few days, perhaps Fethiye. You can fly out of Antalya to avoid driving back to Istanbul.

tedgale

Fra Diavolo, I could not disagree more. The pools are freshly scrubbed, the infrastructure of the site has been beautifully and stylishly renewed. The town itself is dull but the site is entrancing.

The pools are not enough, I admit, to justify a lengthy drive. But... then you discover Hierapolis, 5 minutes walk away from the town. One of our favourite visits. The theatre and the thermal baths are etched into my memory.

But why should anyone take my word for it? Here is an album from April 2012:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=f2794195a4

Fra_Diavolo

Well Ted, we were there two years ago and couldn't wait to leave. Really, it was the low point of our otherwise wonderful trip to Turkey. I think of it as Turkey's Inverness, in the sense that people insist on going there when they should know better. Although we might be considered unbalanced in our love of ruins, Hierapolis left us similarly unimpressed. But, as they say, that is what makes horse races.

Liked your photos. Noticed that few were of Hierapolis . . .

kja

To each his own, but I'm with tedgale on this one: I thought it well worth my time to visit both the pools and the ruins of Hierapolis (although I agree that Afrodisias is even more impressive). When I was there, the main portion of the pools were clean and filled with what I believe tedgale called "aqua velva " waters (the perfect description IMO ). (There were sections some distance to the side that haven't been rejuvenated yet - I found the contrasts interesting.) I only walked a small portion of the pools and was glad for that - I found parts quite painful and the rest too slippery, but worth putting up with for a few brief moments! And I spent several hours happily roaming around Hierapolis. Storms moving over the area created stunning skies, complete with rainbows, and other dramatic light effects on the ruins and the blooming wildflowers among them. And I was intrigued with the places where travertine has begun to bury some of Hierapolis's structures - wow!

Tommmo

Cappodocia is worth it though - absolutely unique.We flew Izmir to Kayseri at a very reasonable price.....
Driving down via lake Bafa and the Datca peninsular is special as is going across on the hour ferry to Rhodes. .
Samos is just across from Kusadasi of course and also a great place to visit....

freshcarrots

Thanks for all the feedback, that's exactly the help I am seeking. Originally I deleted Pamulukkale from our itinerary because of a video on YouTube that was far from flattering. So, I can understand that it will not be the highlight of our trip, but we are looking for diversity from hopping from one coastal city to another. Samos was mentioned, but not sure what you do with our rental car if we decide to ferry over for a few nights. Apparently, taking the car jacks up the price and then I heard about lines through customs. Planning our trip mid May, so maybe that won't be such a problem. Anymore, info, please share.

freshcarrots

p.s....loved the pics tedgale on FB!

tedgale

Thanks. Here are some shots of Ephesus, Miletus, Priene and Didyma and more.

Miletus and Priene are easily reached from Ephesus/ Kusadasi/Selcuk region. Didyma is a bit farther.

The final shots are taken closer to Fethiye - eg at Letoon:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...6123095&type=3

Here is an album of Istanbul:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...6123095&type=3

I also have one of food and accommodation but that may not be of sufficient interest to post....

tedgale

BTW: One recommendation for Pamukkale: Get there early in the day.

We arrived in the evening and had the place almost to ourselves the next morning. By noon the trippers arrived. I would not have enjoyed this place as I did if I had been there in peak season and at peak hours.

Tommmo

You guys will love our trip report.... http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ul-oct2011.cfm

Off to Crete next in 2 weeks. Wish it was closer to Australia!

kja

> One recommendation for Pamukkale: Get there early in the day.

Or late in the day, after most tourists have left for the day.

freshcarrots

tedgale.... I couldn't get the pics to show on FB, it just said that content was currently unavailable...tried several times, not happening.

One more piece of info....does anyone know when you take the ferry from Cesme to Chios, where do you park the rental car for your overnight stay in Chios? The rental car agreement will not allow us to take the car outside of Turkey. So, that leaves us stuck with the rental car while we spend a few nights on the island. Surely there is a long term parking lot. Googled it and nothing came up. Hopefully, someone knows.

tedgale

Try photos now: I checked and adjusted the privacy settings.

Chania

From Izmir we took a bus to Cesme and ferry to Chios. There were several ferries, most were car ferries which as you are thinking, are more expensive than the passenger ferries. The passenger ferry was very reasonable in price but the car ferries were expensive. Chios is a great island to explore. It has nice sandy beaches and old villages to explore and not touristy. The main town is all greek. This may depend on the time you are going. I was there late May and it was very quiet. I would highly recommend it.

Chania

http://www.chiosnet.gr/tourism/himap.htm

freshcarrots

tedgale....still can't access your pics. maybe it is my FB account. still gives me the same message as before.

freshcarrots

Chania...thanks for the website, very helpful. I'm just hoping we can park our rental car somewhere safe by the ferry and not have it towed. seems to be a shortage of information on parking the car and staying in Chios.

gcsireilles

Depending on what you want to see and do? if archeology is your aim head to the southwest around Fethiye, visit site like Xanthos, Letoon, the gorge of Saklikent the long beach and ruins of Patara, Sydima, Pinara, Caunos and much more.
You mention about Bodrum being crowded, well Kusadasi also is the same...if you want beach try Tamarisk at Ortakent near Bodrum.If you go to Fethiye you can fly from Dalaman to Istanbul. You can also visit Rhodes or Kastellorizo 2 greek islands near the Turkish cost