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15-days in Turkey with 15-month old, Istanbul and..?

15-days in Turkey with 15-month old, Istanbul and..?

Old Jan 28th, 2014, 01:11 AM
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15-days in Turkey with 15-month old, Istanbul and..?

To be honest I am sure if I spend long enough sifting through this forum I can evantually get my answer but so far it has left me with more questions, hence this request for help.

I am travelling to Istanbul for a 15-day trip at the end of April with my wife, 15-month baby and my 70 yr old mother. We have decided to spend 6 days in Istanbul and the rest we need to determine.

Neither of us are particularly fond of beaches but would not mind some time at a good one, I am sure my baby would really love it. Historical sites are definitely of interest to all of us as well. Neither of us is in great physical condition so only mild hiking would be appropriate.

Some options:
1) Initial plan was to fly/ferry to Izmir, then on a rental car to pamukkale - antalya - konya - cappadocia staying two nights each and then fly back to Istanbul. Would this be advisable given the above info?

2) Currently thinking ferry to Izmir, rent a car and stay in Kusadasi and make day trips to Euphesis and Pamukkale. Then ferry back to Istanbul.

3) A completely different option is to fly to Trabzon from Istanbul...explore that area... fly back to Istanbul

As you can see, I'm completely confused and all over the place. I read things like children under 10 not allowed in Dervish shows etc. and start to doubt whether going to a particular place will be worth it...

So any help would be immensely appreciated!
Thanks!
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Old Jan 28th, 2014, 07:02 PM
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I can only offer some input based on very limited experience, but here are a few observations:

I think it makes sense for you to spend at least 6 full days in Istanbul. FWIW, I spent 5 full days there as a solo traveler who spent pretty much every waking hour out and about, and I did not see everything I wanted to see -- even though I had pared my list to what I thought I could fit in. It is a fascinating place!

Re: option # 1 -- maybe, but maybe not. First, 2 nights per place is not much, particularly if you are traveling with an infant. All of us lose time to transit (as much as 1/2 day per change of location, once you count checking in/out, un/packing, etc.), so that will actually leave you closer to 1.5 days or so in any of these destinations. FWIW, I thought Pamukkale and Hierapolis worth about a day; add another half day for Afrodisias, so you could be "on-target" there. I thought Antalya itself worth at least one full day; more if you intend to visit some of the magnificent ruins that are near it, so I'd encourage you to think through your priorities before committing. I thought Cappadocia worth at least 3 full days, and again, more if you plan to veer outside the region, so just 2 nights might not be enough for you in this area. I didn't visit Konya, and so cannot comment on it.

Re: option # 2 -- certainly sounds do-able. Ephesus is quite amazing, and this plan (unlike option #1) would give you time to see it.

Re: option #3 -- I decided to skip Trabzon, even though it intrigued me.

One thing you might consider is the likelihood that you might return to Turkey. If so, it might be worth considering "shortchanging" your time in Istanbul -- your likely point of entry/exit -- to make more time for exploring an area that you don't expect to see again.

Given the diversity of what Turkey offers, it is not surprising that you are a bit confused. As I understand it, some parts of the country remain quite conservative (I think Konya might be an example); other parts are very modern (for ex, parts of Istanbul), and my take is that there are currently pulls in various directions in some (if not all) places. Look for otherchelebi's posts for more info on those very important considerations.

Turkey is fascinating. Hope this helps!
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Old Jan 29th, 2014, 01:04 PM
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Hi Qash and Kja,

By leaving out Konya and flying to Cappadocia from Antalya you can save almost a whole day. (can rent another car in cappadocia, if you wish) Returning car rented in izmir at Antalya will also be cheaper. You should also realize that fuel is expensive in Turkey but local flights are quite reasonably priced if purchased some weeks in advance.

Two nights at Selcuk for Ephesus St. John's and possibly a third night for Priene, Dilek National park, Didyma, Miletus.

Leave early to visit Aphrodisias en route to Pamukkale.

Spend one or two nights at Pamukkale.

For adventure, drive to Kas through Elmali, visiting Arycanda and Miletus en route. 2 Nights at Kas, with a day cruise to Kekova or a drive to patara beach.

The weather will be mild, mid 70s but the sea will be rather cold for swimming, mid 60s possibly.

the drive to Antalya from Kas will be very scenic and you can hplan for a picnic at Phaselis. Olympus and Cirali ( close to the fires of the Chimera, which will not be visible in daylight) are some miles down twisting side roads, if you wish to visit them.

Just one night at Antalya, a busy large city may be sufficient if you stay at the old town after enlisting the aid of your hotel or the local taxi rank to park your car. (this will mean some walking)

By that time you may be ruined out so that Aspendos, Perge and Side may not be of that much interest. anymore.

However, you can drive directly to Antalya and possibly further to Side from Pamukkale and replace the kas area history with that of Antalya area.

End of April is a lovely time to visit Turkey.
Driving will be terrific because of the Spring colors; the days will be quite long and sightseeing very pleasant because of the mild weather.

I am almost 70 years old and these are the things i will recommend for your mother :

- have some water with you when sightseeing against dehydration
- wear a hat.
- start visiting Ephesus from upper entrance and take a taxi back up to reclaim your car.
- Prefer sneakers (preferably with socks) or even driving loafers to sandals and definitely do not wear thong sandals when sightseeing.

- buy some dry cat and dog food at a supermarket for stray animals, and have it handy when you eat at country and seaside restaurants.

- re consider any wish you may have to enter either of the two underground cities at Cappadocia (little to see and rather claustrophobic) and the Ihlara Canyon (pleasant but long walk)

- Rent a diesel if you can find an automatic.

- Do not rent a Fiat. I would prefer a larger car despite the high price. A VW Passat would be great to drive.
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Old Jan 29th, 2014, 08:09 PM
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Awesome advice Kja and otherchelebi. Much appreciated. Konya does seem to rank highly in most itineraries I come across.. and I have also read somewhere that my baby will likely not be allowed in dervish performances (which would be one of my main reasons for going). So I might drop it like Kja mentioned.

What about Pammukale itself? Is it worth going with my baby. Stroller-friendly? I am considering skipping the Izmir/Pammukale area and do Ist-Antalya-Cap instead...rental in Antalya.. perhaps split nights between Kas and Antalya... Antalya-Cap drive advisable or is a flight better?

For rentals, I see third-party/wholeseller offers are much lower than from known rental company sites (eg. economycarrentals.com vs hertz.com.tr). The difference is in the $40-50 per day range, which is quite a bit! Are the former reliable?

Thanks again for your help!
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Old Jan 29th, 2014, 08:27 PM
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There are paved walkways through Hierapolis and along the edge of the travertines in Pamukkale and those walks should be stroller-friendly. You wouldn't be able to take a stroller through the travertines themselves -- to protect these fragile formations, one isn't even supposed to wear shoes when moving through them! For various reasons, I only walked down a few pools and then back up, and I have no regrets about my decision. The stunning views from the walk along the rim were sufficient for me. I thought the area awesome and unlike any other place I'd ever visited. I also found the ruins of Hierapolis quite impressive. Others could easily feel differently.

I spent time in and enjoyed both Kas and Antalya (along with a few other places along the coast).

(And just to clarify: I don't think I actually suggested dropping Konya; I simply noted that I hadn't gone there and so can't comment on it, except to say that I had heard it is on the conservative side.)
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Old Jan 29th, 2014, 08:29 PM
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Edit to above.. "So I might drop it like otherchelebi mentioned".
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Old Jan 31st, 2014, 03:00 AM
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I want to take up the advice that otherchelebi gave and skip Konya and fly from Antalya to Capadoccia instead. However, I cannot seem to find any direct flights from Antalya to either Kayseri or Nevsehir. Am I missing something? Any other options? The flights through Istanbul are taking up to 7 hours including transit, which seems to much to waste.

Thanks!
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Old Jan 31st, 2014, 04:49 AM
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Qash,

I found out that unfortunately direct flights between Antalya and Kayseri start in June with Pegasus airlines and on May 27 (once a week only) with Sunexpress.

However, The 7 AM flight from Antalya makes it to kayseri at 10 AM and the 7PM flight makes it at 11:25PM with stopover at SAW (istanbul) these are still better than driving.

An alternative is spending your time in antalya and then start driving to the East, visiting Side (lovely sandy beach and town partially built on antique city), and Tasucu/Silifke/Kizkalesi.

The roads have been almost fully improved from the formet twisty highway and are very scenic. There is both history (Anemurium, Olba, etc.) and natural wonders (heaven and hell sink holes, asthma caverns, etc.)

the drive from Kizkalesi up to Urgup or Goreme is all divided highway with quite a bit of motorway and should not take more than five hours relaxed driving.

Please check my trip report, "From Denver to Virtuous" here on fodor's
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Old Mar 7th, 2014, 04:05 AM
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Advertising is not allowed on these forums. Advertising with bad recommendations is even worse.

Although I am no athlete I would tackle a purely driving 15 day trip in Turkey visiting all mentioned places and not use a private driver (except DW sometimes)
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