molyneux

My husband and I visiting Turkey this summer and are looking for some suggestions/recommendations on our itinerary. Here's what we have so far:

July 22 - 27 - Istanbul - site seeing
July 27 - 31st - ??????
July 31st - August 5th - Kabak (near Fethiye) Want rest and relaxation
August 5th - fly back to Istanbul
August 6th - depart Istanbul

So were looking for somewhere from July 27th - 31st that is between Istanbul and Fethiya. We don't want to have a jam packed schedule after being in Istanbul - want to experience the country without being too relaxed as we will be ending the trip in Kabak which will be very relaxing.

Thanks,
Molyneux

tower

I count 15 days..not the three weeks you talk about. Suggest that from July 27-31, you fly to Cappadocia- indescribale scenes and landscape. It will be very hot that time of year, though, in both Istnbul and Cap. From Cap you can fly to Antalya or Marmaris..and drive to Kabak. Otherwise, with your proposed scheudle you'll be missing Ephesus, Pamukkale, Aphrodisia and Cappadocia..unless these locations don't interest you. Rest and relaxation? Sure you want to do Turkey?

molyneux

Tower,
Thanks for the feedback. Is there a specific place we should stay in Cappadocia? I've heard it's beautiful.
Thanks.

tower

molyneux:

Yes..the thing to do in Cap is to experience a "cave" hotel. Many people in Cap still live in caves, and several have been restored to very nice lodgings. One of the early ones, which we discovered back in 1995 and have since directed many people (including family and friends) to it, all of whom loved the experience.

<b>Esbelli Evi</b> in Urgup in the heart of Cap.

Here in the next posts are some Cappadocia scanned pix...and the web site for Esbelli Evi.

Stu

tower

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...cenesOfTurkey#

I'll next post Scenes of Istanbul and the web page for Esbelli Evi.

tower

www.esbelli.com/

(pix will also show up in the above Scenes of Turkey)

tower

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...nesOfIstanbul#

tower

M:
This will make your short visit much more satisfying by visiting Cappadocia. Really.
stu

Any questions..fire away!

otherchelebi

I second Stu's recommendation.

He should know, because he was born in a cave, at a time when most people were.

otherchelebi

However, to fly between Fethiye and Cappadocia, you may need to fly through Istanbul because there are no direct flights between cappadocia and Dalaman, the airport which serves Fethiye.

You can of'course fly to Antalya from Cappadocia after two nights there and then drive to Fethiye with one overnight, following the Lycian way, discovering some terrific scenery and great antiquity.

tower

OC..just because Aduchamp told you that I look somewhat like Alley Oop is no reason to disparage cave dwellers. Mrs. C. has just got to exercise more control over your posts.(By the way, Adu re-invented his persona , but still bounced off the Forum. I've tried to post bail, to no avail).

Two nghts in Antalya would be a very comfortable stopover (see my pix, Molyneux) and the drive along the Turquoise Coast is a memorable winner...we did it (again see pix). OC's endorsement is to be highly coveted in this regard.
stu.

molyneux

Stu,beautiful pics....just looked at them now!!! Thank you, Esbelli Evi looks fantastic too.
To both of you joksters , can we take a bus (overnight) from Cappadocia to Fethiya or rent a car and will it be scenic? How many days do you recommend we stay in Cappadocia?
sue

kja

A good guide book or two should prove extremely helpful. And you can learn a lot by reading trip reports from those of us who have been to Turkey.

Croesus

Overnight buses from Cappadocia to Fethiye with these companies:
http://www.suhaturizm.com.tr/index.asp
http://www.tokatyildizi.com.tr/
http://www.metroturizm.com.tr/en/index.htm

tower

I'd say three days would give you a good, moderate pace to take in the highlights of Cap. See Kja's trip report for a very comprehensive look.

We drove from Cap through the rarely tourist-visited lake district and enjoyed being off the beaten track ..then drve on to Antalya, followed by driving along the Turquoise Coast..but this all takes time from your total 15 days.

kja....(private note) for Syd. Schedule is on Mia Dyson's web pages..she's their Ausralian partner.

kja

Stu... thanks for the kind words on my trip report! I already have tickets to see Syd et al. and I'm looking forward to it.

molyneux

Thanks Croesus...will look at the schedule, and also like the idea of driving around and finding interesting places.
Stupid question perhaps - where do I find kja's trip report?
Molyneux

tower

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ern-turkey.cfm

Molyneux, here it is...in future, just click on the poster's screen name (kja) and then click on Trip Reports..voila, there they are.

Stu

MinnBeef

I also recommend Cappadocia and would HIGHLY recommend including a sunrise balloon tour. It was one of the highlights of my trip.

You don't (as I recall) say how you are travelling between Istanbul and your next destination but with 5 days (July 27-31) I think you could also fit Ephesus into your itinerary. Ephesus was also incredible and I'd put the Library of Celsus into my list of the 5 Greatest Structures I've seen in my life.

tower

I sure agree with MinnBeef on Ephesus (Efes)..the library is certainly the most photographed structure...one could stare at it for an hour if it weren't for the oppressive heat (even in springtime). I don't know what the travertine levels in Pamukkale look like now, but my pix above show them at their "snowy" best several years ago.

Dear Molyneux, I think you can see that extending your visit even by a few days would be most advantageous. (As I recently wrote one poster in this regard, if it's your boss or some other reason for the shorter trip, tell them you'll be back when you're good and ready!!)
stu