michele

Go to Turkey. It's fantastic, MUCH more impressive than Greece.<BR><BR>M.

carol

Go!!! Turkey is one of the kindest places in the world, and much more of a European country than middle eastern. If you are American, they love you. (I am not American, but I was treated pretty well also!) The current violence is thousands of miles and two countries away from Istanbul! If you are concerned, then just stick with the west half of the country. It is the most beautiful city in the world.<BR><BR>The people who are trying to scare you are probably Turk-haters or very geographically challenged. I liked Turkey twice as much as Greece, and Greece is one of my favourite places also, except Athens. If you are going to skip anything, skip Athens. It is an environmental disaster, a polluted ugly city for the most part. Both are cheap, especially Turkey.

SUZANNE ROWLANDS

My fiance and I are going to Kusadasi, Turkey for two weeks on 3rd June. My fiance has also been very worried given the heightened tension in the Middle East. However, I have done my best to dissuade him from cancelling our much deserved holiday. We are both looking forward to it very much. We have been to Greece a few times but we thought we'd try Turkey as everyone keeps telling us it's great. I have done alot of reasearch about Turkey (because of my fiance). I came across a website called www.fco.gov.uk which keeps you up to date on all sorts of stuff including the Middle East Developments. It lists countries which are adviseable not to visit and Turkey is not one. It also gives you tips for safety etc. and to be honest, for Turkey it just said the usual standard stuff such as "common sense" - don't leave you bag around etc. etc. I think most trouble has occured in the South East of Turkey anyway. We are going to the West!!! You are going to the North West?? You'll be fine. Terrorist attacks could occur anywhere!!<BR><BR>PS: Was you aware that there is a fatal heart disease going around in Greece at the moment?<BR>

Cathie

Just returnedfrom 9 days in Turkey and truly never felt unsafe!!!<BR>You ought to go!<BR>Cathie

nat

wr&yacute;t&yacute;ng th&yacute;s from Istanbul r&yacute;ght now. My fam&yacute;ly and I are hav&yacute;ng a great t&yacute;me. Went to the sp&yacute;ce market, no problems. They hve secur&yacute;ty every where. before you enter they check bags w&yacute;th metal detecters. So do not be afra&yacute;d to come. I was a l&yacute;ttle worr&yacute;ed at f&yacute;rst but now I am f&yacute;ne. What fatl heart d&yacute;sease th&yacute;ng &yacute;n Greece &yacute;s that?

x

I cancelled my trip, but not because of the Middle East crisis. I cancelled it because I'm tired of being gouged as a tourist.<BR><BR>Turkey has just skyrocketed the price of entrance fees to major cultural attractions by 150% or more. Topkapi and Ephesus, for example, are now $40! This is on top of the fee of $45 to enter the country. For my wife and I to go to Istanbul and see Topkapi and Aya Sofia would have been an astounding $230. <BR><BR>Anyone who thinks that Turkey is so cheap should think again. Sure, it's cheap in some ways, but no one else in Europe charges a visa fee. And there isn't a major attraction in say Italy that's more than $10. Turkey is a interesting, but it ain't Italy. <BR><BR> <BR>

What?

Fee to enter the country???? I have never payed a penny to enter Turkey. OK, I think I have payed something when I have gone with a ferry from Greece, but never when I have flyed there. And of course Turkey is not Italy. Italy is Italy. That´s the beauty of Europe, every country is different. And Turkey DOES have the most interesting Roman sites.

Debbie

Yes, there is a visa fee to get into the country that one pays at the airport. You must pay it(cash only) before going through immigration control. It is a stamp/seal that they put on your passport and it is good for a year!

honey

Is the fee for Topkapi really $40?? Can anyone confirm that? That's outrageous.

xxx

I've read that Topkapi's admission is 15,000,000 TL for each of 3 parts-general admission, harem and treasury. That's approx. $12 for each portion or $36USD if you see everything. I originally saw it posted on www.lonelyplanet.com under Scoops, Middle East. I'm going there in a few weeks and will post on my return what the prices are.<BR><BR>I can't remember where I read this but I believe that the $45 that US citizens pay for a Turkish visa is tied to the $45 visa application fee that the US charges Turkish citizens to visit the US.<BR><BR>While it's true that most, if not all, Western European countries do not have visa fees for US citizens, there seem to be several Eastern European ones that do or have departure taxes. And if you consider that a portion of Turkey is considered to be Asia, there are also a lot of Asian countries that have visa fees. So it's not just Turkey.

abc

Today's exchange rate is 1.400.000 TL so you pay $32 instead of $36. If you wait little bit more you can pay $30<BR>or less then $30. It is up to CURRENCY<BR><BR>ABC

Murat

Hello everyone and Christine...<BR><BR>Come to Turkey, do not worry. You will be amased how well you will be treated not just becouse you are a tourist spending Dollars but you are humanbeing. Warmth and hospitality is in our culture. Please no one to effect themself if few incedents heard or experienced. I lived 6 years in Kalkan and loved it. Now living in Cappadocia. I am hotelier and travel consultant so anyone seeks assistance they are welcome. But most important issue is that THANK YOU all AMERICAN friends here to share their experiences. I am really so excited with the posts and very positive thoughts about my country. Definately there are a lot to offer, Turkish Cusine,raki the national drink ( 40 vol. alch.) beautiful cristal clear waters, history, culture, art and so on. Everyone could find something they like here. And all is true, you will be appreciated in Turkey. Thank you - Tesekkur ederim for your thoughts of experiences

What?

The "entrance fee" x mentioned really puzzled me, but now xxx cleared that. So it is visa. That´s why I have never payed anything. I don´t need a visa to enter Turkey. Neither do Turks need a visa to enter my country. Remember, it works both ways. And 45 dollars for a visa is normal. I visit often Russia, where I need a visa, and it costs more.<BR><BR>"Fee to enter" and "ripped as atourist" - HAH!

Kip

With all these fees, Turkey is not cheap anymore. Let's say a couple wants to go to Istanbul and see the major sights, Topkapi and Aya Sofia. With visa, this is a toyal of 2x$45 + 2x36 + 2x$25 =$212. You go to Spain to see the Alhambra for $7 and you are $205 ahead. <BR><BR>Whatever you save, is largely eaten up by these high fees. I went to Spain with no visa fee, a room in a beautiful parador hotel for $100 and saw the Alhambra for $7. The air fare was far less. It was a much cheaper trip. Turkey might be a nice place to visit, but there are plenty of others where the government isn't bent on gouging the tourists. <BR><BR>

abc

Go to spain and Italy or other countries rather then Turkey. But some day you will come to US. the you will pay more then curent fees. Because Turkey is cheapest Country in the EUROPE.<BR><BR>ABC

Paule

I think some of you are really missing the point! Turkey is still a bargain overall; but, honestly, who cares? It's one of the most interesting places I've ever been, combining a fascinating ancient history, medieval history, with a great diversity of regions, and some of the most warm and welcoming people I've met anywhere.<BR><BR>All cities are more expensive than the countryside experience; that being said, Istanbul is still not going to add up to, say a visit to Paris. A comparable hotel in Paris is far more expensive than in Istanbul, and there are many places to stay that are very inexpensive. And food is a bargain there. So is travel within the region. But I still feel like this discussion is missing the point of travel; don't we travel to see a new part of the world, learn something, experience something different? And the whole discussion here seems to be based on saving a buck; to me, I spend the money to enjoy my experience and learn about a new place, too. I'm careful about what I spend money on-- but I won't miss a great cultural site because it's a few dollars more than I want to spend. In the scheme of things, what's a few dollars after spending the money to go on a trip. When I return home, my memories will be richer for the experience.<BR><BR>As far as this silly controversy over the Topkapi, well, it may be one of the more expensive places to go in Istanbul, but you don't have to visit all three parts. It really isn't necessary. And there are plenty of amazing places to visit in Istanbul that don't cost much at all. <BR><BR>

jenviolin

So Christine cancelled her trip. I just got back from Turkey and wanted to confirm the prices:<BR>Entrance to the Aya Sofia: 15 million lire. Bite the bullet, it's worth it.<BR>Entrance to the Topkapi: same, 15 mill each for different parts. Compromise and do just one part. Due to a planning crunch (my fault) we missed this, but we saw the sunset from the Sulamaniye mosque on the hill instead (free!).<BR>Entrance for Ephesus: 15 mill. Worth every single lira, and then some. <BR>Entrance to the Terrace houses at Ephesus: 25 mill. Now that was going too far. I understand that the restoration work is very expensive, but we had 4 kids with us and that was way out of our budget. So we missed that part and I have no regrets.<BR>The 'holy pool' with submerged ruins at Pamukkale was another expensive treat: about 20 mill per person. I balked but let myself be persuaded. The kids remember it as a highlight of the trip (we took masks and snorkles!). We got there early in the morning and there were very few people in the water. The ruins at Hieropolis (near Pamukkale) were free, and the amphitheatre was awesome. <BR>Other sites (Troy, Assos, Bergama, Didyma)were much less expensive.<BR><BR>On the other hand, most other things were MUCH cheaper in Turkey than elsewhere in Europe, unless you go the 4-5 star/put-on-your-high-heels-for-dinner route! All in all, it was a bargain - and one of the greatest places we've ever been.<BR><BR>Not once did we feel unsafe.