Cappadoccia or Epheseus???????????? Which, and where to stay -
 

Oh, we (couple in our early 50's, reasonably fit travelers) are going to Turkey on business and have just three days to spend after a week in Istanbul! Never been to Turkey before. Like everything - history, beauty, food, water, culture, walking, photography, .... Looks like we could do Cappadoccia OR Epheseus in a sane manner. Both look so interesting! Recommendations as to which? And, if so, where to stay?

While we enjoyed Ephesus, we were captivated by Cappadocia and spent almost four days there. If you do go be sure to stay at Esbelli Evi. Suha is the perfect owner/host. The rooms are carved out the hills.

Suha only takes reservations directly because he wants to screen his guests. If somone is rude, he will not offer them a room.

I second that. The ruins in Ephesus are worth seeing, but you only need one day to see them. So with three days, Cappadocia is the better option. We stayed at the Serinn House (http://www.serinnhouse.com/) and had a great stay there. Eren was a great host and cooked a delicious breakfast every night. Make sure you do a hot air balloon ride one morning. It's worth it!

I meant to write "breakfast every *morning" -- oops.

This is my full trip report on Turkey, in case you're interested:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...010-part-1.cfm

thank you - anyone for ephesus?????

I agree. I would choose Cappadoccia over Ephesesus (been to both). Visiting Epehesus can make for a rewarding day at a beautiful historical location, which you can combine with other sights in the area, like the small museum in Selcuk. Cappadoccia is stunning--a truly unusual geographical location with interesting historical sights as well (e.g., the churches carved into the rock). Cappadoccia can easily fill 3 days or more. If you have the cash to spare for a balloon ride, it's a memorable experience. And I second Esbelli Evi--wonderful location, very professional staff, warm and friendly, beautiful rooms, good recommendations of things to do, and very tolerant when we (1) mistakenly arrived on day 2 of our planned 4-day stay rather than on day 1, and (2) forgot to pay for the drinks we had at the honor bar. Love that place.

I don't know Cappadocia but I was captivated by what I saw in the Ephesus region. I'd stay in Kusadasi, despite it's touristy nature, and visit Priene, Miletus, perhaps Didyma and certainly (despite the drive) Pamukkale. …Pamukkale was a true high point. The town is nothing but the site is unique for its variety, the superb quality of the visitor infrastructure and the astonishing cliffs.

Click on my name for trip report w/ links to photos.

Ephesus: unique and incredibly beautiful archeological site with Biblical connections, ties for first place, IMHO, with Athens and Agrigento for beauty.

Cappadocia: a complete and unique experience of sleeping in a cave, hot air balloon ride, other world lunar landscape, wonderful people with interesting history and lifestyle that included cities completely constructed in cave structures.

While Ephesus is fantastic, you can see great archeological sites in other places. I would choose Cappadocia because you can't see it anywhere else and it is an experience rather than sight-seeing. Cappadocia is near the top of all our travel experiences.

I know there are others that are good, but Esbelli Evi is the only place we would stay if we could get a room there. Unless you are going to rent a car, let them take care of arrangements for you for touring. They will pick you up at the airport and take you back. They will order wonderful food for you.
For hot air balloon ride - worth every penny & highly recommend it - Butterfly Balloons gave us a perfect experience.

bookmarking -- thanks

A major factor in making your decision should be the season and the weather conditions at the time of your trip.

I think Cappadocia will be more miserable in cold and rainy weather, i.e. 35-48F, which will be likely between 10 Nov. and 30 March.
However, you can also be flexible and leave your arrangements to the last minute during that period and decide by checking the weather reports daily.
Cappadocia under snow cover is also very beautiful, although your movements may be rather restricted.

Ephesus is in a warmer climate. It will have less precipitation and rain will probably last shorter periods. But, again, spending two hours walking the ruins under rain can be quite miserable.
I agree with Ted Gale that staying at Kusadasi in bad weather will give you many more options than at Selcuk for Ephesus and at Goreme or Urgup for Cappadocia.

Another idea is that, if you have a week in Istanbul, that should include one weekend. You can actually and easily take an early morning flight to Izmir airport, rent a car, drive 45 minutes to Ephesus, tour the site, visit Selcuk museum and a few other places in the vicinity and get back to Istanbul with an evening flight.

Thus you can have the best of both worlds!!

We were in Ephesus a year ago, it's absolutely beautiful and is probably one of the top archeological sites in the world. But you can easily cover it in a day, unless you want to go to Pammukale also, it isn't really that far away. Haven't been to Cappadoccia but from what I hear this might make more sense for a 3 day visit. But whichever one you chose guarantee you won't be disappointed:)

I was just there in mid May. I am glad I went to both but if I had to choose I would go back to Cappadocia anytime. Unlesss you are very much into history i think Cappadoccia is a better choice.
If you decided to go to Ephesus, don't skip Pammukale and Aphrodisias.

As I live in İzmir which is about 65Km ( 40Miles ) from Selcuk where Ephesus is located. I may reccomend you in this season it's very nice and joyful to explore the sites in the region such as Ephesus, the Basilic of St Jean, Miletos, Priene and Didyma and of course a holy place the House of Virgin Mary.. 2 Nights stay will be enough to explore İzmir, Ephesus and Miletos ancient sites with the fine weather conditions. By the way if you choose your hotel in İzmir you may have daily visits and in the evening may enjoy the cityof İzmir, the pearl of Aegean in other words.. The season is time for fresh fish and fresh vegetables also to have the local taste.. If you come to İzmir you will be satisfied and will turn back with a smile in your face, we hope :) We wish you enjoy your stay in Turkey .. :)

Thank you, everyone. I would say we are leaning toward Cappadoccia based on the overall remarks, though Izmir sounds wonderful too.

You won't regret either place. And you'll want to return to see the other one someday, I'm sure. Here's a link to the Turkey portion of my round-the-world blog, with posts from both Cappadocia and Ephesus, in case you're interested.

http://aprilaroundtheworld.blogspot....1_archive.html

If you need any more detailed information about İzmir and surroundings or any assistance never hesitate to ask or demand.. Also another place not to be missed is Kusadasi also, a lovely harbour town even in spring and autumn besides summer period.. which is just 12Kms ( 19Miles )located away from Selcuk ( Ephesus )also many other choises can be put in order.. :) have a nice planning ..

Ephesus is captivating to a degree, but there are similar ruins of various civilizations all over the world. There is only one lunarscape quite the same as Cappadocia. Fly to Nevsehir or Kayseri, rent a car and spend your days investgating this singular phenomenon. Here are some pics below(which alos include Pammukale, Aphrodisias and Ephesus.
Stu

"Pamukkale" correction:

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