leoville

Hello,

We are planning a cruise that will be leaving from Istanbul in April. We would like to add 3 nights on before in Cappadocia. We have a two year old and I am hoping you can help with the below questions about traveling in Cappadocia with kids. Thanks!!

What are your opinions on traveling in Cappadocia with a two year old?

Where is the best place to stay with a child and be centrally based? We do like to hike and would like to make a few 1 to 2 hour hikes, keeping in mind that I will have a child on my back.

Hotel suggestions?

Can we do the balloon ride with a 2 year old?

Is the temperature in April very cold, or moderate?

Any other advice.

We will be flying in from Istanbul to one of the airports.

Thank you!!!!

alanRow

Going to Cappadocia from Istanbul either means a sleeper train to Konya then a coach/taxi or flight to Kayseri then coach/taxi.

Either will mean a lot of cutting into the 3 days - effectively you'll lose at least a day in travel

Temps in April tend to be quite acceptable, shirtsleeves during the day but it can be really cool at night - also get a lot of cash when in Istanbul as there tends to be only one ATM per town and if not working it can be painful changing money

leoville

Thanks Alan,

Forgot to mention that we will have 4 nights, and 5 days. So two travel days and 3 full days.

Thanks for the cash tip and weather advice!!

ANATOLIANCRUISER

Dear Leoville,

In fact, the easiest way to go to Cappadocia from Istanbul is to fly to Kayseri (everyday) or to Nevsehir (4 days a week)as a sleeper train may not be very convenient and comfortable with a 2 year old baby as it takes some 11-12 hours on the train plus some 3 more hours from Konya to Cappadocia by bus.

The best place you can stay with a a child is either Dedeman Hotel or Cappadocia Lodge Country Club Hotel both of which are centrally located between Nevsehir and Göreme and close to all sightseeing/hiking/and historic places. Moreover, these hotels are the most convenient for you as far as their amenities are concerned and they are centrally heated. (You will still need central heating at nights in April in Cappadocia although a warm jacket or anorak type clothing will be sufficient during the day-temperatures will be around 13-15 C)

As far as baloon flight is concerned, be prepared for temperatures around 4-5 even lower degrees centigrade and if you think that you can manage it with your baby-go ahead. If you think it is too cold for your baby, you look after the baby and your partner takes the baloon flight on one day and the next day you enjoy the flight.

Enjoy your stay in Cappadocia. You won't regret the experience.

WTnow

I believe children have to be at a certain height to go on a balloon. It is not really safe holding them in your arms as you go we were told and they can not see over the basket ( this is what we were told with our 6yo). So we decided not to go as our main focus for travel is our child.

Esbelli Evi is a wonderful place for families.

We also stayed at the Local Hotel in Goerme which is very central to everything in that area ( you can walk around the corner to the fabulous open air museum!). Not as fancy as Esbelli Evi, but nice people and great food at the nearby restaurant.

We took the orient express night train from Ankara to Istanbul and really enjoyed it.....really nice and new, got a good night sleep and shower. My daughter loves to sleep on ferries and trains, so it was another fun adventure and cheap! But with your time frame seems a flight would be better.( We took a short bus from Cappadocia to Ankara...again we like taking local transportation and meeting locals that way...but I have a child who can read at length quietly, not an ever moving 2 yo.

My child was an extremely active 2yo so we did not do any international travel at that point as we wanted to wait until she would remember things and she was an ever moving, fast handfull. But if one does international travel, I suppose Cappadocia is as good as anywhere for a 2 yo.

It is a beautiful place! Have fun!

julies

We too stayed at Esbelli Evi and loved it. Our 1st room even had a crib in it (we decided to extend our stay and needed to change rooms). I doubt if the crib would meet current safety standards though. The owner is very helpful with giving guidance about places to visit and could probably steer you towards some good hikes that you could do with a child on your back.

When our kids were small we used to hike with them on our backs a lot. Now for the bad news for you; many of the hikes we found to be most intersting also involved a lot fo climbing in places where the footing was not very good. I do not think I would have been at all comfortable trying this with an active child in a backpack. I second the idea of taking 2 separate balloon trips. You are crammed in a really small basket. A child couldn't stand (would be lost in a sea of adult legs), and I can't imagine holding one.

Do a search under my name and Turkey and you'll find a long trip report I wrote on our trip there in May 2007. I think I broke the report up into several different segments--Cappadocia being one of them.

julies

leoville--

I've had some second thoughts about what I posted earlier about hiking and wanted to clarify. Any of the trails, and we probably did a lot more hiking than most people, would be fine with a child on your back. What might prove difficult would be climbing up into some, but not all, of the churches along the trails.

Let me also elaborate on why I think Esbelli Evi would be a good place for a family with a child. There are common spaces so you wouldn't be stuck in your room. the owner and staff are extremely accomodating. But most of all, the kitchen is always open and you could refrigerate food for your child and prepare snacks whenever you want. When we were there one group was preparing elaborate meals in the kitchen every night.

We flew in Kayseri and rented a car. For us this was a good solution to being able to go where we wanted whenever we wanted. My guess is this might be perfect for someone with a child too.

leoville

Thank you all for the great tips and help!!! We will definitely switch off for the balloon ride and look into the hotels suggested.

Has anyone stayed at Kelebek Hotel or Cappadocia Cave Suites?

Julies - Point understood on the hiking. I am sure we will find some hikes we can enjoy with a child. We will most likely rent a car too.

Has anyone booked the day tours through your own hotels and are they worth it, or is it better to drive by yourself with a guidebook?

Thanks again!!

propertravel

Hi leoville;

Better to fly to Kayseri with 2 y.o
Better to stay around Goreme if you want to explore the area and hike on own.
Better to use a conventional hotel than cave, or protect your kid off the possible dust.

Unfortunatelly min. age for ballooning is 6. You can ask for a baby sitter or couples usually fly single and one looks after the kid while the other enjoys

April is fine and you will enjoy Cappadocia,

Ps: nly Goreme has 3 ATM's and sometimes they are over used and can be painfull yes. But there are close by town with plenty of ATM's so do not worry and carry a lot of cash if not necessary.
Happy travelling,

Murat

leoville

Thank you Murat!!

We have booked our flights and 4 nights at the Kelebek Suites. Can't wait! We will split the balloon ride over two days with one of us going each morning.

Thank you to all!

donnaleed

Do ATMs in Turkey dispense Euros as well as Liras? Most of the hotels in Turkey quote in Euros, just wondering how easy it will be to obtain Euros in Turkey.

Thanks!
Donna-LEe

propertravel

Hi Donnaleed,
You do not need to search for euros in Turkey because hotels are quoted in Euros. This is just a practice to protect with high exchange flactuations and to offer a rate more international currancy. I am sure shortly everyone will start using YTL instead of dollar or euro as our inflation is getting better so is the Turkish lira is keeping strong after 30 years....

You can pay with hard currancy, Turkish Lira cash or your credit or debit cards.

Happy travelling,

Murat