Day trip to Cappadocia from Istanbul: is it even possible?
 

Hello everyone

My boyfriend and I are visiting Istanbul and the west coast of Turkey in early April, and we've got one day spare in our itinerary while we're in Istanbul.

My boyfriend wants to go to Cappadocia for the day - fly down in the early morning, see as much as we can, and fly back late at night.

We know it won't be possible to see very much, but even a few hours in this incredible landscape would be fabulous.

I'm not sure it's even possible to do this. Are there any tour companies offering this as a package? How long is the flight, and if we didn't do a package, how would we get to the main scenic area(s) from the airport and back? And (here's where I really start chasing rainbows): is it possible to take a balloon ride if we're only there for a day, or do those all start too early in the morning?

Thank you all - these forums have been invaluable in planning our trip.

Balloon rides depart before dawn and can be cancelled if the weather isn't cooperating.

There is no way to do this trip in a day. First you have to deal with the flight and the airport security issue. Then, you have to get from the airport to the area itself so you are talking probably minimum 1 1/2 hours of driving each way. If you truly want to see this area, schedule less time on the west coast. Cappadocia and Istanbul rated far above the coastal areas in our opinion; we extended our stay in Cappadocia for a day and were there for 4 jam-packed days.

I agree with julies. I understand your desire to see it; we spent four days there and it's truly incredible. You'd be better off spending another day in Istanbul, though. You'd spend most of your time traveling back and forth. Either change your itinerary to allow at least two days there, or plan another trip to Turkey to include Cappadocia:)

I appreciate how you are thinking outside the box, but it just doesn't sound realistic at all.

Cappadocia isn't a single attraction like the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower. I don't think it would be worth the logistical hassle.

We had a wonderful guide in Cappodocia-he arranged the flight-2 nights in a cave hotel-seeing the area. I agree with all the statments above-2 nights there would be a minimum. Enjoy Istanbul for an extra day and save Cappadocia for another trip. The hot air balloon ride is a very early start & it is an incredable experience-Chris

Thank you - I thought that would be the case, but I wanted a second (and third, fourth...) opinion. I hope we'll get to travel to Turkey again in the future; it's a looooooong way from New Zealand and there are so many other countries to see.

We'll make the most of Istanbul and the west coast, though!