m wife and i are considering a 2-3 week trip to turkey. what cities would you considered for home bases for day trips? rent/drive car in turkey? inexpensive flights from states? we would consider extending the trip if any surrounding countries are recommended.

thanks,

denny

I was there in August. Rented a car for 2 weeks. istanbul can fill many days. We drove to Capadocia, stopping in Ankara on the way. Cappadocia is an area that I could have spent much mroe time in. We stayed in Goreme and liked it well. Urgup seems to be also popular here.
We then drop to Antalya and followed Med. Very nice drive. We found Antalya a bit too "resorty'. We loved Kas, and would go back there. Small fishing village with small boat cruises out to Lycean ruins, swimming,etc. We stopped at a "secret' beach west of Kas for a swim. Very memorable.

Marmaris also a good place, bit more built up (and many people there on package deals), but worth a visit.

We then drove to Ephesus, another place to easily spend another day, seeing all of the ruins.

Driving the country was interesting, you get some very scenic vistas. And some of the roads through the mountains and along the Med are very windy, but fun in their own way. Driving in Istanbul is different, if you are not used to city driving, it might be challenging. And...the traffic has it own flow (forget lanes) but once you get the feel for how it works, another memory.

thanks a lot for the info. our kids live in nyc so we drive quite a bit in te city.

I don't think a car is really needed in Istanbul. Probably more of a hassle. The trams are pretty easy and the taxis are not too expensive.

Aphrodisias is really wonderful so if you can work that into your travels, that is well worth seeing. We enjoyed it more than Ephesus because not so many people and really great ruins. You can skip Pamukkale as there is very little water in the travertine areas. All the water is pumped down to the little ticky tacky hotels below the site. It was very disappointing since it doesn't look like the photos. We flew to Kayseri from Istanbul and picked up a car and drove for 2 1/2 weeks.

I agree with Grcxx3 that you wouldn't need or want a car in Istanbul.
Cabs are cheap and abundant and should serve you very well. Piloting and parking a car in Istanbul is a serious headache and I don't believe that a being "used to city driving", even NYC, would prepare you for Istanbul.

Just the thought of trying to park in Istanbul gives me a headache!

cavegirl - when were you in Pamukkule? Granted, it's been 3 years since we were there, but there was plenty of water.

I agree about trying to fit in Aphrodesius....it's was quite interesting and I found it very peaceful because there weren't very many people.

The problem with a car in Istanbul is twofold:
- to arrive at your planned (desired)destination is not easy,
- to park the car close to where you have to be is not guaranteed at all,
- you need a 270° eyesight (360° is better)

Istanbul is a city where you walk and walk and walk, just for the pleasure of soaking up the atmosphere.

You could easily start your tip in Istanbul without a car, then take a domestic flight to Ankara, visit Ankara and take a car from downtown Ankara for the rest of your trip.
You could then do Cappadoccia and the southern places to visit and work your way up to Izmir.
Think of an open jaw ticket Istanbul-Izmir.

Don't forget that the Istanbul area takes some 120 km from east to west, crossing the Bosphorus only over 2 bridges and some ferries... You miss an exit, and you're lost for humanity!!!