Hello: My Dad and I will be travelling to Turkey starting April 15th. We will stay in Istanbul for 5-6 days and then plan to go to Izmir and then to Ankara. Can we get advise on how much time to spend in Izmir and what are the surrounding sites that should not be missed and also what is the best way to get there, i.e. by car, plane or train. Please feel free to leave a detailed message. Thanks for your help.

I would give both Izmir and Ankara a miss. There are much better places to see in Turkey; Ephesus, Cappadoccia, southern coast (fethiye, Olimpos).

While in Istanbul, make sure you go on a Bosphorus Cruise from Eminonu Dock 3, stay on the ship until it anchors at Anadolu Kavagi. Make sure you find out when it departs, then walk up the steep hill pass a military post, lazy cows and then to the ruins of a medieval castle overlooking the strait. Great views and photos. If you don't bring a picnic, we enjoyed lunch at Mercan in the small fishing town.

Thank you for your replies. I would like to clarify that I am not going to Izmir and to Ankara to see the place, but to use it as a base, from which I can go in different directions to see the various places that you mentioned. Your suggestions on how to proceed would be of great help.

There is still no need to use Izmir or Ankara as a base, they are not that close to the good sites. I have a travelog of our trip from last year with many pictues, maybe this will give you a better idea: <BR> <BR>http://www.advweb.com/kelly/greeceturkey99 <BR> <BR>Good Luck, <BR>Kelly

Even I don't know much about Ankara, I agree with Kelly. Izmir is certainly a city you don't want to be envoved with. 2nd largest in Turkey, industrial, a huge trafic jam. You'd spend a lot of time getting in/out. Selcuk or Kusadasi make a much better base to explore Ephesus, Priene, Miletus and Didim (and even Pamukkale). You may also consider giving Bursa a shot (you may eventually visit it on your way south). <BR>I also would prefer touring the coast south to Bodrum and Fethiye and Cappadoccia (and returning to Istambul) instead of going to Ankara. <BR>Paulo <BR> <BR>

Thank you for your replies. Questions, questions and more questions. Is Bursa really that interesting a site. I have been told that their is not much to see? I have to go to Konya, so might as well go to Ankara. Also what do you recommend, travel by air, car or train while going to visit the sites around Kudasi, from Istanbul. Thanks for your help.

When Bursa was taken by Orhan Gazi in 1326, it became the first capital of the Ottoman Empire. Though the Turks moved their capital first to Edirne and later to Constantinople, Bursa retained its status and established itself as an important commercial centre on the trade route between Istanbul and the main cities of the Ottoman Empire. The founder of the Ottoman dynasty, Osman Gazi, his son, Orhan Gazi and quite a few other Sultans (Murat I, Beyazit I, Mehmet I and Murat II) were buried there in fine "Türbes" that merit to be visited. Being the first seat of the Ottoman Empire, Bursa has the oldest royal mosques. Of particular interest are the Orhan Gazi Camii, the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) and the Yesil Cami (Green Mosque). There's also an Archaeological museum, several baths and several old Ottoman houses of notice. <BR> <BR>We particularly liked the "air" breathed by the city, quite calm when compared to Istanbul. The old town is relatively small and may be visited 7-8 hours or so. For visiting monuments that are farther appart (the Murat I complex in the west and the Beyazit I complex in the east) one maytake conveneient buses or dolmus. <BR> <BR>We got to be impacted by the beauty of Royal Bursa before going to Istanbul ... touring it the other way round may take something off it. <BR> <BR>We used a rented car till we reached Istanbul and it worked out perfectly. Intercity bus transportation in Turkey is at par with the best there is in Europe. Buses are modern, very confortable and cheap. Of course, a flight from Istanbul to Izmir and a bus or taxi thereafter would save you time. <BR> <BR>If you decide not renting a car when in Kusadasi you may consider hiring a taxi for a full day to visit Priene, Miletus and Didim. If you're good at bargaining I don't think you'd spend more than US$ 60/70. To visit all the sites in Efesus/Selçuk (the ruins, 7-sleepers' cave, Mary's house, museum, Isa Bey mosque, St. John's Basilica and the Temple of Artemis) a point to point transportation either on taxis or dolmus would be way cheaper. <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

I'm an official tour guide in Turkey and I have a very detailed web page describing all the places you mention, just visit http://get.to/turkey

Paulo has pretty much summed up Bursa, I'd rate it a good stop if you have the time but not for long. <BR> <BR>Ankara is the administrative and diplomatic capital of Turkey and much of the new city reflects this, quite cosmopolitan. It has to be said that Ataturk's tomb is quite a spectacle and serves as a museum to the man. There is an old city area around the Samanpazari district which is quite interesting, the general mien is more 'Turkish' than the newer parts of the city. There is a market in this area in which I bought a couple of tinned copper dishes (like deep pizza pans) and had them re-tinned by a blacksmith down one of the sidestreets. There is also a fine mosque with a wood panelled interior in this area. The other important site in Ankara is the Archaeological Museum. This has a Hittite collection probably second to none. Ankara is not top of the tourist list but if you have to pass through there are things to see. <BR> <BR>The big draw in Konya is Mevlana's Mausoleum. Apart from that and the mosque next door there's not much else. <BR> <BR>Izmir is an industrial centre and port. There is a small area of old town with an ancient clock tower and the town is overlooked by an old citadel. Its not particularly touristically interesting and is probably not an ideal visiting base. <BR> <BR>THE way to tour turkey is by coach. All but the smallest villages have a bus station where you can board buses to anywhere in Turkey. Each station has representives from dozens of coach companies large and small and you can shop around for the degree of speed, comfort and expense you desire. Coaches are generally efficient and a great way to soak up some Turkish atmosphere. For major journeys (Istanbul to Antalia is about 18 hours by coach) there are frequent internal flights which aren't too expensive (Istanbul to Antalia about 1 hour in the air, Istanbul to Ankara about half hour in the air). I've seen a lot of railway in Turkey but very few trains.

I may be posting this a little late but my husband and I went to Turkey last September. We flew into Izmir and lined up a cab to act as driver for us who was very nice and drove us to our hotel in Kusadasi. We had an incredible time, but mainly because we stayed at a secluded hotel called Kismet. Only $110 a night with sea view balcony-and secluded garden overlooks of the sea-it was amazing. Like staying in your own private villa. We ate in the hotel every night. Our driver drove us anywhere we wanted to go for the whole 4 days we were there, picked us up from the airport and drove us back-only $200 and well worth it. We visited Ephesus and the surrounding ruins. The ruins were amazing!!! <BR> <BR>We then spent a few days in Istanbul where we stayed at a place that I don't remember too well but I would look into some of the small pensions. <BR> <BR>Have a great time.