help for touring Cappadocia and Ephesus
 

We are planning our 10 day trip to Turkey. We feel that we can pick up a day tour in Istanbul and negotiate the rest on our own. We feel less secure about getting around Cappadocia and Ephesus. I have contacted a travel agent and I think that the prices are high for guided tours for these areas.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to get to these two places and then find guided tours that are reasonable in price. What kind of pricing should we expect?

Our hotel in Goreme, Cappadocia set us (six of us) up with a driver/van for a full day for about $100. The driver was not an official guide but knew his stuff. We flew Istanbul Nevsehir return on Turkish Air.

Check out www.ephesusdeluxe.com they have very reasonable priced tours and tour combinations. E.g. the duo Istanbul & Ephesus special early booking price @ $129/pp. Both are full day (7 hrs. ea) guided private tours in a/c minibus. All entrance & parking fees are included. Vehicle and guide at your service all day, you may spend as much time as you like in each of the sites.

We're paying $50/pp in Cappadocia for private guide with driver & car. (Entrance fees not included)

You might try Backpackers in Istanbul and Hello Epheses. We had very good experiences with both while in Turkey.don't let the name Backpackers fool you.. they are highly professional and not "backpacking " types.

An individual approached us as we were parking our car by the museum in Goreme and offered us a good day's tour which cost us about $25 plus his lunch at a family restaurant just outside Avanos ($3 maybe?). It probably was less than what an official guide would provide, but it was probably more interesting on a personal level. However, we had to provide the transportation.

The hotel where we stayed, La Vieille Maison Grecque in Mustafapasha, offered tours, but I do not know the price.

We flew into Nevashir from Istanbul on Turkish Air. Airfare was relatively inexpensive; flight time was less than an hour. We did 3 day tours with Rock Valley travel. I think the tours ranged between $45 and $60/person. Pricing was reasonable considering that it included lunch, transportation, entrance fees, guide. I think we got a slight discount on tours because we booked our flights through them.

There's nothing very difficult about visiting Ephesus.

You fly to Izmir, rent a car, and drive to Selcuk. You spend the day at the ruins, making sure to also visit Meryemana, the house of the Virgin Mary, the ruins of the St John's cathedral and perhaps the museum (I missed it but I've heard it is well worthwhile).

The next day to drive to Didyma, Miletus, and Priene. Spend another night in Selcuk or Sirince and then either drive back to the airport and fly on to Cappadocia, or head you car east and visit Aphrodisias and perhaps Pammukale.

If you click on my name you can read my trip report from last year about this area.