Need help of Turkey experts for Istanbul Itinerary...
I am reaching Istanbul on 25th April 2010 after a 3 hours flight from Geneva and will reach Hotel BW Empire palace in Sirkeci by 5pm.
25th April- 5 pm onwards
26th April- Full day upto 7 pm

Taking a flight or night bus to Cappadocia- Then to Selcuk and back in Istanbul by Pegasus flight- for 3 nights

3rd May - 5 pm onwards
4th May- Full Day
5th May- upto 4 pm- Taking an late evening flight back home.

Can increase a day if desired.

What can I do on 2 evenings that I have?
What is the right time of the day to go on Bosphorus cruise?
Is there a picturesque route by public bus or Tram?
Want to see a Folklore programme.

please help.

I recommend that you extend your stay in Istanbul, if you can.

You would need two full days for the standard, 'must see' sites, and depending on the type of Bosphorus cruise either half a day or another full day.

the traditional cruise will require almost a full day because it includes a 90-180 minute stop at the end of the Bosphorus, for lunch and a hike up to the old castle, for amazing Black Sea views.

On Sundays IDO now has a short two hour cruise with no stops, going as far as the second bridge.

Or you have short 60-90 minute smaller boat cruises, very reasonably priced, leaving frequently from Eminonu or Ortakoy.

Istanbul is picturesque all the way from Sultanahmet, across the golden horn and up the bosphorus, on the coast and Sultanahmet to Yedikule on the Marmara shore.

however, i do not recommend the bus, except for early saturday and Sunday mornings, because of the traffic congestion, in any direction. You can get a bus from taksim to the Asian side, early on a weekend day and have good views especially if it is a double decker.

The folklore shows are usually only at extremely touristic and quite pricey venues, which serve terrible food and treat tourists as ignorent people of no taste who have money to throw. The one at the top of Galata tower may be the better of these, and at least you get a good view, but you should check whether it includes folk dancing or if it is only belly dancing and pop music.

one evening, take the whole family to Ortakoy for simple food and tea and maybe take an evening cruise on one of the small boats, if the weather is good. The kids will also enjoy their night out.

Another night at Nevizade Street off Istiklal at Galatasay you can have reasonably priced Meze and fish. The local colour will be interesting for all the family, not only at Nevizade but all along Istiklal.

When you order your fish always check the price beforehand as some fish like Kalkan (Turbot) can be atrociously expensive. I would say, stay with fried istavrit (horse mackerel) and grilled Hamsi (anchovies) or grilled Sardalya (sardines) with grape leaves (in season in May)

For your visit to historic sites, pleace check other forum threads and/or your guide book, and always with a map.

Can you consider going straight on to Cappadocia when you arrive from Geneva? All the back-and-forth wastes a lot of time to and from airports, packing and unpacking, etc.
I have a file on Istanbul; if you'd like to see it, email me at ESL1051 at yahoo dot com. There is a historic tram line on Istiklal Caddesi but it's also pleasant just to walk and explore the side streets. There are also tram lines that make stops at the historic sites in Sultanahmet.

Thanks a lot otherchelebi & eline for the invaluable information. My lonely planet and frommers doesn't have this info.

I think I will extend my stay by a day or two.
My only hitch was, that the kids and my wife may become home-sick, after 21 days for trip, as I am going to Switzerland for 9 days prior to Turkey.

I thought of flying to Cappadocia directly from the airport.But decided to spend a day in Istanbul as...
a. I am uncomfortable raeching any place late at night. The connecting flights reach Kayesari airport after 9.30 pm.

b. I do not want to carry all my bags along. I will be carrying a small cabin size strolley and a day bag and keep rest of my bags at the luggage room at Istanbul hotel.I will come back to the same hotel for 3 nights when I fly back from Izmir; and carry all the bags on my way back home to India.

c. My hotel is offering me free airport pick up both the times and it shouldn't take more than 45 min. to reach the hotel.

d. I have lernt after my Greece trip, (There was an unexpected strike of all the ship companies and I had to be stranded on Santorini for 2 more days and had to give up Mikonos. No regrets anyway) that do the "must see" part earlier in that order, as anything unexpected may suddenly result in you having to drop some part of the later sightseeing. Atleast 1 1/2 day pof Istanbul will give me an orietation of the capital.

Is there any authentic folklore show at cappadocia or Selcuk? I am at Selcuk during the May festival. Any idea about the May festival in the 1st week of May? and the Saturday Market at Selcuk?
Please help.
Thanks for the response again.

elaine,

You make a good point about the itinerary. We spent a day in Istanbul before flying to Nevsehir. I had had the same thought; lots of to and from for an overnight, but it worked out well for us. We arrived at our hotel in Istanbul by late morning and had the afternoon and evening to stroll around. And the next day we arrived at our hotel in Urgup by late morning and actually had a full day/evening for our first day.

Ellen

Selcuk market is like any small town market in Turkey, where stalls are set at some streets which are closed to traffic. One section (the closest to the city center in Selcuk)sells mostly locally produced vegetables and fruit. Other sections sell other types of food stuffs, some home produced. There are also cheap knick knacks, kitchen utensils, plastics, toys, clothing, that the locals in that area are known to prefer.

The May Selcuk festival appears to be a youth and pop music festival but there may be other things also. The program will be pulicized possibly some weeks before May.

Thanks again.
I have almost finalised my Itinerary..
otherchelebi, ellencmog and other veteran fodorites, I need your comments & suggestions..

1. On 26th April, I am getting a Pegasus flight ticket to Kayesari for peanuts; but the morning 6.30 I can't take and evening 17.40 from Sabiha Gockcen (Istanbul)reaches Kayesari at 21.00.

Is reaching S. Gochcen Airport by public transport very difficult and time consuming ? Taxi costs 60-70 Euros.
Kayesari airport may not have a shuttle at 21.00 and a taxi to Goreme will cost me 80-100 Euros.
Am not comfortable renting a car at night and driving 1 hr. plus on an unknown road. (I have not driven a left hand drive car- as we in India have right hand drive cars- like in the UK )
I am in 2 minds- whether to take an overnight bus or train(till Ankara)which reaches Goreme at 8.00 am( we are kind of OK with an overnight journey)
Please help...

I have booked Aydinli Cave hotel ( no. 1 in Tripadvisor rating) Room with a view. ( any suggestions)

I have 4 nights and 4 days in Selcuk.
Should I break my journey from Cappadocia to Selcuk ( by bus), at Pamukkale? ( Is it worth? )

I have booked Urkmuz Hotel at Selcuk (#2 in Tripadvisor rating- Bella is booked because of Anzac day tours)
Has anyone stayed there?

I am planning to rent a car for a day at Goreme and a day at Selcuk to visit the ruins outside Selcuk.

Please comment...

Selcuk's main cultural attraction is the Ephesus Museum, which houses some excellent -quality statuary and fragments taken from Ephesus for safe-keeping. (there are also some rug and ceramic shops, and for all I know, other attractions I am ignorant of.) There is a small but striking statue of Artemis, shown as a goddess of fertility, with lots of eggs down her front. I was in Rome recently, and noticed a very old copy of it is in the Vatican Museums collection.

hi
if you are planning only to visit Ephesus when you are at Selcuk - please note it is in walking distance of Selcuk. If you wish to visit Mereyemana (Our Lady's House)then you would ,of course, definitely need transport. First time we went we went with samyelitravel on guided tour etc - maybe some link to who you mention as they do the anzac day tours too . We not made Pamukkale yet - but anyone I speak to who has been says it is definitely well worth a visit ...hope you have great time whatever you decide

Thanks,
I think one day in Selcuk and Ephesus can be done on foot.

I am thinking of renting a car to go to Priene and the other two ruins for one day. Am thinking of starting early about 7 am or so and comong back at night.

Can I visit Kusadasi by public transport or do i need a car to explore? Is it worth spending a day?

I was thinking of visiting Samos on a day trip. I do have a multiple entry Schengen Visa.
But I think I will need a multiple entry Turkey visa as well.
Difference between the single nd multiple entry is triple.

We were told by our hotel owner (Hotel Bella) in Selcuk not to bother with Kusadasi. I know there are beaches there and it's a main port for cruise ships, but I don't know of anything else worth seeing. We drove through it on our way to the coast and it looked like a big city going about its business, but other posters may know better...

Ellen

hi you could just go to kusadasi on the local dolmus - maybe about 20mins and only costs a few lira. As already said - it personal choice over Kusadasi - but if you are wanting to go to Samos for a day trip you would leave from Kusadasi so you could then stay in Kusadasi for a couple hours wander round when you come back from Samos before hopping back to Selcuk on the dolmus - you might find the contrast between Kusadasi and Selcuk interesting - the tourist restaurants are generally expensive to eat in - but there are lots of local places that tourists go to also that do lovely food at good prices - anyway that would help you get them both in on same day (would be a long day mind, but you get to relax on the ferry!!)

Thanks a lot.
I am not planning to visit Samos now.
Just want to visit some nice beach, similar to Greek Islands, in Turkey; which is closer to Selcuk.

Any suggestions?
Am planning to take a day's break at Pamukkale, on my way to Selcuk from Goreme.
That gives me 3 full days at Selcuk.
Can someone suggest some itinerary for this.
Should I rent a car for a day to go to Didyma and other two ruins?
One day at Ephesus will not need a car.
What about the 3rd day?
Pl. help

Renting a car for all your three days in Selcuk makes a lot of sense. It will give you great deal of flexibility and save you time. Ephesus ruins are about two kilometers from selcuk, and then you would need to walk another kilometer inside, up the hill, and then down, and another two back? so you would take taxis. the same for going to Sirince, and maybe a quick trip to Kusadasi.

Second day, Didyma. Prienne , Miletus, are not all required but Herakleia, on Bafa lake at Kapikiri village, is strongly recommended. herakleia also has very pictureque B&Bs on the antique ruins, and is about 100 minutes from Bodrum's coves where the beaches are still too cold for enjoying your swim. (My wife does swim in late April in Bodrum, when the sea is 17 degrees or so.)

So, you can have a look at Bodrum, its castle and museum and the beaches and drive back to selcuk on the third day.

Bodrum, in season, is a very active night life resort, Gumbet, Bitez, turgut Reis are more laid back, but still with bars. Yalikavak is a bit upscale and Golturkbuku very posh and expensive. torba, gumusluk, guvercinlik, etc. are more local middle class.

Because of the season, you should be able to negotiate car rental rates even with the big rent-a-car companies.

You can also have fun luncheons at cheap and scenic roadside restaurants and/or picnics at antique sites, if you have a rental car.

Please also get a bag of cat food or some leftovers for the stray cats of ephesus and other locations.

make sure you have some bottles of water once you enter Ephesus, because you cannot buy it inside.

Definitely pay the extra admission for the Terraced Houses in Ephesus (maybe not for the kids, who can stay busy feeding the cats outside )

Since you probably will not be able to visit Aphrodisias near Denizli without a car, if you are in Denizli early in the morning from Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Heliopolis and the necropolis will not take much longer than half a day and you should make it to Selcuk around dusk the same day. Staying the night at Pamukkale will not get you much except maybe some sulphur or whatever baths.

Thanks a lot for the great info.

Mamma-Mia.....You are going to Sabiha Gokcen airport to fly Cappadocia, if you are not staying in European side especially...I wonder at the end you will be paying same amount of money and losee a lot of time.

If you book on time Ataturk Airport to Nevsehir flights are almost like peanuts too....( I wonder why people say peanuts for the money since no one can buy a ticket with those.....

Happy travelling,
Murat

Dear Murat,
I agree with you. Reaching Sabiha Gochcen is expensive (40 Euros by taxi- 10 Euros by public transport) and time consuming( 1 hour)- We will be travelling just with 2 hand-bags.
But I got 4 tickets from there to Kayesari for 60 Euros ( 15 Euros each)
Again- Kayesari- Goreme Transport- a car + driver and the car for 24 hours, all inclusive for 85 TL. That is quite reasonable and more comfortable.