Istanbul-Last minute trip; Help! ...need a crash course
 

Just found out husband & I will be visiting Istanbul in less than a month and unfortunately, my knowledge of that area is very limited. We will be visiting our daughter who is there for 3 months this summer. We will have 8 nights in Turkey. We will spend most of our time in Istanbul so we can see daughter as much as possible and not sure if she will have free time to leave Istanbul for a couple days. Regardless, we would like to travel outside Istanbul for 2 or 3 nights. Where would make sense? I have just begun reading about Cappadoccia & am always drawn to the coast....We will arrive June 29....any thoughts or suggestions?

Istanbul, like NYC, London, Rome, or Paris, has endless things to see and do. You could EASILY spend your 8 nights there and never get bored.

There are MANY options, all worthwhile, for a quick trip. What are your interests?

Here are a selection of 2 or 3 day possibilities - ANY of these would be an excellent choice. Again, YOUR interests??:

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/i.../cappadocia-3/

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/i...and-ephesus-2/

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/i...-and-kaunos-3/

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/i...ara-and-kas-4/

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/i...-36/antakya-4/

But, again, don't discount the option of just staying in Istanbul.

Ephesus and Cappadoccia

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...enesOfIstanbul

Just to help in your prep work, here are some scanned pics of Istanbul and I'll also toss in scenes around the country. You might be able to glean some ideas from them. Have a great visit.

http://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/ScenesOfTurkey#

These cover some of the areas you may be interested in outside of Istanbul. (Cappadocia, Lake District, Antalya and The Turquoise Coast, Pamukkale, Aphrodisias, Ephesus, Priene and Bodrum and vicinity)

Just a suggestion..I agree with Bardo's recommendation to perhaps stay in Istanbul for the 8 days..a most fascinating and exotic, historic city. But to choose one other place, I would rate Cappadocia over Ephesus.
stu

hey Tower.. i'm just piggy-backing on rattravelers' thread. i'm just wondering why you said Cappadocia over Ephesus. just curious as these are the two other areas i have to decide between for my itinerary. thanks!

Ephesus - a fantastic ancient Roman ruin near the SW coast. Cappadocia (Kappadokya, other spellings exist) - an other wordly surprise of upside down ice cream cone shaped rocks which have been carved into cave homes from the inside! How many hundreds of years ago I am not sure. "Everyone" truly wants to see both!
In Istanbul you will be offered many guided tours. You can pay 90 EUR each for a trip on a boat, or you can pay 7TL each for a ferry from Kabatas (the s has a tail meaning SH) up the Bosphorus all the way to Sariyer and then take a bus, or a taxi, or a bus and the metro back to Taksim or Sultanahmet.
You can eat or have a coffee or just walk under the Galata bridge between Eminonou and Beyoglu (soft g, don't pronounce it), you can walk down the less touristy streets, you can take a commuter 'feribot' to Asia for a dollar or two (Uskudar Kadikoy) and back in a few hours, you can go to Taksim and walk on crowded Istiklal street and find bookstores with books in English, food, ice cream, coffee, jewelry, clothes. Cicek Pasaji is something to see - many restaurants. (tails under C's mean ch, "Cheechek" means flower, pasaji=passage, although it is restaurants only) Walk downhill from Taksim metro to Galata Tower. you can sit in Sultanahmet and just stare at the people for a while, as there is such a variety, including ... you! It is a very interesting place. Of course you've heard of the Grand Bazaar, which could take 8 days itself perhas, and Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Achaeological Museum, Topkapi and Dolmabache Palaces, Basilica Cistern (and others) and the Spice Bazaar... Bring comfortable shoes. You will be walking on paved streets and up and down hills and stairs all day.

The Library alone in Ephesus is almost worth the trip. It is one of the most beautiful archeological sites I've seen.

However, if I had to make a choice, I agree with Tower that I would definitely choose Cappadocia over Ephesus because Cappadocia can be a whole experience: interesting history, outdoor museum, stay in a cave hotel, hot air balloon ride over the lunar-like landscape, great food, interesting and nice people.

Thank you all so much!

As far as interests...we enjoy wine, good food, beaches, boating, music....husband is more into history than me however on past visits to Rome & Athens, I found the historical sights fascinating. I know he would like to try to visit Ephesus.

I do think Cappadoccia sounds like something we would enjoy...cave hotel, ballooning...

Would there be a sensible way to tie in Cappadoccia, Epheus & the coastline? Would you recommend driving? We are not tour bus fans...

Loved the photos from everyone....gorgeous!

Thank you all again...

<i>"Would there be a sensible way to tie in Cappadoccia, Epheus & the coastline?"</i>

You mean one of these or all of them?

If all, then you won't have any days in Istanbul!

There are many viable options for these various side trips: bus, car, or flight. I will wait to know exactly what you choose to do before offering detailed logistics.

Bardo: Cappadoccia is a definite....can either of the other 2 sites be combined with a trip to Cappadoccia?

I think Cappadocia is more than plenty for a 2 or 3 night trip.

You should FLY.

A round-trip flight from Istanbul is around $100 on budget airline Pegasus. Fly out of SAW and into ASR.

http://www.flypgs.com/en/default.aspx

Doing this in the middle section of your 8 nights in Istanbul is best.

Here's one idea for a 3-night stay in Cappadocia (if it's only 2 nights, you'll need to cut):

Arrive at Kayseri airport late afternoon, 45 minute shuttle ride to one of the towns, we liked Urgup. Dinner, relax, evening walk?

Day 1: Balloon ride - a must. Most balloon tours pick you up at your hotel and meet about 7 am - return you to your hotel by 10am. Then the Goreme Open Air Museum (another must) - allow 2-4 hours. Take time to explore the nearby town of Goreme, maybe including a nice lunch in town. After you're restored, go for a hike in the nearby Zemi Valley - gorgeous. Back to your hotel/town, collapse (nap?), dinner and maybe evening strolling, window-shopping, etc.

Day 2: Zelve Open Air Museum (another must)- allow two hours. Other options for the day include: Pasabag (< 1 hour), Church of St. John -in the cute town of Cavusin (1 hour), Uchisar, including the castle - also a great own for lunch, drink, or cafe. (1-2 hours), Catacombs (2-4 hours, depending on how many you visit). Collapse, late dinner.

Day 3:
Depending on flight time, either head to airport or see something you didn't have time for earlier.

Bardo...excellent outline ..I would try to slip in Ilhara valley, if it's entirely open after the recent landslides. According to OtherCelebi, it is. En rotue to Ilhara, a quick visit to Kaymakli or Derinkyu(underground cities..if you're not claustrophobic!) should be doable.

I, too, favor Urgup...I had flown TAL to Kayseri on Turkish Airforce business one time...on another, I had the Esbelli Evi cave hotel in Urgup arrange for a pickup. Their cost $30 at the time for a private car and driver. I afterward rented a car in Urgup which I was able to return to Marmaris at no additional charge.

Callalili...stricly a personal choice. You can see Greco-Roman ruins anywhere in Europe, and other ancient civilization's ruins in other parts of the world.. but there is only one landscape (I call it a lunarscape)quite like it. I think the pics show it clearly. Again, it's personal. Thank goodness I never had to make that choice by being able to see both! Happy travels. You'll love Turkey, its people, its food and its varied offerings.
stu

I also would stay in Istanbul for 8 days. I did 6 and wasn't enough. 3 nights/4 days in Cappodocia just wet my appetite. Thinking of going back already. This time we might try to do some hiking in Ihara valley because it's so beautiful there. I have not done any hiking before but i have a feeling it will be amazing.
tower, May I ask you which car company didn't charge a drop off fee?

Mohan: Auto Europe (but that was in 1995, when Turkish tourism was just getting into full gear).... Urgup had a little office on the main street. Urgup was very small with only a few restos...and one good one with folk dance entertainment, "Somine", on a rooftop in the center of town..things have changed since the aforementioned tourism has fully blossomed.

We also stayed at Esbeli Evi in Urgup and loved it. We arrived very late and they had food delivered for us that night. It was some of the best food we had on the trip and better than we picked for ourselves in a restaurant the next day, also only about half the price we paid at a restaurant. They arranged air port pick ups and taxi drivers each day for us. The price for their taxis was much less than we were quoted when we asked drivers ourselves. We did the Balloon ride with Butterfly Balloons and it was fantastic.

sassafras....ah, another Suha/Bill (owner of Esbelli Evi) fan. I found them in Lonely Planet in 1995 (rate was $40 then) and was so happy I did. Have since sent several friends there. In fact Aduchamp was there two years ago, and Suha showed him the Polaroids he used to take of all guests..and pointed mine and wife's to Adu.
Check out Turkey pics on my post near top of this thread...you'll see Suha and our "cave" along wth some good views of the region.
stu

Stu, it was from this forum that I read about Esbelli Evi and Butterfly Balloons. Forever grateful for the info and appreciate that you and Aduchamp shared it. I would not even consider staying anyplace else in Cappadocia now. We did not meet Suha, but I was so impressed by the beautiful, high quality (in tune) piano and all his classical music books. The staff was so helpful and kind, bending over backwards to do anything for us. It is really a special place.

DH and I had a suite of two bedrooms, sitting room, mini kitchen and two baths. I just asked for a small room, but that was what was available when we got there. We looked at it and said, "We could live here," especially since there was a piano in the reception/library area.

sass...if you'll check out the pics you'll see the room we had way back then and the reception room and the kitchen.
stu

Thanks Stu, things look pretty much the same. I think our room was a bit more fancied up, but the little reception room looks the same, now with an office space, desk, etc. Wish I had taken pictures because I don't remember the exact arrangement with the piano. He has also made several terraces outside with walls around them, several sets of steps going up and down outside and some inside. The dining area is very nice with tables also set out on the terrace, still with the same ambience.

Love those pictures of the carts! Don't know when you went, but I think it is probably becoming more touristy everyday, so you should be very glad you went when you did. Your pics make me want to go back anyway.

Hi-jacking the thread just for a bit, sorry, but have a question for Stu. I like your style, so want to know what, for you, has been the most interesting, exotic place you have been?

Ah, sassafrass, exotique is it...I would have to say Morocco, Turkey, the Amazon and Malaysia, roughly in that order, but quite interchangeable among all four...they're that close.

However, "exotic" in a broad sense, means different things to different travelers. Distinctive regions of China, Japan, and Israel would fit somewhere in the category. My back deck, overlooking Benedict Canyon and the hills of Hollywood, on a cooling summer's eve with a glass of wine, ain't bad either.
stu

Thanks Stu,
I wanted to go to both Turkey and Morocco for a while, finally convinced DH to go to Turkey and it is now his favorite country, so it is looking better for Morocco.

When I was young and saw movies of the Amazon, I wanted to go. Now I have developed an irrational fear/dislike of spiders and it seems they are plentiful in the Amazon. Have to fight that phobia.

Your back deck does sound lovely.

http://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/Morocco#

sass...here are some scanned Morocco pics for you, c.1997, pre-digital. You can enlarge by hitting magnifying glass icon and moving the pic round. I'm in the process of scanning many of my pre-digital pics...fun but time consuming. I hope to at least graduate from two and three to a page back to one. Morocco is exciting in every way...great food choices.
stu

with the right guide, the insects, including swarms of mosquitos, can be neutralized. We took the usual cream and spray preparations to defend against mosquitos..never used it! I'll probably have he scanned Amazon pics in a week or so. You can write me at rozstu1 at aol dot com

Thanks, Stu. i appreciate your input (as always). we have decided on Cappadocia.. but now checking flights.. am i missing something? for weekend travel in Sept - $553 pp! is there a better way to travel from Istanbul to Cappadocia? yikes!

You are probably checking through intermediaries.

Check directly on airline websites, THY and Pegasus.

Our flights RT from Istanbul to Cappadocia were around $100.00. That was from Ataturk to Nevsehir and I booked directly with Turkish Air.

thank you Otherchelebi and Sassafrass.. i freaked myself out .. you are right. found some good fares.

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/BrazilAmazon#

OK, Sassafrass looks like this thread has petered out...so no longer guilty of felonious hijacking...but as promised here are the Brazilian Amazon pics to give you an idea, bug free! These are scanned from 1994...great little adventure.Chile, Argentina and southern Brazil were also part of this month-long independent trip. Our home was a major victim of the '94 quake here in California, so we escaped to SoAmerica while it was being rebuilt.
stu

Stu, your pictures are wonderful.

That really was an adventure. Twenty or so years ago, I think I would have gone to the Amazon without any thought about it. Age plus health issues, and I am much less adventurous. I can deal with most bugs, even snakes - it is spiders I don't like.

We have friends who moved to Chile a couple years ago, and we thought we would get there before they came back and did not - went to Israel and Turkey instead. Now, it looks as if they are going to Malaysia, and if they do, we will definitely visit them there.

Right now, Morocco is a serious contender for the next trip.

Here in Baltimore, last year, we felt the quake that hit the East Coast - first time in this area to actually feel it. From the sound, I thought my washing machine had gone crazy, then the shaking started and my little GD said, "Nana, the floor is dancing." Funny, it didn't seem scary after she said that. Many years ago, I was in California during one and did not find I liked it very much. You Californians are brave souls.

I am freaking out right now because my daughter advises me that she is making a day trip to Gaziantep (flying) tomorrow for work...traveling with 2 other young women...its proximinity to Syria & not knowing anything about this area has me beside myself with worry....anyone with current info?

Nothing to worry about in gaziantep. rest assured.

Great kebap at Imam cagdas, especially ali nazik and pistachio kebaps. The special baklava of Imamm cagdas also tremendous and the "katmer" of Orkide patisserie shop. She can read my reviews on trip advisor. and trip report on Fodors.

she should not drink tap water and put ice in her drinks.

i hope she gets a chance to visit the Zeugma museum.

Thank you...she's there now but will be returning to Istanbul on an evening flight...not sure how much free time she will have. Again thank you for the insight.

rattravlers,

Did you make any decisions on what how you'll spend your time during your visit to your daughters next week? Stay in Istanbul for the week? Side trip?