Month in Turkey - February/March 2023
 

Hi guys,
My husband and I are planning a trip to Turkey mid Feb to mid March 2023. I was there in 2014 for about 3 weeks and spent time in Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pammukale, Ankara, Fethyie, Konya, Gallipoli, Troy, Cannakkale, Ephesus, Pergamon and Kusadasi. Now I would like my husband to see some of the sites I really enjoyed including Ephesus (as I think it's a very special place) and some of the western coastline which is new for both of us (especially as the weather north and east will be cool) and also the south, potentially Antalya (again so we can enjoy some better weather). I was hoping to get your recommendations on places we should visit in the South, the western coastline (I found Fethyie beautiful but in July 2014 it felt too commercialized for me to really enjoy it) and also anywhere else between the south and the Ephesus region. We are also open to travelling inland. We will most likely hire a car where it's needed and are open to using public transport as well. We are 32 years of age, love the outdoors (but not huge on spending too much time on the beach - which won't be happening in Feb/March anyways), love a good hike/walk, some history, some relaxation (open to staying in resort for some of the trip) and love a town where we can walk around/get treats/have coffee and just explore etc. Hope that's enough information. Thanks in advance for your help. Marija

AVOOOOOOID
I visited Turkey 20 years ago and liked it. I decided to revisit with my grand children.
In one word. It is a disaster. we came back home last night. We were planning to say there for a month but rebooked new return flights and rushed back home as it got very bad.
We thought that it was just Istanbul that became dirty, a big bazar and ugly so I moved to many other places like Fetheye Kemer cirali and Antalya hoping we would find better and clean place. Noway!
It is a big trash the whole country! full of flying cockroaches as you walk in the street or you are eating in the restaurants all u can hear is their loud annoying noise or they fly around you and on your food. These bugs are overtaking TURKEY! no birds.
Be prepared to pay 4 to 10 times your bills as they came up with a concept that you should pay according to your back home countries. So they would ask you about your country of origin and when u tell them they feel free to take a calculator in front of you and multiply the price by the rate of change on the day!!!!
Restaurants have 3 menus one for Turkish people, a second one in Turkish lira for foreigns (prices areat least 5 times higher that the menu for the Turkish people) and the third one simply in Euro (knowing that you are in Asia!)
A real rip off, wherever you go, you get ripped off, you will be alarmed. It is not a holiday anymore.
The sewage go to the beaches.
Save your time and money and visit a clean and civic country where you will relax and walk, eat and swim without bugs!
I am now arranging another holiday as it was a waste of time and money

I recommend Lake Bafa for a couple of nights. There are 2 or 3 pensions in Kapıkırı village. Good hiking/walking in the foothills of Mount Latmos, ruins with interesting history, great views of the lake.

Some quite good info here:
https://www.bodrumfinder.com/en/ever...see-lake-bafa/

thanks very much for the suggestion re lake bafa.:tu:

Here's my trip report, somewhat dated and typographically ugly, covering our travels from Ephesus to Capadoccia:

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...2008-a-417855/

The references to the picture albums are out of date, so here they are:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjpcrHU1

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjp1sZBV

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjp1wvrT

thanks for sharing!

Please also visit Nemrut Dagi, Göbeklitepe, Sanliurfa and Mardin in the south-eastern Turkey. We have just visited them, highly recommended.

Our photos from the 2022 trip below:
https://travelbeforethecrowds.com/ne...cular-scenery/

https://travelbeforethecrowds.com/ma...ilk-road-town/

https://travelbeforethecrowds.com/sa...ry-what-to-do/

In the aftermath of the earthquake, any area below a line drawn from Ankara to Erzurum to cars to Arvin and Ordu is not recommended
i suggest you consider the Black Sea, Inner Aegean, like salihli/Sardis (my wife Eser has a youtube slide show), Kas, Patara, Myra and possibly Bursa and Iznik (where we are now). Sagalassos, Egirdir, the Frig Valley, Urfa are also recommended. Check some of my trip reports or my blog wwwotherchelebistravels.blogspot.com

Bear in mind that the OP has probably now already had their trip...