Glander

Hi,

We are mid-aged couple, love photography, enjoy new experience with different culture and moderate hiking for scenic views, travel with low-moderate budget at moderate pace.

I’m planning a trip to Turkey in late May:
flight to Istanbul 3 nights
flight to Izmir, rent a car to explore Pamukkale and its neighbors 4-5 nights
stay in Cesme 2-3 nights
flight back to Istanbul 3 nights then flight home.

I thought of going to Goreme, but thinking of the long exhausting bus ride or flight + bus, I tend to cut it off so be less stressful while explore more around Aegean coast and Istanbul.

My questions are:
1. Is my plan efficient overall (sightseeing, time, cost)?
2. Is driving convenient or better off by taking a bus from site to site?
3. What should I be aware of if driving around Pamukkale and Aegean coastal area? (I only did driving in Southern Germany in Europe)
4. Which scenic or unique local site I must not miss in this trip?

Your tips and recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Glander

kja

> We ... enjoy new experience with different culture and moderate hiking for scenic views, travel with low-moderate budget at moderate pace.

With these interests, you might look into the Rough Guide and/or Lonely Planet guide books.

>a trip to Turkey in late May

Most of my time in this area was in May and it was wonderful -- lots of blooming flowers, very pleasant temperatures, and only a few scattered showers.

> flight to Istanbul 3 nights ...
flight back to Istanbul 3 nights then flight home.

I'm not sure how many days that leaves you for Istanbul itself. FWIW, I was glad to have 5 full days (which I filled from morning to night); I could easily have enjoyed another day or two.

> What should I be aware of if driving around Pamukkale and Aegean coastal area? ... Which scenic or unique local site I must not miss in this trip?

You might find some useful information in my trip report - just click on my name to find it.

Enjoy!

Glander

Thank you kja for your quick response. Yes, I happened browsed your 25 days' Turkey report, I was overwhelmed by the places you visited... did you drive to any beach site?
Out of all the places you had visited, besides of Istanbul, could you recommend 3-5 most scenic sites to me?

I used to love the travel book 'Travel Smart' series that it gave you star rate 1 to 4 and length of the time for each place so you'd have a quick idea as a first-time visitor for what to see within limited days. Pity it's no longer in service. I'll check the book you mentioned as a reference.

Yes, I'm planning to stay in Istanbul for 6 days or more...I need to make a detailed plan for it after I get the general route layout.

Any first-hand input is valuable to me. Thanks again!

Glander

Croesus

Kapıkırı on Lake Bafa would be a good place for a couple of nights. A morning's hike on the slopes of Mount Latmos to the monastery and frescoes there is very scenic. And prehistoric cave paintings too!

There's a good article about it here:
http://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/i...:-places-to-go

Croesus

Here's a view of the lake and my guide, Yusuf - http://www.herostratics.com/Stuff/YusufOzel2.jpg

kja

> did you drive to any beach site?

Not in the areas you are planning to visit. And I'm not a beach person, so I only spent a few minutes at the beaches at which I did stop (Adrasan and Patara).

> Out of all the places you had visited, besides of Istanbul, could you recommend 3-5 most scenic sites to me?

I was stunned by the scenery almost everywhere I went, and was glad to see a variety of types of scenery. I honestly couldn't pick out a subset to recommend - sorry!

> I used to love the travel book 'Travel Smart' series that it gave you star rate 1 to 4 and length of the time for each place so you'd have a quick idea as a first-time visitor for what to see within limited days. Pity it's no longer in service

It is hard to find guidebooks that help plan how much time to spend in any one place, isn't it? But there is at least some helpful info out there: I think Frommer's usually gives an idea of what to do with visits of various lengths, at least for major destinations (e.g., Istanbul). Frommer's and Fodor's both give stars to indicate higher priority sites at each destination. The Rough Guide and Lonely Planet each give short lists of high priority sites in each region of a country. Eyewitness Guides usually have regional maps that highlight some of the most highly recommended sites. I don't think there is a Michelin Green Guide for Turkey, but it usually provides ratings of places and at least some information about how much time to plan for specific things. (I'm always glad to find a fair amount of agreement between sources, and also intrigued by the differences.)

Glander

Thanks kja. Is driving manageable without GPS? ...It's another concern for me to choice where to stay or stop.

Glander

kja

> Is driving manageable without GPS?

I don't see why not, assuming you have a good map. And when I was there, some parts of Turkey weren't covered by my GPS system, so even if you have GPS, I would strongly recommend taking a map as a backup. Major roads in the areas I visited were well signed; I don't know about the areas you'll be visiting.

Paragkash

Glander, I did a Turkey trip 3 years back. And due to a few Fodorites who helped me plan my itinerary, it has been the most memorable trip of my life.
Cappadocia is a must. Don't miss it at any cost. It is the most unique place in the world.
You can stay in Istanbul for 2 nights.
Take a flight to Kayesari. (You get cheap flights on Pegasus airlines)
You should rent a car at Cappadocia.
Stay at a cave hotel at Goreme for 2-3 nights.

Take an overnight bus to Pamukkale. Very comfortable.
You can see it in half a day and proceed to Selcuk. Or stay for a night there and take a bus to Selcuk ( 4 hours)

Within Selcuk, you don't need any car to see Efesus and other sites.
You can rent a car after 2 days and go south to see beautiful places on the agean sea and come back to Selcuk. Take a bus or train to Izmir to board a flight back to Istanbul.
Stay for 2 nights and fly out.

I have posted my trip report only on the cappadocia part of this tour. You may find it helpful. You can click on my name and look for it.

Driving in Turkey is a pleasure. I come from a country where we have right hand drive cars. But was never uncomfortable.

We had a day free at Selcuk. So we drove to Mili national park. It was one of the most rewarding day. A free day at Istanbul was also very rewarding.
These days with a lot of free time, actually help us know the culture and how the locals live their life. It's lot of fun.

I am totally in love with Turkey. I think it is one of the very few countries with so much of varied cultural and geographical diversity to offer...Only other place to match would be India...
Do let me know if you need any further details...

Paragkash

We had maps and never lost our way. Didn't feel the need for GPS

Glander

Thanks so much for your time, kja and Paragkash.

Paragkash, you made me rethink my second thought of skipping the Cappadocia. I knew it's a highlight, but I was hesitated by the exhausting long bus ride. If I go for it, I'd cutoff the days around Aegean coastal area (considering three separated areas in the trip: Istanbul, Pamukkale and Aegean coastal area, Cappadocia). I'll have to read more of your trip and see for the details.

Questions in my mind for now:

Would I get lost, danger or permission problem without a guide for those well-known sites (considering we'd pay more attention on photography than story-telling, taking our own pace to stop at anytime, take no more than 4 hours' hiking if we do)?

Are there any free local maps provided in hotels or the local tourist office (are there any?)?

kja

I did not feel a need for a guide in any of the places I visited in Cappadocia, except for Kaymakli, the underground city that I chose to visit; if you do visit one of the underground cities, I think it would be hard to know what you are seeing without a guide.

There is a schematic tourist map of the Cappadocia area that seemed to be widely available at tourist destinations in the area. Still, I would urge you to bring small maps of the areas you plan to visit with you just in case. You will find them in good guide books.

Glander

Got it. Thanks kja.

samanta

Dear Glander,
Never miss out capadoccia ! is fantastic place to be ! Good luck !

Paragkash

Glander, there is no need for a guide. I can give you a car rental's number who will pick you up from the airport, drop you to your hotel at Goreme and leave the car with you for 24 hours. He will also pick up the car the next day. All this for a cost of an airport pick up by any hotel. I paid 85 TL.

It is a photographer's delight. I have a Nikon D 7000 now. Had a cannon then. I went berserk. If you check any photos on pbase or flicr; you will realise what you will miss. I have also written where you should be at which times for photography. I have a map with directions and order of sites to be seen. I can share it with you. We drove for one day and the next day we just wandered around in the valley. It is totally unprotected live museum. there are no gates, guards. Several habitats, churches, temples in the tufa cones. Wandering around in the caves was the best experience.

In fact, Cappadocia is so small, compact and laid back. You must wander at your own pace. We spent 1 night and 2 days there. Took a night bus on day 2 to Pamukkale. Very comfortable.

I will tell you my experience. I reached there by 6.45 - 7 am. Spent some quality time till 8-8.30. After that the tour groups came and it was all full. Then we went to the ancient city of Heirapolis. Wandered for some time. If you manage to reach back to the town centre by 11.30 am, you get a connecting bus to Selcuk. If you take a later bus, it goes via Izmir and takes time. next direct bus to Selcuk is at 4 pm.
I thought 4 hours were good enough. But you can take your pick.
You can see blue sea, even lost cities and dilapidated monuments in many countries in the world. But there is only one Cappadocia in the world. Something similar is on the Moon and Mars.
DON'T MISS CAPPADOCIA AT ANY COST.

Croesus

"Cappadocia is so small, compact" - I have to disagree with you there, Paragkash.

"Cappadocia covers an area of approximately 5,000 square kilometers" - National Geographic:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...padocia-facts/

Paragkash

Glander, if you need any maps or car rental's contact nos. which aren't available on the internet, you can e mail me on [email protected]...
Wish you a great trip.
i am sure that you will fall in love with turkey, the way I did...

Croesus

If you're set on including Cappadocia, I'd suggest leaving your time in Istanbul to the end of the trip and fly directly to Cappadocia at the beginning. Spend 3 or 4 nights there and then fly to Izmir for 3-4 nights there (Selcuk and Pamukkale, etc), and then your final 5-6 nights in Istanbul.

Check out Turkish Airlines for flights from Istanbul to Nevsehir or Kayseri for Cappadocia, also Pegasus and AtlasJet flights to Kayseri.

From kayseri to Izmir there are Pegasus and SunExpress flights. And from Izmir back to Istanbul practically every domestic airline does that route, you're spoilt for choice.

This is a pretty standard triangular tour that many tourists follow. An alternative would be the "figure-of-eight" which means less time in Istanbul - 3 nights in Cappadocia, a week driving from Izmir to Antalya (via Ephesus, Pamukkale and the Lycian coast), and then 4 nights in Istanbul.

Glander

Yes, that may ease my mind off the long bus ride, but at a cost of the extra route to Selcuk and Pamukkale. In which case I'd have to skip the Antalya and around, pick some similar coastal site not too far from Selcuk and Pamukkale instead.

Say, 2 nights in Istanbul after a long flight from USA, then fly to Kayseri, 3 nights in Goreme, then flight from Kayseri to Izmir, rent a car (or bus?) to Pamukkale 2 nights, driving (or bus?) to a beach site 2 nights (which one relatively 'unique'/'Turkey-ish'?) , flight back from Izmir to Istanbul, another 2 nights there before flight home...

Thank you, Paragkash and Croesus.

Now I felt sort of less 'foggy' for my trip itinerary...though still a lot to fill-in...

kja

> 3 nights in Goreme

Would that mean 2 or 3 or 4 days in Goreme?

> Say, 2 nights in Istanbul after a long flight from USA, another 2 nights there before flight home...

How many days does that give you in Istanbul?