İstanbul - final two nights

We stayed in the * Hotel Pera the last two nights of our trip. I love *** İstiklal Caddessi, and this is the neighborhood I prefer to stay in. Sultanahmet is perfect for focusing on the UNESCO heritage sites, but this part of the city feels more real and exciting to me.

After three week together we mostly did our own thing during the day and would meet up at night. Some did a Bosphorus cruise, some spent the days visiting smaller art galleries and museums.

I finally visited *** Süleymaniye Camii. It was phenomenal, perhaps the most beautiful mosque I've ever seen. While it is very popular with Muslims, it thankfully is off the main tourist routes. And interestingly, we didn't have to leave during the call to prayer; they only asked us to leave during the prayer itself. This meant that we listened to the call while under the main dome. At Roxelana's mausoleum I actually staid during an impromptu prayer, when the gentleman sitting next to me opened his arms and began singing.




Quick dinner notes:
Istanbul 1924 was overrated. Some dishes were good, others mediocre. Not worth the price.
*** Ficcin takes up one of the alleys off of Istiklal. We went for happy hour, and stayed for dinner. And were lucky to get a table. There was plenty of room at 4 pm, but by 6pm it was packed.
* Karaköy Lokantası used to be off the beaten path, but with the new Galataport nearby it is now a hopping area. We couldn't get a table, so snacked at the bar. Make reservations!

What we missed:
Five trips to İstanbul, and there are still places I haven't visited! I hear a lot about the Asian-side neighborhood of Kadiköy, and would have liked to spend a day or evening there. I still haven't visited the Princes' Islands, or spent a weekend day on one of the chic neighborhoods up the Bosphorus.

Overall, though, this trip was fantastic. We paced it right, and I'd easily recommend this route for anyone who has three weeks. We could have even done another week & added extra days in Antalya, Konya, Güzelyurt, and İstanbul.

We had planned to hike the trail from Göreme to Uçhisar one morning, spend some time at the castle and town and then take a taxi back. This plan was derailed by my daughter and SIL's bout of food poisoning from the day before, so I was on my own. I arranged a last minute day tour instead. Reading your experience maybe it's best we didn't attempt the hike (excepting the food poisoning lol) - I'm not someone that especially enjoys hiking and if it had turned into a lost wander in the heat I would have been very unhappy.

Our balloon ride in Cappadocia was the highlight of our trip. Thanks for your report - it was interesting to read of some lesser known areas (to me, at least).

Yes, very interesting to read about the lesser known towns and regions, especially since I am unlikely to go there. Thanks for your TR and beautiful pictures, brought Turkiye alive for me again 😊

What an amazing trip report and breathtaking photos. I want to be at all those places. I am especially drawn to Sargassos and how intact it seems.

I tried walking that direction a decade ago & couldn't even find my way out of the valley. At least I wasn't lost! The oddest part is that there were occasional signs in the valley floor saying you were on the right trail .. and then the trail would dead end.

Glad you enjoyed the balloon ride! That was an unexpected highlight for us also. And we almost skipped it.

Thanks! I usually don't rent cars in other countries, but this time it really paid off.

Salagassos is worth the trip! And if you make it over there do it independently. We saw one bus pull up, but they only walked to the fountain and back & missed 75% of the city.

I dislike the idea of bus tours. I see them wreck the solitude of a place when they show up. Fortunately, that's when I 'm ready to leave....

Thanks for this awesome report. We spent 2 weeks in Turkiye last year, and want to go back and spend more time. There is definitely much more to see than the usual tourist trail. I am going to map your itinerary for ideas.

Also, I was motivated to read your Greece report, as that is a place I really want to see. Your descriptions of high mountain roads took me back to our journey from Butterfly Valley up through the mountains on a narrow road with no barriers. I still get anxiety thinking of it.

Michael, thank you so much for your fantastic trip report. We will be spending 3 weeks in Turkey in April 2025 and really appreciate all the details you included. We will be on an Intrepid (12 person) tour for 2 weeks but have 1 week on our own in Istanbul. We have booked 4 nights in the Sultanahmet area before the trip, but plan to stay 4 more nights after the trip in the Pera/Galata neighbourhood you suggested. You mentioned the Pera Hotel, but I have found several hotels with Pera in the name. Could you tell me if it's the Pera Palace you stayed in? Also, what places of interest to look for in that area. After reading your report we regret somewhat booking the tour, but we are in our late 70's and not as comfortable renting a car in a foreign country as we used to do. Thanks again.

Great report; thanks! I've just been second-guessing myself about planning a total of 9-10 days in Istanbul this October (never been, except to Ataturk airport), given limited time for travel. We'll have 2-3 days on our own in addition to a week on a Rick Steves city tour (I had a deposit with them).