I and my husband are travelling from Boston to Turkey with 2 very active boys 4 and 9 (keeping our fingers crossed on the current situation there). We land in istanbul on August 17th around 3 PM and leave Istanbul on the 4th of sep at 6AM. Our plan is to spend 4-5 days each in istanbul and cappadocia and spend the remaining days somewhere along the coast. If recommended with kids, we would also like to add 2-3 days for ephesus/pamukkale.

The information on turkey travel planner and captivating cappadocia helped us get answers to a lot of our questions. We are looking for some personalized suggestions on travelling with young kids - places to stay/visit/eat. I and my 9 year old are vegetarian. Other than the usual tourist sights, we are also looking for ideas/suggestions on something the kids might enjoy and remember other than just pools and waterparks. We hope for the trip to not be rushed and of course we are on a budget.

1. Is sultanahmet a good area to base ourselves in istanbul? Would renting an apartment be the best option for a family? Recommendations? We will do the blue mosque, hagia Sophia, hippodrome and basilica cistern over 2 days, do miniturk on a day, a half day bhosphorus cruise. Topkapi palace – still undecided! Any other recommendations?

2. In cappadocia, We would like to stay in a cave hotel. What are some good places for families that offer sleeping for 4. Most places seem to have only a French bed in the room! Do any of the hotels offer a view of the balloons flying early in the morning that we could may be enjoy from the terrace (while the kids are still sleeping).

We plan to hire a vehicle with driver to take us around for a day or two (what can we expect to pay) and rent a car for the other days. Does this sound like a good plan? Is the car necessary? What can we do/see on our own and what should we do with a local driver/guide?
What would be a good 4-5 day itinerary with kids? I found these two interesting articles but I am still struggling to put an itinerary together.
http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo...cappadocia.htm
http://www.captivatingcappadocia.com...in-cappadocia/

3. Night bus to Denizli and visit pamukkale/Ephesus. Where can we stay and what are some interesting sights? What is the best way to tour this area?

4. Drive to ?? on the coast. Fethiye, Dalyan, Kas, cirali?? I am so lost on this part of our trip - where to base ourselves in and things to do/ see.
I understand that it probably makes more sense to do the coast first and then go to pamukkale/Ephesus and fly out of Izmir but I am struggling to put it into a working itinerary. Where would be a good place to base ourselves in?

Things we are looking for
1. Breathtakingly() beautiful
2. Soft beaches
3. Not over packed
4. Moderately priced

Other things we would like to do/seemed interesting in our research
1. Hamam
2. Turkish music and dance show
3. Jeep Safari Tour
Where would be the best place to do each of the above?
4. Mud baths -?
5. Thermal pools
6. ATV tours – Are kids allowed on these?

Any other ideas for us and kids to experience the local culture and life?

Keep an eye on the State Department's travel alert for Turkey. The current one expires July 5th, but it could be replaced or downgraded as conditions warrant.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p...a/pa_5990.html

I might consider a back-up plan with reservations that can be cancelled without penalty (at least until mid-July when you'll have a better idea of the situation).

If you go to Turkey, I'd enroll in the STEP program mentioned in the travel alert.

Yes on Topkapi Palace: The treasure room and armory are likely to enthrall your kids, save them for last.

Thanks. We are. Unfortunately the airline tickets are non-refundable

We were there DURING the demonstrations (June 10th-16th). Go - you won't be affected in the slightest.

Unfortunately, some of your four basic requirements are mutually exclusive, in terms of location. Which means you will not have time to fulfill all your desires fully.

You will have some breathtaking beauty at Cappadocia but if you mean pure nature as in canyons, mountains, forests, waterfalls, rivers, parts of the Lycian Way and most of Eastern Black Sea needs to be visited; folloewed somewhat by the biblical landscapes of Mardin, Hasankeyf, Zeugma, Halfeti and Rum Kale.

Soft Beaches will invariably be crowded unless you travel away from the crowds and find your own private locations on the coastal road between Alanya and Erdemli/Mersin.

Crowded soft beaches are available at Alanya, Side, Kaputas, Patara, Cesme, Cunda, Edremit, Gokceada,

Mud Baths at Dalyan and Koycegiz.

Spas at Davutlar, close to Kusadasi and Ephesus, as well as Yalova, just a ferry ride from Istanbul: or Afyon, Kutahya, Inegol, Bursa; as well as Pamukkale/Hieropolis

Jeep safaris will be available at most resorts on the Southwest, West of Antalya, like Beldibi, goynuk, Cirali, Kas, Fethiye, Dalyan.

Dalyan and Fethiye will give you a day cruise which includes mud bath and soft sand plus some rock tombs and another day of jeep safari neither of which may be suitable for the kids unless you get the operator's guarantee. Both may involve drinking Brits and horse play.

A private safari is recommended but be warned that these are usually ancient jeeps and have absolutely no comfort.

The thermal pools at Pamukkale, especially Cleopatra's pool will be exciting for you and the kids.

For the Turkish folk dancing and whirling dervish show, Hodjapasha in Sirkeci in old town seems to get the best ratings. This is a good location for simple reasonably priced food which is mostly meat based butr will also have a number of traditional Turkish cold olive oil base vegetable dishes and salads.

Hamam is definitely not for the kids. They would be bored and would not be alowed to run around.

In Istanbul, the Rahmi Koc museum will be terrific for them both, including everything interactive machines and actual tank, submarine, etc. The Halat Restaurant on the Golden Horn shore within the museum is very good but not cheap so be careful.

Further up from the Rahmi Koc Museum is MiniaTurk which is also interesting for the whole family.

There are no problems in visiting any place in turkey at this time and as far as I can see within the coming months. Check these forums for any warnings which I will be sure to post.

For the very recent history of the current protests, if you have time, you can read my latest thread here on the Turkey forums.

Thank you everyone for your responses.

Our itinerary is beginning to look as follows
1. Aug 17th at 3:45PM - Arrive in Istanbul
2. Aug 17-21 - Istanbul
3. Aug 22 - Fly to cappadocia
4. Aug 22-25 Cappadocia with a rental car.
5. Aug 26 - overnight bus to Denizli
6. Aug 27th - Pamukkale.
7. Aug 28 - Sep 2 - What is a suggested itinerary for these 6 nights?
8. Fly back to Istanbul from ?? on Sep 3rd, check into a hotel near the airport and fly out of Istanbul at 6AM on the 4th.

We originally considered the marmaris or fethiye region because
1. The drive from pamukkale seemed reasonable
2. We thought the jeep safari and mud baths might be fun for kids.

If both of the above are not suitable for kids, we would really appreciate any other recommendations on where to base ourselves and things to do in that area.

I would also like to plan something special on the 28th for my husband's birthday. Hookah and turkish dancing maybe (can we take kids to such places). Where can we do this? Any other recommendations?

We just returned from visiting Turkey with our sons, who are 11 and 13. It was fabulous!! And we were not negatively affected by the demonstrations; to the contrary, we found it to be a particularly interesting time to visit.

In Istanbul, my guess is that your kids will quickly tire of Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque. Basilica cistern and the treasure room/ armory at Topkapi will be much more interesting. We didn't have a chance to visit the military museum, but we heard it would be good for kids. We also heard that a visit to the top of the Sapphire building is a cool kid-friendly thing. My kids enjoyed spending hours in the Grand Bazaar and on ferries (we didn't do a formal tour - we just took public ferries around). And we didn't have time for the Prince's islands, but that would be a great day for sure, particularly if it's hot.

We stayed in this apartment in Beyoglu (loved the neighborhood and it was easy to get to the old town by tram): http://istanbulplace.com/apartments/firuz-place/

But you might find Sultanahment more convenient with a younger child. I think there was a family room at Empress Zoe?

On the food front, there were always lots of vegetarian options for eating - I don't think you'll have any issues there.

In Cappadocia, we stayed at Esbelli Evi and LOVED it. We had the family cave suite, which was huge and wonderful. We did a balloon tour with Voyager - simply awesome.

txtree, Thank you for your message.
After reading everyone's comments we decided to go ahead with our bookings. I am in the process of finalizing the flights. Is there a website that is better than others to compare and book flights. I remember reading that domestic flights are inexpensive in turkey. How much is a good price to pay from Istanbul to cappadocia and vice versa
Thanks

Check Turkish Air, Sunexpress, Onur, Pegasus. Try Kayak.com Our flights were very inexpensive within Turkey.

We booked on Turkish Air - I can't recall the exact fares but they were reasonable, the flights were at convenient times, and I found the online booking system to be very easy. I loved Turkish Air, by the way, and will definitely try to fly that airline again when I return to Turkey.