Trip help for TURKEY in Nov 2008 - 10 days
 

Hi

Planning a trip for mid-Nov. Have done a lot of research already, but hoping for some guidance to narrow down the decisions among so many great places!

I have come up with some tentative itineraries below, but there are a couple of things I'd love some advice on:
1) Is it too cold in November across the board, and are a lot of sights (non-Ist) closed?
2) Seems it's not possible to visit both Ephesus and Cappadocia in 10d - have heard Afrodisias is as wonderful as Ephesus - opinions?
3) Logistically, is there a direct way to travel between Pamukkale and Cappadocia w/o heading back to Istanbul? Prefer to fly or take train, though have read that buses in Turkey are very comfortable for o/n journeys
4) Are there any off-the-beaten-track day trips from one of the bases that shouldn't be missed?
5) Thought it would be too cold on the coast in Nov - thoughts?
6) Any good consolidated websites for internal air and and bus info/schedules/maps?

I know I'll be back to Turkey, so not looking to cram stuff in without taking time to enjoy the country. Just want to organize well so we can enjoy the trip!

Thanks very much in advance for any suggestions/help.

SG

Plan A:
D1: Arr Ist, go directly to Pamukkale (o/n train or fly to Denizli)
D2,3: Pammukale, Hierapolis, Afrodisia (fly back to Istanbul or take o/n train again)
D4,5,6: Istanbul (fly to Kayseri)
D7,8,9: Cappadocia
D10: Back to Istanbul for departure

Plan B:
D1: Arr Ist
D2,3: Istanbul (fly to Kayseri)
D4,5,6: Cappadocia (fly to Denizli via Ist)
D7,8: Pammukale, Hierapolis, Afrodisia (fly back to Istanbul or take o/n train again)
D9: Istanbul
D10: Departure

I am far from an expert, but I think Plan B makes more sense. I enjoyed Afrodisias very much. I wouldn't say it is as wonderful as Ephesus, but it is truly a fascinating site to visit. Turkey is an amazing country. Hope you have a great trip.

Hi Saregama;
Your both options are fine, just need to check times so whichever is more suitable you choose.

November can be nice weather anywhere, evenings get chillier....but can be also colder than expected with some rainy days.

You could also consider; Istanbul. Cappadocia, fly to Izmir Ephesus and further to Pamukkale before returning to Istanbul.

No train or plane connection between Pamukkale - Cappadocia. Self drive or driven, night buses are the options.

Happy travelling,

Murat

Hello Saregama,

Aphrodisias is great, and personally, I enjoyed it much more than Ephesus. As opposed to Ephesus, there were no crowds of tourists, it was quiet and romantic (I was there at the beginning of September).

Aphrodisias is beautifully restored, and a pleasant site for archaeology fans.

If you do go to Pamukkale, a word of advice:
AVOID Yildizhan Hotel.

The owner, Suleyman, awaits new unsuspecting "victims" on his motorbike at the town entrance, and offers to show his "new hotel". Well, the Yildizhan is not new at all. It is more than 10 years old, shabby, with a poor, small and far-from-fresh breakfast. The towels are not changed, and no one empties the bins in the rooms. They charge very high prices, with no justification, and you discover this only at check out time. Do yourself a favor and do NOT go there.

Otherwise, Turkey is a beautiful country (have been only to the Aegean coast myself, but for quite a thorough visit). People are usually very nice and kind, and eager to help.

Enjoy your trip!

I just got back from turkey and went to Ephesus, Pammukale, Bergamom, Priene, Didyma Istanbul, Bodrum, Marmaris, and Cappadocia. I didn't got to Aphrodias. (sorry about spelling errors)

Pammukale/Hieropolis is great, but try to go either early morning or late afternoon to miss the crowds(Although nov. may be less busy than sept). It wasn't so much swimming as walking among people in the ruin pool. Also, at many of the ruins (Bergamon, Priene, Hieropolis), the signs have worn away so if you don't have a guide or guide book, it will be difficult to understand what was there).

Heather

P.S.. My friend and I used Murat to help with travel plans and he and his wife are just wonderful and extremely helpful.

We will also be travelling to Turkey late Oct.-Nov. While planning for our domestic flights, bus reservations, I find it hard to do so as some airline schedules are not published yet and/or subject to cancellation. Through Murat, planning is easier; first time that we've used a travel agent in our 20 years of travelling. In hindsight, if I knew the situation I should not have scheduled our vacation past Oct. 23 which seems to be the touring cut-off date.

Saregama:

My DH and I spent 13 days in Turkey in
May and I cannot recommend it enough.
If I only had 10 days, I would choose
either Capadoccia or the Ephesus/Aprodisias area. I would not do both in 10 days if you plan to visit Istanbul, also.

One important point-you need to figure out how you are going to get to the
sights from your hotel. The distances can be great and you probably need to arrange your transportation with local
tour companies in advance. The names and addresses of some local companies are available in Frommers and Lonely Planet guidebooks. We had
private tours with guides and drivers arranged through Credo Tours
in Istanbul, but that type of arrangement is expensive.

As for Aphrodisias vs. Ephesus, do not even think of being in the coastal area of Turkey without taking a separate day trip to each.
I will never forget either site. I personally preferred Aphrodisias, but DH preferred Ephesus. Now that I have returned home, I find myself thinking of Ephesus more.

Capodoccia is also wonderful and I remember our guide saying that the area gets visitors all year long. I would think that weather would be more of a factor in Cappodocia, since you have to do some moderate climbing and that would not be easy
if the rocks were slippery from rain or sleet.

Pat

Good point on Cappadocia Pat. That is why we shortened our stay there. Still, one can visit the Goreme Park/Museum, do hot air balloon and underground towns.

Hi Saregama,
Here are the answers of your questions:1-It's cold at that time of the year in Turkey.It's gonna be snowy in Central Turkey(in Cappadocia especially,but it's really beautiful).You'll find the places open in winter all around the country.
2-You can first fly to Kayseri to see Cappadocia.After then,you can take the bus or the tour to Pamukkale which takes almost 7 hours.After staying in Pamukkale,you can drive to Ephesus in 3 hours.On the way to Ephesus,leave the highway to head to Aphrodisias in 1,5 hours.
3-After staying in Kusadasi,you can fly back to Istanbul.
You can also see the details below:
Day1:Arrival to Istanbu.
Day2:Fly to Kayseri to visit Cappadocia.
Day3:Cappadocia
Day4:Drive(or take the bus) to Pamukkale.
Day5:Visit Pamukkale.
Day6:Drive to Aphrodisias.Then to Ephesus.
Day7:Visit Ephesus.
Day8:Drive/fly/take the train to Istanbul from Izmir.
Day9&10:Istanbul.

Here's our itinerary travelling late Oct. - early Nov.
-NYC to Istanbul, stay 3 days
-Fly Istanbul to Cappadocia and stay 2 days (car rental for 2 days)
-Fly Cappadocia to Izmir (through Istanbul; hopefully Murat can get us a non-stop ticket), stay 2 days
-Drive to Aphrodisias then to Pamukkale, stay 2 days in Pamukkale hotel (3 days car rental for Izmir & Pamukkale trip
-Bus from Denizli to Fethiye, stay 1 day
-Fly back from Dalaman airport to Istanbul and stay 2 days
This would be a 13-day trip including flight time. It looks rushed, but I don't know when or if we will come back to Turkey so we don't want to miss special places.

-

Saregama,
Meanwhile if you need any further assistance please e-mail to me .Have a safe trip.

Daily Turkish Airlines flight Istanbul and Nevsehir is another option to consider as flight times are very civilised.....
Good walking shoes are always recommended for Cappadocia but having a polar or jacket is plus for the nights in November......

Murat

I just came from from 16 days trip to Turkey. Amazing! Just want to comment on Ephesus vs Afrodisias.
No, Afrodisias is NOT as wonderful as Ephesus! Not even close! Ephesus is simply amazing! I will never forget my first look at the street leading to the library. Also, Roman houses that are under restoration, but you can still see them (separate entrance and admission fee) - so well preserved - amazing!. Also, if you come to Ephesus after 2:00 pm, it will not be too crowded, most of the groups will be gone. It is open until 7:30 pm.

bookmarking

Just a comment on your question about weather. Last year we were in Turkey from about Nov. 25 to Dec. 7. No rain. A little snow. Generally fall jacket weather. However, our tour guide said the previous tour (that would have been the middle of Nov.) had rain EVERY day. So I guess it would be hard to predict. I was SO glad we had not taken the previous tour. Ruins in rain would not have been at all pleasant!

Thanks, Helen re Ephesus and Aphrodisia. We're thinking of bypassing Aphrodisia as our sked is really rushed. Do you happen to have a trip report? Would love to read it if you have one.

NYC, unfortunatly I don't know how to right trip reports... Sorry! But if you have any questions, please ask!

We are planning a trip to Cappadocia next September and see that most people stay only 3-4 days. It looks like one could spend a week and not run out of things to see. Any suggestions on how long is the right time? We have the time for up to 7 days.

If you have the time 4-5 days realxing time and exploring in Cappadocia is good enough....

Happy travelling,
Murat

Thank you... think we'll cut it down to 5... Just looks like so many interesting things to see.

toni

This is too late for some, but for the later posters here are some thoughts.

Just returned from two weeks in Turkey. We spent 4 nights at the Kelebek hotel in Goreme and found that to be about right. They do two different tours that cover most of the important sights - Rose Valley, Ihlara Canyon, Underground City, Pottery at Avanos etc. We also did the Goreme Open Air Museum on our own. We passed on the hot air balloons, but watched them each morning from the hotel.

We flew to Izmir from Istanbul and drove to Selcuk where we stayed for two days at the Nilya, a great place. From there we drove to Ephesus, Kusadashi, Pammukkale, and Aphrodius.

Argeus Travel (Urgup) [email protected] helped with the arrangements and I would highly recommend their services. They reserved air from Istanbul to Izmir; Izmir to Nevsehir (via Istambul); and Nevsehir to Istanbul. They also set up the car rental at Izmir and arranged a shuttle in Cappadoccia.

dear saregama,

first of all, ý 'd like to celebrate you for choosing turkey to have a nice travel.
ý hope you will find the best memorials on your trip...
1) Now , I am in istanbul and the degree is 17 C ... and today is sunny...
2) no, you can easily finf times to visit ephesus and cappodocia in 10 days
ýf you chose any professional agency, they will easily help to you...
3) you can travel by the bus to go to the cappodocýa...


to have a nice travel in your 10 days, ý could prefer an agency called adelphiatours.com

you can use them because they are very professional and they are not just a local company..
they have an office in CANADA Toronto , too...

see u ...
ý hope you will have nice trips...