hikergal

We are 3 adults traveling together. Flying in very late to Istanbul from San Francisco and out very early to Izmir the next morning...my question is should we book 2 nights in the Ephesus area and do little trips then drive straight through to Konya then onto Cappadocia or should we do as many of the itineraries state which is to stay one night in Ephesus, 1 night in Pamukkale and 1 night in Konya?
We already have our 2 nights reserved in Cappadocia and then flying back into Istanbul for 2 nights then home to SFO the next afternoon.....
Yep, very pushed, but better than nothing!
And if we stay the 2 nights in the Ephesus area, suggestions??
Thanks!

colduphere

Otherchelebi will respond when he stops crying.

hikergal

otherchelebi, I didnt mean to make you cry! Imagine how I feel with a 6 day trip!

colduphere

None of my business but have you thought of spending your time in Istanbul when you first arrive there and flying home from Kayseri or Nevsehir. Though that might be risky using two airlines on your last day.

hikergal

flights are already booked out of Istanbul. I had thought of that early but was wary of that very thing....possibly not making the Istanbul connection, then not making the Munich connection....

tcreath

With such a rushed trip I would skip either Ephasus or Pamukkale. Trying to do both would be really rushing it. I can't comment on Pamukkale (did not visit) but Selcuk made an excellent base for exploring Ephasus and the surrounding area. Selcuk itself is home to the Ephasus Museum, which I highly recommend. The town has a very pleasant pedestrian-only area with a nice variety of places to eat and shop. We stayed at the Hotel Bella and were quite pleased overall.

Good luck!
Tracy

Fra_Diavolo

Personally, I think you are trying to pack in too much. With six days, I'd divide it between Istanbul and either Izmir or Cappodocia. Istanbul alone is worth a minimum of four days, Izmir at least two, possibly three. Can't comment on Cappodocia -- wasn't able to make it there on a fourteen day trip!

hikergal

Thanks Tracy, I think that is the way I am leaning. Did you by chance drive to Cappadocia from Selcuk?

gpotvin

I would skip the overnight in Pammukkale - you can see the area on your way through. Did not go to Konya, so cannot comment on that area. We stayed at Hotel Nilya in Selcuk - a great location and a great place to relax. Two days in Cappadocia is better than nothing. We stayed at the Kelebek in Goreme and did two days of organized tours from the hotel ($35/person including lunch).

hikergal

gpotvin - did you fly from Izmir to Cappadocia? We are staying in Kelebek sister hotel (Takonak Hotel)as they were booked (we were very disappointed!)
We were going to drive but now starting to re-think the sense of it......

otherchelebi

I am assuming that you made these plans under influence. (hypnosis, probably), therefore i am not crying or beating my head against the walls.

i am also assuming that you are quite young. I, for one, do not like to draw attention to my adulthood. people may think you ae responsible for your actions then.

Coming to pewter tacks, do please leave off Pamukkale and especially Konya, which is a Turkish version of an islamicized Kansas City.

Try to do one full day in selcuk with Ephesus, the museum, st. John's, etc. If your arrangements require an extra day, you could do Aphrodisias and Pamukkale and return to Selcuk that day or do a more leisurely Bafa/Herakleia/ Miletus/Prienne on that day.

and maybe you can move your Cappadocia reservtions one day earlier and spen one more night in Istanbul.

If, as i am assuming from your issues with booking hotels, this is for late September, do not miss out on the Bosphorus day and the night at one of the supper clubs while in istanbul. i know SF is great fun, but you have not seen the likes of Sortie or Reina in San francisco

Two full days in cappadocia

and hopefully three full days in Istanbul.

Fly between all destinations. Check Sunexpress, Pegassus and Atlas Jet in addition to Anadolu Jet and THY. The sooner you reserve the cheaper it will be and the easier to find flight to match your plans.

Try to fly in to Ataturk airport (IST) rather than Sabiha Gokcen (SAW), unless you are flying in after 10PM on a weekday.

I am glad cold has survived the Cairo taxis Would love to read his "Veni, Vidi....." of the trip.

Rent car at Selcuk.
Rent car and get private guide in Cappadocia or get a guide with car, who should also handle your transfers.

Check all the threads on Fodor's and Trip Advisor on which part of Istanbul to stay, before you decide on a hotel. Definitely avoid Crown Plazas, as some of our guests were chased out of one of them by cockroaches (probably imported from New York) last June.

colduphere

Otherchelebi - we all still burst into tears when we recall the Cairo taxi rides.

Give me a week.

yorkshire

It is unfortunate you won't have more time in Cappadocia with the name "hikergal"--you are in for such a treat!

tcreath

hikergal, I did not make it to Cappadocia either. We had one week (much too short for Turkey, as you can see!) and we chose to split our trip up to have 4 nights in Istanbul and 3 nights in Selcuk. We flew from IST to Izmir and rented a car. The drive to Selcuk couldn't be easier, as you get on a main road and head directly there. In addition to visiting Ephasus we did a daytrip to Miletus, Priene and Didym and it made a fantastic day. Also do make the drive to Sirince, a pretty little town high above Selcuk. The drive itself is gorgeous as you will drive through fruit orchards.

otherchelebi , "Islamasized Kansas City" ....love it! As someone from the "other" big city in Missouri (St. Louis) I know KC well and think I would give Konya a skip!

Tracy

Michel_Paris

I stayed in Konya. Interesting, but not with the time you have.

With limited time...we saw Ephesus in 1/2 day, but could have done more. A full day, and one night would be enough. Two in Cappadocia (we stayed in Goreme) and the balance in Istanbul.

gpotvin

Hiker Gal
I am unaware of any direct flights from Izmir to Cappadocia. We flew from Istanbul to Izmir, rented a car and stayed two nights in Selcuk. Visied Ephesus and Kusadasi the first day and drove to Pammukkale and Hieroplis the second day. Drove back to Izmir, stayed overnight and flew to Nevsehir via Istanbul the next day. Stayed four nights in Goreme and flew back to Istanbul. Veronica at Argeus travel (http://www.argeus.com.tr/) set up the flights and the car and the total cost was about $650. This was in October 2008. We flew Turkish Air on all legs.

sjk1976

sunexpress has a direct flight on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays in the morning. i just booked a one way on a Tuesday. it departs at 7:15 and arrives 8:40 in Kayseri. when booking from the US, I had a difficult time trying to pay with a credit card - until I switched the currency to Euros.