Turkey: 7 - 9 days
 

I will have from 7-9 days to visit Turkey in early July (yes, unfortunately, peak tourist season). I know I want to spend some time in the SultanAhmet (Old City) area. (the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Topkai Palace, Grand Bazar) I've read a little about Tahtakale and the Egyptian Bazaar (spice market), which I would be interested in - I believe this is also close to the old city

I've read about the Galata tower - but many of the "tours" have that as a incidental note to a Bosphorus Cruise (which I'm not interested in).

Cappadocia is appealing (the fairy chimney, icons rock churches, and the Kaymakli underground city are of interest.

Ephesus and its monuments are of interest to me, and I think it would be worth the flight and a couple of days.

For the most part, I avoid "tours," not liking large groups (that tend to move very slowly), and travel to get immersed in history and culture. I have just started my research, and I have several questions:
• Is there an advantage to working with a GOOD (recommendations that I can verify would be appreciated) travel / tour company, or am I better off arranging my Istanbul lodging in advance and selecting an Istanbul guide when I arrive, and selecting a different one for Cappadocia and again for Ephesus?
• Will there be any difficulty arranging for travel to Cappadocia without pre-purchased tickets?
• What about the flight to Ephesus?
I'll be traveling alone, would be willing to join a small group, but don't know if it would be necessary, or if it would be better to just hire a private guide once I'm there. I've corresponded with a couple of "well-reviewed" tour companies, but all they want to do is push pre-arranged packages without any sensitivity to what I want.
Thanks in advance.

I found it very easy to travel in Turkey solo and independently, and if you look on this board for trip reports, I think you will see that many of us have done so. There are VERY few things for which you need a guide IMO. (I would recommend one for a visit to one of the underground cities in Cappadocia and for the Terrace Houses at Ephesus; I didn't feel the need for a guide anywhere else.)

With only 7 - 9 days, your primary difficulty will be selecting what you will try to see, as the highlights of Istanbul can easily take 5 days to see even at a HARD pace, Cappadocia easily merits at least 3 or 4 days, and Ephesus either a VERY long day or time for overnights on either side. But it all depends on what YOU want to see and do.

I strongly recommend the Rough Guide -- it was by far the most useful of the half-dozen guidebooks I used when planning my time in Turkey. You can also find some very helpful information at http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com (but DO get at LEAST one good guidebook no matter how much of your planning you do on line -- only with a guidebook will you learn what you didn't know to ask).

BTW, I don't think i went to Tahtakale, but all the places you mention wanting to see in Istanbul are close to one another. Just don't underestimate how long they might take to visit! Also, the Galata Tower is nearby and certainly worth visiting to take in the magnificent views, especially if you can do so near sunset. :-)

Reconsider a Bosphorus cruise or ferry up the abosphorus to get a great view of both sides, Europe and Asia, and to get a feel of how large a city Istanbul is.

FWIW, I found my time on the Bosphorus pleasant, but felt that I gave up way too much time in the city for it. YMMV.

I liked the Bosphorus cruise if only for the wonderful Kanlica(sp?) yogurt with powered sugar that was onboard.

To the OP, I'd look into traveling solo to Istanbul, it's not hard. The Istanbul forums on TripAdvisor have some wonderful people that can help pick the right hotel and sites for you. We stayed at the Hotel Erboy in Sirkeci and though a budget hotel, it was close to everything and staff were excellent.

Just remember that Istanbul is a VERY popular city with both the East and West hemisphere, plus numerous cruise ships dock in the harbor. So most attractions take longer to get through. Definitely spend a night or two in Selcuk to see Ephesus and the town itself. Flights from Istanbul are cheap and take less than an hour.

The only place I'd take a tour is in Ephesus. We opted for the audio guide and felt that was too hard to follow. In hindsight I wish I had found a guide.

@ emily71 -- I would hardly call the Erboy "a budget hotel," although I agree that it is not high-end. YMMV.

@ EmericS -- I think you will find many very helpful people here on Fodor's forum, too. But most of us would not presume to suggest what is RIGHT for YOU. Most of us will leave it to YOU to learn about your options and make choices.

I was happy with my choice of Selcuk as a base for Ephesus; others prefer different bases.

If you're planning to fly the triangle of Istanbul-Cappadocia-Izmir-Istanbul (or the other way), I would book all the flights first and work around them.

Pegasus operate all those routes - http://www.flypgs.com/en/

Hello Emeric,
Dont worry July is not really peak season anymore since you will be wandering in the cuultural sites but not the Mediterranean coastline :) You can put istanbul cappadocia and ephesus to your 7-9 days in turkey. if you would like to have a semi arranged tour, you can book a hotel in sultanahmet area and do the sites there on your own or a private guide. but a guide is better for seeing the off the beaten, that you may not find or experience on your own. staying in sultanahmet, you can do the blue mosque, hagia sophia, topkapi palace, grand bazaar, spice market, tahtakale (next to grand bazaar) easily. bosporus cruise for 2 hours would be good and then you can walk up to galata to see the tower, pedestrian only street beyoglu, etc. if you want to do the cappadocia and ephesus portion spontaneously, you can use nighy busses and save some money from hotels :) but if you are not keen on a 12 hour bus ride at night, book your flights in advance with turkish air to cappadocia and from cappadocia to ephesus with sunexpress or pegasus airlines. airports are; Kayseri and nevsehir for Cappadocia and izmir for ephesus. just be careful for the two airports in istanbul, use Ataturk airport, it is in the european side...
2 days for cappadcia and 1,5 days in ephesus area is ok to see the major sites without rush. for accommodation, Goreme village and Selcuk town will be better since you will be travelling alone; you can meet single travellers like you in those places.
i will be happy to help you,
Kadir

I'm headed to Turkey in a little over a month, solo and am very excited for my trip. Flying into Istanbul and directly to Cappadocia (staying at Kelebek Hotel) for 3 days where I plan on doing a hot air balloon ride and a day exploring with Walking Mehmet. Then back to Istanbul (deciding between the Basileus Hotel and Sapphire Hotel) for 4 days, where I haven't planned much of an itinerary as I prefer to make it up as I go. I do plan on buying a 3 day Museums pass and praying that the weather cooperates.

jdc26, we stayed at the Kelebek for 3 days last June and loved it, next time I want to spend an extra day just to relax and enjoy the hotel and its surroundings. Don't miss the breakfast trip to their organic farm, a fun outing, as was the balloon ride. In Istanbul we stay at the Uyan, just behind the Blue mosque, my fav is their terrace restaurant with sweeping views of the Aya Sofya and Blues mosque on one side and the Sea of Maramara on the other, to die for:)

geetika, I believe it was your trip report that I got Walking Mehmet's information. So I'm looking forward to my day of walking with him. I also believe from my correspondences with him that he's works at the Kelebek. As a vegetarian I'm definitely looking forward to a visit to their organic farm. I did look into staying at Uyan, if for no other reason, than the views you talked about, but their price was out of my budget.

Thank you all so very much for your helpful comments and suggestions. I've locked in my flights in and out: and will have a total of 8 days in Turkey. You have all provided wonderful information for me to research further. Thank you again.