Turkey in May
 

We are considering going to Turkey for 9 days sometime May/June. Our plan is to visit Istanbul for 4nt/5days and Cappadocia for the remaining time.
Please note this is our first time and I know its a short trip but this is all time we can afford to take off.

Do you have a question?

May would be better as it won't be as hot as June.

My son had just three days and 2 nights in Istanbul and was able to see quite a bit - not in depth but at least the Blue Mosque and Market for sure. He also said to allow LOTS of time if you need to cross the bridge either to or from the airport as it backs up tremendously.

We are thinking towards end of May. Any suggestions on what area to stay and transportation?

I was planning to visit Istanbul around the same time. Yesterday, the Delta airfare suddenly dropped 20%. I wonder it had something to do with the incident in Istanbul yesterday.

With only 9 days, you will need to be VERY selective, and that means that you would do well to consult some guidebooks and decide what most interests YOU. FWIW, of the half-dozen guidebooks I used when planning my trip to Turkey, I found the Rough Guide the most useful.

You will have plenty of time to see things.

On our trip to Turkey we spent 4 nights in Istanbul (Hotel Erboy) and 3 nights at the Kelebeck Hotel (cave hotel) in Goreme. We loved the location of both the hotels. The hotels arranged pick up at the airports. I believe that with four nights at the Erboy we received a free on way transfer to the hotel. We walked most places from the Erboy. Their rooftop bar overlooked the Bosphorus Strait and the Hagia Sophia. Absolutely fabulous. The Kelebeck Hotel overlooked the city of Goreme.

The Kelebeck Hotel booked our two tours and balloon ride in Cappadocia. If you can afford the balloon ride, do it. It was the best experience we have ever had (and we have traveled all over the world including a safari in Kenya).

To maximize time, we flew from Istanbul to Nevsehir at 7A on day 5. We arrived at 8:20A. We were picked up at the airport and were at our hotel by 9:30A. We dropped our bags and walked to the Goreme Open Air Museum.

It may seem like a short time, but we saw a great deal in both places. I had set a tentative itinerary each day of things we wanted to see and do. We bought the museum pass which turned out to be a time saver plus saved us money. We actually did more things in the day than I had thought we would.

Have a great time!

As BarbAnn said, you WILL have time to see plenty of things. Nonetheless, I had more time than you will and I did not have time to see everything that I wanted to see in these locations -- and I travel HARD! That's why I said that you will need to be selective.

It is a fascinating part of the world and I'm sure you will find much to treasure.

BarbAnn and kja- thanks for some tips...finally its great to hear from well versed travelers that 9 days is enough you don't get to hear that often.
Did you fly from Istanbul to Cappadocia? Are there any other alternatives?
Is public transportation the best option in Istanbul?

Well, I didn't actually say that 9 days is enough. ;-)

For your trip, flying to Cappadocia makes sense. Consider going straight there so you don't need to spend time getting into / out of Istanbul twice and so you don't need two separate stays in Istanbul. You'll be tired, but you'll be tired in any case.

And yes, rely on public transportation while in Istanbul.

Hey El <b>Sherif</b>, about time you galloped out of town before the Protocol posse grabs you.