bniemand

My husband and I are planning our first trip to Turkey for 2 weeks in late September. I’ve spent some time reading many of the wonderful trip reports here, as well as a couple of guide books. I think I’ve come up with a pretty good itinerary.

Day 1: Fly Chicago to Istanbul (Turkish Airlines non-stop)
Day 2: Arrive Istanbul 5:00
Day 3, 4, 5: Istanbul (all the usual sites, and maybe a Bosphorus cruise if time)
Day 6: Fly to Izmir, rent car, see Ephesus in the afternoon
Day 7: Day trip to Priene, Miletus and Didyma
Day 8: Day trip to Aphrodisias
Day 9: Fly to Nevsehir or Kayseri, transfer/shuttle to Urgup
Day 10, 11: Cappadocia (hire guide for day tours)
Day 12: Fly to Istanbul in the afternoon
Day 13: Istanbul (shopping day!)
Day 14: Fly home

I’ve checked the Turkish Airlines schedules for the internal flights and flight times work well for the dates I want.

After looking at what seems like 100s of hotel web sites (which I LOVE to do!) here are my choices:
Days 2 to 6: Four Seasons in Sultanahmet
Days 6 to 9: Muses House in Kirazli (first choice was Gullu Konak in Sirince, but not available)
Days 9 to 12: Serinn House in Urgup
Days 12 to 14: Park Hyatt in Nisantasi neighborhood

When I originally started researching I was thinking we’d spend a few days driving the coastline starting in Izmir and ending in Antalya. But I realized it would be too much to cram into a 2 week trip unless I was willing to give up Cappadocia, which I’m not. So I think the pacing of this itinerary is more relaxing, and we can always plan a coast trip for the future.

I’m about ready to book flights and hotels, but first wanted to ask for feedback – please tell me if you see any issues or have suggestions for changes. Thank you!

worldinabag

Hi

Day 6 would concern me. Seems you're cramming alot in. I would arrive in Izmir the night before.

The Four Seasons is a beautiful hotel. I haven't stayed there but the courteous and pleasant staff allowed us to look around. It is in Sultanahmet, the Old City, which some argue is very touristy. It certainly is (the carpet salesmen are particularly annoying) but I still find Sultanahmet the most charming part of Istanbul.

And yes you're quite right, don't miss Cappadocia, it is truly incredible. Highly recommended if you can afford it is the early morning hot air balloon ride. Search this forum for recommended companies.

bniemand

Hi world, thanks for your input. About visiting Ephesus on Day 6....
The flight I'm looking at arrives in Izmir at 10am, so I'm thinking we'd be at Ephesus between noon and 1pm. Somewhere I read that the guides you can hire at the entrance give you a 2 hour tour. I also read that mid/late afternoon is good because the cruise ship people are on their way back to their ships. To all of you that been to Ephesus, how much time did you spend? Is there more to see other than what you'd see on the 2 hr guided tour?

immimi

I think you are wise to skip Antalya - we found it to be an
overcroweded, over-hyped city; the smaller towns along the
coast are lovely but Antalya is just another very big city.
JMHO of course!

We spent 4 hours in Ephesus; the earlier or later the better
b/c the cruise ship passegers are really overwhelming! Don't
miss the terrace houses - not only are they amazing, the cruisers don't visit because of time constraints. I loved
Aphrodesias esp. because it's much less crowded but equally
as fascinating.

The museum in Seljuk has many treasures from Ephesus and is
well-worth visiting. The Artemis statues are astounding!

worldinabag

There is also the House of the Virgin Mary to check out. It's a good idea to use a guide at Ephesus, they will point out alot of things visitors would normally miss. We went in the morning (September) and didn't notice "Cruise" crowds. The area is quite spread out so I never felt hemmed in, despite the site's popularity.

otherchelebi

Interesting itinerary because of Kirazli.
The Muses house looks great. Please let us know how you liked it afterwards.


I will also recommend that you visit Herakleia (kapikiri village) on lake Bafa, on the day you do Miletus, didyma and prienne, and have lunch at one of the very scenic small locally delicious restaurants overlooking the lake, in the village. (Kapikiri village is almost like the end of the road and built on the ruins.)

If you are at all interested in insurance/reinsurance/D&O/Solvency in an international perspective, we will have a two day international conference in english, in september, just next door to Park Hyatt at the Milli Re (national reinsurance Co.) building, which also has some very popular cafes and bars in the mall at the entrance. If your dates fit, i can invite you to attend one of the evening cocktails to introduce you to the local and international participants.

www.otherchelebistravels.blogspot.com
[email protected]

I admit i am rather partial to people from chicago because my younger daughter has been living there the last seven years since she was 18 and we love the city. (She will be getting her Masters degree from SAIC this month.)

bniemand

Thanks everyone. I checked the hours for Ephesus and it's open until 7pm, so assuming we're there by 1pm I'm sure we'll have plenty of time. Definitely want to see the House of the Virgin Mary, and maybe the museum. I think after 4 hours we'd be ruined out, so I feel OK about the plan for Day 6.

Otherchelebi, yes, Kirazli should be interesting. From what I've read, it is a very, uh, "rustic" town and Muses is sort of a hidden oasis within it. I'm glad to read you think Herakleia is do-able in the same day with Miletus, Didyma and Prienne. I had wondered about that but on the map it looked like it might be too far to go. Do you have a suggested order for visiting the sites so you end up at the right place at lunch?

I can't say we're interested in insurance, but thank you for the invitation! I'll email you our dates and perhaps we can connect for lunch or cocktails at some other point.

How wonderful that your daughter goes to SAIC! We love our adopted hometown too!

otherchelebi

Herakleia is not too far. The road is excellent, except for the part of maybe ten kilometers along the lake which winds up a bit and is narrower, before you get to bafa.

None of Prienne, miletus and Didyma will take too long to visit, because they are all small sites. Nothing like Ephesus or Aphrodisias.

i will suggest that you take off at your leisure, visit prienne which is just a few clicks off the main road and continue to Bafa town, where you take the 8km side road (has a sign) An american friend has an 18 donum olive orchard on the way to the village.

You can easily do Miletus and Didyma on the way back, although both may be a let down after you have seen all the others.

ellen75005

You made a good decision to skip the drive down the coast; it would have been too much. If I had to choose between the House of the Virgin Mary and the Ephesus Museum, the museum would win hands down. I agree that you should try to get to Selcuk the night before to get an early start at Ephesus before the cruise ship tours get there; it will be a better experience. If you have time, go into the terraced houses. It's an additional charge, but well worth it.

I don't know if you read my trip report, but we hired a guide for each day in Cappadocia and it was the right decision. Ours was through Rock Valley Travel in Urgup and he was fantastic.

You have a wonderful itinerary. Enjoy your trip and please post a report when you return.

Ellen

bniemand

I booked our internal flights this morning and found an earlier flight from Istanbul to Izmir, arriving in Izmir at 9:05am on Day 6. We can be "slow" in the morning if we don't have a flight to catch or a guided tour to join. So I think this plan works better for us, because if we arrived in Izmir the evening of Day 5, we'd probably get a later start on Day 6 and end up at Ephesus no earlier than if we fly in the morning of Day 6.

Ellen, yes I've definitely read your report -- it has been so helpful! I think the Rock Valley tours sound perfect for us. On their web site they're called Red, Blue and Green. Based on your descriptions you did Blue on Day 1, Green on Day 2, and Red on Day 3. You mentioned Green was your favorite. If you had to pick a second favorite which would it be? We'll only have 2 full days.

otherchelebi, knowing that Miletus and Didyma might be a letdown, if we wanted to visit just one rather than both, which do you recommend?

Thanks again everyone!

yorkshire

If you anticipate returning to Turkey in the near future, I would stay 2-3 more days in Cappadocia and the extra day in Istanbul. There is just so much to see in Cappadocia, that it would be a shame to feel rushed, whereas you could explore it fully and visit Ephesus/Izmir, etc. when you return to Turkey.
Just a thought though--I'm sure it will be a great trip.

laurie_ann

I have visited all three in a day's drive between Bodrum and Sirince: Priene, Miletus and Didyma. P and M were full cities where D was one temple (although quite a temple!) if that helps you decide. D is also the farthest of the three from Seljuk area so if you have had enough after P and M on your day you can decide then to go back.

otherchelebi

Miletus is closer to the main highway. Didyma will require about half an hour each way. The modern town of Didyma is one of the ugly concrete jungles and should not exist anywhere in the world. So you would not miss much in terms of the environment either.

But feel flexible, and enjoy the freedom. Do whichever site you wish, if and when you have the time.

also, i'm sure there are some photos on the web for both, and you can pick.

Ellen(large number)(alias cyborg) was a very observant traveler, who knew how to enjoy and her report was a delight.

Now, she should be planning for the second trip to the Black Sea, East and Southeast Turkey. "Will not take more than a measly month, Ellen"