Turkey Trip Report: Cappadocia, Bodrum Peninsula and Istanbul
 

Hi --

Traveled to Turkey in July. Trip report: http://bit.ly/ONKIN7

Recommendations:

Cappadocia
• Stay in a cave hotel (I was happy at Serinn House in Urgup)
• Take a hot air balloon ride (Butterfly Balloons came highly recommended and I was impressed with them) (Request Mike as your pilot)
• Hike a valley or two
• Get a scrub-down at the Urgup Sehir Hamami
• Eat at Ziggy Cafe (Urgup)

Bodrum Peninsula
• Stay at the chic, boutique 4Reasons in Yalikavak
• Eat dinner on the 4Reasons deck
• Drive to Selcuk, see Ephesus and the Basilica of St. John

Istanbul
• Book a room at the Park Hyatt (some have a personal steam room)
• Sightsee: the Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar and Dolmabahce Palace
• Tour the must-see mosques: The Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Suleymaniye Mosque
• Cruise up the Bosphorus Strait
• Walk down the Bosphorus Strait, stopping at Bebek, Arnavutkoy and the charming Ortakoy

Hope you enjoy the report. Thanks to those who provided Turkey travel advice.

We have 3 days in Cappadocia next month, staying at the Kelebek cave hotel in Goreme, will most definitely do the balloon ride.

We also have 5 days in Istanbul, want to revist the Sultanahment sites, also see the Dolmabache Palace, Rustem Pasha and Suleimaniye mosques which we missed on our last trip. Then just stroll around and drink in the sights and sounds...:)

geetika.

Why not take the public ferry from Eminonu over to the Asian side to Kadikoy? It's a short 25 minute trip on the ferry, and you'll see some wonderful sights from a different angle.

Kadikoy is a lovely and vibrant place to wander around, but with hardly another tourist in sight.

Another great, easy to do under your steam trip by ferry is to the Princes' Islands. Take the ferry from the tram terminus at Kabataş. Couldn't be easier...

http://www.wittistanbul.com/magazine...s-in-istanbul/

Nice pictures and report.
And I did get that "You’re traveling alone in Turkey. That’s such a shame" when I traveled alone.

Yes LancasterLad, we probably will take the ferry over to Kadikoy, last year we only did the Tuyrol 1.5 hour Bosphorus cruise due to time constraints. Also want to go around Beyoglu/Taksim, maybe Princes islands too, thanks for the suggestions.

Thanks, ashwinb.