Two weeks in Turkey - Independent or Tour?
 

I will have 2 weeks in Turkey and will be travelling on my own (female). I would prefer to travel independently, but not sure if this is advisable. I do not want to rent a car, but am not sure how easy it will be to get around. I will spend time in Instanbul, would like to go to Cappadocia, down to the mediterranean coast and then up the Agean coast. Any ideas ?

Many solo female travelers have done this trip with no problem, and so can you, while taking the kind of precautions you would at any other country.

your two issues are picking the right lodging and not losing unnecessary time with your travel arrangements, i.e. flight-bus combinations. (trains are usually very slow, and do not go everywhere)

It will also be a good idea to pick local guides or join a small group on location, as in Cappadocia and Ephesus, if you want to get the best of them.

Although you will have a lot more flexibility, you may actually end up spending more than you would for a reputable tour because of the transfer costs and other incidentals.

istanbul alone is better
Fly to Nevsehir (closer but fewer flights) or Kayseri.
Take bus to Goreme (Goreme is usually preferred amont the locations at Cappadocia)
Take some kind of quick cheap tour first day, read on the area and do the remaining day(s) alone by scooter or minibus transport, I would not go into the underground cities and the Ihlara Canyon alone. You can probably find some companions there. Come to think of it, maybe you should all in cappadocia with tour.
There is an overnight bus to Antalya from Cappadocia (I do not know which cities you can take it at, but you can find out when you get here or on-line.)
Antalya towards West and Northern Aegean is simple by busses, stopping at lovely areas such as: Kemer, Cirali, Olympos, Kumluca, Kas, Kalkan, Patara, Fethiye, Gocek, Datca Peninsula, Gokova, Bodrum, Bafa, Selcuk, Cesme, Foca, Ayvalik, Assos, Canakkale.
You would not be able to stay at all these places, but i listed them so that you can check them out and pick and choose with a map laid out in front of you.

One very important thing: You Did Not Specify the Time of Your Visit. All hat you can do depends on the timing of your visit.

Thanks for the helpful info - I am planning on going in July - probably not the most ideal time, but it is when I can go. Would I be able to book something for Cappadocia once I was in Instanbul? or is that something that is better to do ahead of time?

I would think July is a busy time of year for travel. It doesn't hurt to book ahead.

We were in Istanbul this August. We did not take any tour packages. We stayed with Dersaadet close to Blue mosque. We
explored Istanbul on our own.

Once you are in Istanbul, you can find many places that sells tour packages to Cappadocia, Ephesus, pamukkale etc..
Sometimes, the hotel you are planning to stay at will have info and a reliable tour group name.

The only thing I recommend is that research into what speceific things and places you want to visit.

Turkey is a safe place.People may not speak English very well, but they are extremely helpful. Especially police. You save a lot of money going independently, but you have do all the work of figuring out the routes, prices etc.. If you would like someone to arrange all this for you, buy a tour package ahead of time.

Once in Istanbul, be aware that St. Sophia is closed on Mondays, Topkapi is closed on Tuesdays, Beylerbeyi palace is closed on Mday and Thrus. and Spice bazar on sundays.

Desaadet goes with a company called "shetours". you can visit them at www.shetours.com. Cappadocia-Konya-Pmukkale-Aphrodisias-Ephesus tour is 5day, 4 nightpackege offered all year around. Only Nermut mountain tour is offered between May and November. Hope this helps.

All the best!

By the way I forgot to mention that we stayed in the center of the city, so to most of the places either we walked or took the tram. Took taxi only to/from the airport. Their public transporation is very frequent and easily accessible.
Taxis also go by the meter. So to faraway places we would take taxi oneway and come back by bus/tram combo. Ask the conceierge for the bus numbers to the place you are planning to visit before you leave the hotel.

There used to be ferried between Turkey and Greece. I amnot sure many of them are in operation now. But you may try from Kusadasi. That is the nearest city to the Greek side.

Dear Lyntay,

You already have some good advice for itanbul, but should come up with speciic questions, as your visit gets closer.

Regarding the timing: July will be crowded, and not cheap in terms of lodging. Also local flights should be booked at least a month in advance.

Most of your hotels should also be booked in advance, which will reduce your flexibility and mean a tighter schedule. Busses will still be easier to handle, although reservations a day or some hours before, through your hotel is a good idea.

Antalya, to Marmaris will be quite hot. So you may start more in terms of Cappadocia to Pamukkale to Selcuk and then North to Cesme, Foca, Pergamum, Assos, Troy, to Istanbul.

There are some weather sites which will give you historic statistic that you should check and decide accordingly.

I traveled in Turkey by myself(and I'm a chick). Looooooooved it. I spent for days in Istanbul by the sites (think it was the seven hills hotel) and then I went down to the Turkish Rivera. Loved it. I went to Kas and did tourist stuff. I had a blast. I sea kayaked over sunken greek temples, went to the coolest gorge which is a national park, and went to a great beach. did some other things too. I'm pretty adventurous and I was fine.

Here is my trip report and it has hotels and stuff.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

I LOVED TURKEY!

Enjoy

Oh yeah, I forgot to say, I rented a car on the Coast and just drove around. I thought the drive on the coast was amazing. Better than anything I had done in Italy, France, or Spain.