Visiting Turkey
 

We have been to Turkey twice before Bodrum and Kusadasi and we have friends that are keen to go again. I am not up for a holiday lying about on a beach all day so any suggestions for somewhere in Turkey where we have fairly easy access to historical sites. We are on a budget and would wish to go either middle to late May or late September.

Cappadocia? Ephesus? You might want to take a look at my trip report. Just click on my name to find it.

We went to Turkey for 2 weeks last May and visited Ephesus (stayed in nearby Selcuk), then drove to Pamukkale, then flew to Cappacodocia, then flew to Istanbul. Turkey is an amazing country and we loved every minute of it. Cappadocia is breathtaking but a little tough to get around. We hiked by ourselves for 2 days and can't wait to return. Istanbul is a fantastic city (stay in Beyoglu, not Sultanahmet) - it's easy to take the train to the major historical sites in Sultanahmet. Pamukkale really only has the travertines (which are beautiful), and not much else besides ruins.

Notwithstanding the above two responses, also consider Kas which is, i think a nicer town than either bodrum or (especially) kusadasi.

You will be close to Kale/kekova/ucagiz for both antiquity and swimming from a boat, arycanda, myra, patara, and slightly longer trip to Pinara, Tlos, Xanthos. There will be also pleasant hikes and canyon visits if you wish. Prices will be lower than Kusadasi and Bodrum and the food quite good. The locals and the tourists you will meet will also be somewhat different and possibly more sociable.

another possibility is Side, to the East of Antalya, which will have a good beach and proximity to manavgat and Duden waterfalls, Koprulu canyon for simple white water rafting, and Aspendos and perge (as well as Side itself) for antiquity, and the further Anemurium to the East and Termessos to the West.

If you went to Kusadasi, you've probably visited at least Ephesus and possibly prienne, didyma, Miletus and Herakleia.

But, combining the Southwesten coast with cappadocia and/or Istanbul is an excellent idea if you have the time.

For internal flights, check THY, Pegasus, Atlas, Sky, Sunexpress at their respective sites for the best deals. (THY is the only full service airline but the others have good routes and better rates, albeit lower luggage allowance usually)

One of my suggestions for active people like you is the Lycian Way: http://www.stpaultrail.com/LycianWay...utthewalk.html
I have been very close to it (in Kalkan), never walked it myself but all information i have read and pictures i have seen definitely has made it a tempting future destination in Turkey.

Having stayed in Kas, I like OC's suggestion. We spent one night/two days there. We took a boat cruise to the underwater Lycean ruins (glass bottom boat), and it included lunch on a small island as well as multiple ocean swim stops.

Kas is a neat little town. We enjoyed walking from hotel into downtown, nice restaurants, good shopping, nice harbour area.

Our hotel was about 5 mins walk, west of downtown (Otel Kas). Our room had no windows, just a large opening overlooking the Med. Beautiful views, night lights, fishing boats, the sound of the ocean. Hotel also has a small eating area that overlooks the ocean. They do not have a beach, but rather ladder and diving board to go swimming.

Nearby (10 min drive west) was our 'secret beach', which has the most beautiful turquoise water. Buses would stop so passengers culd take pictures. Like a lot of beaches, not sand but small stones.

I used this site to get a cheap holiday to turkey, the site does not sell holidays but it does allow you to check out the weather in regions of turkey by month. So if the main months are too hot or too expensive, you can use the site to look around the other regions and find out when the weather will suit you best.

www.weatherinturkey.org.uk

Otherchelebi is the last word on Turkey. The knowledge he radiates is priceless.
I would like to share one place that we went to.
Milli National Park near Selcuk. It is protected hence untouched and has secluded beaches with turquoise blue water and white sand. We loved relaxing there. You will have lots of historical sites around as well.

Has anyone used Cosmo tour of Turkey?
MaureenW

Maureen, you may want to post your question as a new topic.