Where to rent car and drop off with following itinerary
Dec 27th, 2012, 09:15 PM
#1
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Where to rent car and drop off with following itinerary
First visit to Turkey. Will arrive in Istanbul on April 18th. After some time in Istanbul, not sure which direction to go first , down coast or towards Ankara, as it will be cooler when we first arrive. Thought we should spend time first in Istanbul to get over jetlag from West Coast Canada, then possibly work way to Cappadocia then down towards Antalya then back up coast taking in Datca pennisula, Kas , Fethiye,Ephesus, Selcuk,Pamukkale, ending maybe in Iznik. Not sure if fly back or take bus/ferry route from Izna to Istanbul. Know Kja picked up car in Ankara and dropped her car off in Bursa. What is the appeal of Bursa as sounded like difficult to navigate. I usually like to spend 2-3 nights in an area so as not to be always on the move and have baggage in the car but sounds like alot of one night stops. Is Ankara a good place to spend time and what is the best way to get there---Bus or ?. Where is a good place to change over to a rental car after using public transit. I would think flying takes quite a bit of time with process of security and transit in and out of Istanbul. We have 22 days to spend including time in Istanbul before flying back out of Istanbul. Is it best to stay in Istanbul on last night before leaving or somewhere else within proximity of airport. Our flight is mid afternoon on a Saturday. Sorry for all the questions.
Dec 27th, 2012, 10:36 PM
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WE flew from Istanbul to Izmir and then drove to Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Pamukkale, and Cappadocia. Flew back from Kayseri to Istanbul. You might want to take a look at my trip report; click on my name to find it.
Dec 28th, 2012, 09:34 PM
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> Thought we should spend time first in Istanbul to get over jetlag from West Coast Canada, then possibly work way to Cappadocia
For me, it made most sense to keep traveling to my most eastern destination at the start of my trip. (I changed planes in Istanbul for Ankara. I think you would face a similar situation if going on to the Cappadocia area.) For one thing, it meant that I didn't need to deal with transportation to and from Istanbul's airport at both ends of my trip. For another thing, even though it meant adding a few hours to my ultimate arrival time, I knew that I would already be exhausted and wouldn't be doing anything until late the next morning (at the earliest) no matter whether I flew on from Istanbul or not. I flew on. Your choice.
> What is the appeal of Bursa as sounded like difficult to navigate
I chose to return my rental car in Bursa because I wanted to visit Bursa and, given that interest, returning the car there made most sense for my travel plans.
I wanted to visit Bursa primarily for its architecture -- it has some truly magnificent tombs and some noteworthy mosques; I am very glad I made the time to see them. Too, as one of the western ends of the Silk Road, Bursa has Turkey's extant version of the shadow puppet play that is also still performed in Xi'an, and that was another thing I specfiically wanted to see because I had seen it in Xi'an just 2 years before. Once in Bursa, I found that it also has one of the most vibrant outdoor markets I visited in Turkey (the one near the Muradiye complex). I thoroughly enjoyed Bursa and thought it well worth the day or so I spent there. Depends on your interests!
And yes, it was difficult to navigate in Bursa, but if my car rental agency had not moved (literally) since they gave me the address, if my GPS system hadn't been running low on battery power, or if I had a cellphone (I don't), it wouldn't have been any worse than driving into any other busy city in a hilly area with lots of narrow one-way streets.
> I usually like to spend 2-3 nights in an area so as not to be always on the move and have baggage in the car but sounds like alot of one night stops.
I think that it is perfectly reasonable for someone to prefer to spend 2 or 3 nights in a specific hotel, but it is not MY preference. It was MY choice to spend only a night or two in each of the locations I visited. You could easily visit many of the same or similar set of locations from "base" hotels where you could stay for 3 or more nights. To get a sense of travel times, you might check
http://www.viamichelin.com/ or
http://en.mappy.com/
(For Turkey, I recommend that you give greater credibility to whichever estimate is longer.)
> Is Ankara a good place to spend time and what is the best way to get there---Bus or ?.
It depends on your interests! I was glad to spend about a day there. I slept late because of jet lag and then saw what I most wanted to see, most notably, the outstanding Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ataturk's mausoleum, and the Old Town and its castle, as well as a few other things that were of interest to me (a small art museum and Ankara's very good Ethnographic Museum).
The best way to get there would depend on your starting point. For my purposes, I thought it too far from Istanbul to go by surface transportation.
> Where is a good place to change over to a rental car after using public transit.
The Rough Guide has a lot of good information about transportation options between various tourist destinations, as well as information about which car rental agencies have locations in those locations. It would be a good source to consult.
> Is it best to stay in Istanbul on last night before leaving or somewhere else within proximity of airport. Our flight is mid afternoon on a Saturday.
I believe that many hotels in Istanbul offer transportation to or from the airport (one or the other, not both) if you stay some minimum number of nights. Check with your hotel.
Turkey is wonderful - hope this information helps!
For me, it made most sense to keep traveling to my most eastern destination at the start of my trip. (I changed planes in Istanbul for Ankara. I think you would face a similar situation if going on to the Cappadocia area.) For one thing, it meant that I didn't need to deal with transportation to and from Istanbul's airport at both ends of my trip. For another thing, even though it meant adding a few hours to my ultimate arrival time, I knew that I would already be exhausted and wouldn't be doing anything until late the next morning (at the earliest) no matter whether I flew on from Istanbul or not. I flew on. Your choice.
> What is the appeal of Bursa as sounded like difficult to navigate
I chose to return my rental car in Bursa because I wanted to visit Bursa and, given that interest, returning the car there made most sense for my travel plans.
I wanted to visit Bursa primarily for its architecture -- it has some truly magnificent tombs and some noteworthy mosques; I am very glad I made the time to see them. Too, as one of the western ends of the Silk Road, Bursa has Turkey's extant version of the shadow puppet play that is also still performed in Xi'an, and that was another thing I specfiically wanted to see because I had seen it in Xi'an just 2 years before. Once in Bursa, I found that it also has one of the most vibrant outdoor markets I visited in Turkey (the one near the Muradiye complex). I thoroughly enjoyed Bursa and thought it well worth the day or so I spent there. Depends on your interests!
And yes, it was difficult to navigate in Bursa, but if my car rental agency had not moved (literally) since they gave me the address, if my GPS system hadn't been running low on battery power, or if I had a cellphone (I don't), it wouldn't have been any worse than driving into any other busy city in a hilly area with lots of narrow one-way streets.
> I usually like to spend 2-3 nights in an area so as not to be always on the move and have baggage in the car but sounds like alot of one night stops.
I think that it is perfectly reasonable for someone to prefer to spend 2 or 3 nights in a specific hotel, but it is not MY preference. It was MY choice to spend only a night or two in each of the locations I visited. You could easily visit many of the same or similar set of locations from "base" hotels where you could stay for 3 or more nights. To get a sense of travel times, you might check
http://www.viamichelin.com/ or
http://en.mappy.com/
(For Turkey, I recommend that you give greater credibility to whichever estimate is longer.)
> Is Ankara a good place to spend time and what is the best way to get there---Bus or ?.
It depends on your interests! I was glad to spend about a day there. I slept late because of jet lag and then saw what I most wanted to see, most notably, the outstanding Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ataturk's mausoleum, and the Old Town and its castle, as well as a few other things that were of interest to me (a small art museum and Ankara's very good Ethnographic Museum).
The best way to get there would depend on your starting point. For my purposes, I thought it too far from Istanbul to go by surface transportation.
> Where is a good place to change over to a rental car after using public transit.
The Rough Guide has a lot of good information about transportation options between various tourist destinations, as well as information about which car rental agencies have locations in those locations. It would be a good source to consult.
> Is it best to stay in Istanbul on last night before leaving or somewhere else within proximity of airport. Our flight is mid afternoon on a Saturday.
I believe that many hotels in Istanbul offer transportation to or from the airport (one or the other, not both) if you stay some minimum number of nights. Check with your hotel.
Turkey is wonderful - hope this information helps!
Dec 29th, 2012, 06:11 AM
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Thanks for the great info. Just curious as to how you managed with your baggage in your car all the time as to the concern of having car broken into. Most places this is a concern even in Canada. Am I too paranoid?
Dec 29th, 2012, 10:31 AM
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...rent a hatchback and back it into a wall, tree or some
other obstacle that prevents the hatchback from being lifted
up. And don't leave valuables in your luggage. D'oh.
...and don't attempt to drive in Izmir or Antalya. Monumenta
traffic jams and aggressive drivers. You're not in Vancouver,
Toto!
Agree with Kja about Antalya - the Anatolian museum is world
class and well-worth at least four hours minimum.
other obstacle that prevents the hatchback from being lifted
up. And don't leave valuables in your luggage. D'oh.
...and don't attempt to drive in Izmir or Antalya. Monumenta
traffic jams and aggressive drivers. You're not in Vancouver,
Toto!
Agree with Kja about Antalya - the Anatolian museum is world
class and well-worth at least four hours minimum.
Dec 29th, 2012, 11:40 AM
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Any recomendations for Road maps---I have got Michelin Maps through the Book Depository online for other countries before.
I never have valuables other than clothes but usually break- ins are not too discriminating and it is a pain to loose your stuff. I think a car with a trunk would be better than a hatch back but one never knows exactly what kind of car you will get.
I never have valuables other than clothes but usually break- ins are not too discriminating and it is a pain to loose your stuff. I think a car with a trunk would be better than a hatch back but one never knows exactly what kind of car you will get.
Dec 29th, 2012, 09:28 PM
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I take basic precautions: I wouldn't leave anything of value in the car in a position in which it can be seen from outside the car. I don't open my trunk once it is parked until I am ready to leave.
Keep in mind that most of the places where you would park if your plan is to visit something en route are places where someone would see a person trying to break into the vehicle. For example, you might park in a lot near the booth from which you buy a ticket to enter a site, or you might park in parking lot or marked space in a town.
And BTW, sometimes there are people (usually men) whose job it is to come by to collect a parking fee and who watch the cars in their defined area. It's not a scam. (Well, I can't guarantee that any particular individual is on the up-and-up....) I was so glad I read about this practice in advance, or I would have thought it either very threatening or very creepy!
Re: the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. When I was there last May, part of the museum was closed for renovations. As I recall, I spent about 2 hours in the parts that were open. If it is of interest to you, you might check its web-site before you go to see whether the renovations are complete. I would still wholeheartedly recommend visiting it; it's just that you might plan less time there if it is still under renovation (e.g., 2 hours rather than the 4 hours that immimi reasonably recommends for the full museum).
Keep in mind that most of the places where you would park if your plan is to visit something en route are places where someone would see a person trying to break into the vehicle. For example, you might park in a lot near the booth from which you buy a ticket to enter a site, or you might park in parking lot or marked space in a town.
And BTW, sometimes there are people (usually men) whose job it is to come by to collect a parking fee and who watch the cars in their defined area. It's not a scam. (Well, I can't guarantee that any particular individual is on the up-and-up....) I was so glad I read about this practice in advance, or I would have thought it either very threatening or very creepy!
Re: the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. When I was there last May, part of the museum was closed for renovations. As I recall, I spent about 2 hours in the parts that were open. If it is of interest to you, you might check its web-site before you go to see whether the renovations are complete. I would still wholeheartedly recommend visiting it; it's just that you might plan less time there if it is still under renovation (e.g., 2 hours rather than the 4 hours that immimi reasonably recommends for the full museum).
