silvertraveler1956

Hi all, I am in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Turkey and am a bit overwhelmed because there is so much to see. I am clear in that I do not want to get on a bus or fly every day or every other day; so to that end I know I will not see "everything". Other than Istanbul, Ephesus and Cappodoccia, are there places I should not miss, and conversely, are there places I should skip? I will be traveling on my own. Thanks in advance. Any and all suggestions are welcome..

Sassafrass

You are going to three of the most exciting and interesting places we have ever been. Three full days would certainly not be too many for Cappadocia and it would be great to have five days in Istanbul. We flew from Istanbul to Cappadocia and back because we took a cruise from Istanbul which stopped in Ephesus and some islands. Ephesus is amazing. I would like to see more of the coast and more of the islands near Turkey. We went to Rhodes and loved it.

IMHO, if you are ever going to take a hot air balloon ride, it should be in Cappadocia. Expensive, but worth doing a shorter trip or saving money elsewhere else to do it.

I highly recommend staying in a cave hotel in Cappadocia.
We loved this one, Esbelli Evi, https://esbelli.com

geetika

I second the cave hotel and hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, not to be missed IMO.

Suggest you include Pamukkale in your itinerary, the travertines are stunning and unique, haven’t seen the like elsewhere. Nearby Aphrodisias would make for an excellent half day tour.

plambers

we also went to kalkan on the turquoise coasat. we loved it there. great beaches, boat trips to greece, ruins, lycian way.

twelvestring

I agree with Sassafrass that 5 days is about right for Istanbul, including a day trip to one of the Princes' Islands (I went to Buyukada and loved it, but I hear they are all nice).

In Istanbul, absolutely positively do a Bosphorus cruse from the Old City northward to Rumeli Fortress and back. They are leaving constantly. GO EARLY IN THE MORNING, when the sun is behind you, bathing all the sites in perfect lighting. By noon the blazing sun high overhead takes all the definition out of everything, and by afternoon you're just squinting into the sun and can't see anything at all. If the boat allows it, stop off either at Rumeli or Ortakoy on the return trip and spend time there, then take a cab back to the Old City.

I felt like 4 days was just enough for Cappadocia with a rental car to speed me along; if relying on buses, you would ideally want more. And I totally agree that a hot air balloon ride at dawn is magical, and that staying at least one night at a cave hotel is great.

While you're at Ephesus, do a 30-minute ultralight flight over the ruins, ideally in late afternoon. The airstrip is located between Ephesus and the delightful, historic town of Selcuk.

If you'll be travelling from Ephesus to Cappadocia by bus, two detours would be worth your time, both already mentioned above:

1. Pamukkale, about 3-hours' drive east of Ephesus. Almost any tourist bus heading to Cappadocia will likely do a pit stop here. We spent two full days and three nights there, and easily filled them.

2. The Turquoise coast. All of it is lovely, but the easiest place to reach if you're relying on buses is Antalya. As you drive in -- past mile after mile of identical modern apartment buildings -- you'll think I gave you really bad advice. But then you'll get onto and inside of the walls of the magical 2,000-year-old Old City, and you'll be really glad you came. I'm sure you could also find bus day trips to some of the nearby scenic smaller towns, such as Cirali to see the turtle beach and the Chimaera (natural eternal flames).