Turkey?

[suesam]

While we were traveling in Chile we had the opportunity to speak with a couple of people who have traveled extensively throughout the world. We asked two different people, one from England and one from Australia which destination they liked the most and would recommend we visit. Both said Turkey, hands down. Anyone else know much about Turkey? I have no idea where to even start but now my husband really wants to go! The one couple talked about sleeping in treehouses and caves turned into hotels. Very intriguing......

Sue

 

[Passepartout]

We've been to Istanbul several times(love it!) as well as Pergamum (Troy) and Ephesus as cruise stops. I'd go back in a minute, but really don't care for 'big bus' type tours. There is a Rick Steves show or two on Turkey that you can see online or from Netflix. Also, Globe Trekker, but I'm not sure where you can see them. Here's a show outline, but warning: you'll want to pack. http://www.pilotguides.com/tv_shows/globe_trekker/shows/north_africa_and_the_middle_east/turkey.php

Welcome home from Chile! Glad you had fun.

Jim

 

[hypnotiq]

Ive been to Kusadasi, once, for 1 day. And it was 1 day too many AFAIC.

 

[Elli]

I found Kusadasi very interesting !!

 

[suesam]

Jim, Thank you for that link. The couple we met talked about the tree houses and said how awesome that experience was!
Sue

 

[Jimster]

turkey

turkey is only a surprise to Americans. allegedly, it is the number 3 destination for Europeans. There are lots of things to see and do there

 

[Jimster]

turkey

Turkey is only a surprise to Americans. Allegedly, it is the number 3 destination for Europeans. There are lots of things to see and do there OTOH having taught geography, most of the world is a big surprise to Americans.

 

[LisaH]

A spammer dug out this old thread for some reason but Im glad he did.
A dear friend and her hubby just got back from a 12 day bus tour to Turkey and she told me this was the best tour they have ever had. This couple is very well traveled so I'm surprised to hear this. Most of the trip was focused on the Western part of Turkey and it was full of history and culture. Now I'm planning to take the same tour next year (organized by Gateway One I was told).

 

[Carolinian]

Another great experience in Turkey is Buyukada in the Princes Islands in the Sea of Marmara off of Istanbul. One can take a steamer back and forth into Istanbul to visit the many sites in the city, but it is a great place to come back to in the evenings. The Princes Islands were the first place the Ottoman Empire allowed foreigners to own land, so in the mid 1800s, foreign diplomats and businessmen built mansions there. The Ottoman aristocracy followed, and then things pretty much stopped at WWI, so it is like a time capsule. They do not allow motorized vehicles, so you get around by horse drawn phaetons, which are surprisingly cheap. We stayed in an old Ottoman mansion that was being run as a hotel by the aristocratic family which had built it in the 19th century. Our balcony had a wonderful view out over the Sea of Marmara.

 

[susan6103]

Turkey in March 2013

i found a crazy airfare deal to Turkey from Calgary and i grabbed it without thinking twice. Now me, my husband and our two kids ( 5 & 6) will be spending spring break in Turkey end of march/april 2013.
i got a few travel books from the library and found 'Fodors Turkey' to be the best. Once we get our summer holidays out of the way, need to start sitting down and planning.
We have 2 weeks in Turkey. We plan on spending the first week in Istanbul and then fly out to some of the more unique sites.

 

[cmh]

Another great experience in Turkey is Buyukada in the Princes Islands in the Sea of Marmara off of Istanbul. One can take a steamer back and forth into Istanbul to visit the many sites in the city, but it is a great place to come back to in the evenings. The Princes Islands were the first place the Ottoman Empire allowed foreigners to own land, so in the mid 1800s, foreign diplomats and businessmen built mansions there. The Ottoman aristocracy followed, and then things pretty much stopped at WWI, so it is like a time capsule. They do not allow motorized vehicles, so you get around by horse drawn phaetons, which are surprisingly cheap. We stayed in an old Ottoman mansion that was being run as a hotel by the aristocratic family which had built it in the 19th century. Our balcony had a wonderful view out over the Sea of Marmara.

Sounds quite unique!

Turkey is one place on my list. My problem is that my husband doesn't like to travel and my friends have other priorities, so I keep thinking about travel on my own, or as a single in a tour group; however you have the added expense of a single supplement.

 

[cmh]

Another great experience in Turkey is Buyukada in the Princes Islands in the Sea of Marmara off of Istanbul. One can take a steamer back and forth into Istanbul to visit the many sites in the city, but it is a great place to come back to in the evenings. The Princes Islands were the first place the Ottoman Empire allowed foreigners to own land, so in the mid 1800s, foreign diplomats and businessmen built mansions there. The Ottoman aristocracy followed, and then things pretty much stopped at WWI, so it is like a time capsule. They do not allow motorized vehicles, so you get around by horse drawn phaetons, which are surprisingly cheap. We stayed in an old Ottoman mansion that was being run as a hotel by the aristocratic family which had built it in the 19th century. Our balcony had a wonderful view out over the Sea of Marmara.

Sounds quite unique!

Turkey is one place on my list. My problem is that my husband doesn't like to travel and my friends have other priorities, so I keep thinking about doing on my own, or as a single in a tour group; however you have the added expense of a single supplement.

 

[pedro47]

We've been to Istanbul several times(love it!) as well as Pergamum (Troy) and Ephesus as cruise stops. I'd go back in a minute, but really don't care for 'big bus' type tours. There is a Rick Steves show or two on Turkey that you can see online or from Netflix. Also, Globe Trekker, but I'm not sure where you can see them. Here's a show outline, but warning: you'll want to pack. http://www.pilotguides.com/tv_shows/globe_trekker/shows/north_africa_and_the_middle_east/turkey.php

Welcome home from Chile! Glad you had fun.

Jim

On your cruise stop at the port of Ephesus what site would highly recommend to visit.

 

[Passepartout]

On your cruise stop at the port of Ephesus what site would highly recommend to visit.

Hard to recommend a single site or tour, not knowing your interests and group size and duration of your stay. Here's a link to a tour company that will scale the tour to your interests and price it by the number of people- more bodies, less cost per each. http://www.ephesustours.org/ephesus_tour.htm I have no vested interest in this or any other tour company. We usually get together with some of our CC Roll Call folks for companionship and to share costs. Beats cruise line tour prices- you just have to be a little careful of departure times, 'cause the boat won't wait. These tour outfits do it every day, so they know more about the ships' schedule than anyone.

Jim

 

[pedro47]

Hard to recommend a single site or tour, not knowing your interests and group size and duration of your stay. Here's a link to a tour company that will scale the tour to your interests and price it by the number of people- more bodies, less cost per each. http://www.ephesustours.org/ephesus_tour.htm I have no vested interest in this or any other tour company. We usually get together with some of our CC Roll Call folks for companionship and to share costs. Beats cruise line tour prices- you just have to be a little careful of departure times, 'cause the boat won't wait. These tour outfits do it every day, so they know more about the ships' schedule than anyone.

Jim

Jim, thanks I also read CC Roll Call and I understand your comment about "you have no vested interest in this tour company".

Again, Thanks for the Information we are a party of eight (8).

 

[hibbeln]

Susan6103, we're also going to Turkey for spring break next year! Though our kids are a bit older....two boys that will then be almost 18 and 15. Where are you looking at going?

 

[hibbeln]

Had to switch to the computer off the ipad to type faster!
We actually have our hotels booked in Istanbul and Cappadocia. We will leave Detroit and fly Detroit-Amsterdam-Istanbul-Kayseri (Cappadocia) on Wed. March 27-28. That will put us into Cappadocia late at night on the 28 which is a Thursday. Now I have us currently in Cappadocia for 3 FULL days and then a day that is over 1/2 a day because we will leave in the evening for Istanbul. Then 4 FULL days in Istanbul before flying home.
Cappadocia sounded like a nice place to start because we prefer rural to urban, and it would be a quieter, slower-paced place to get used to the language, food and culture before hitting the big city! Plus we love hiking and exploring, so it sounds like a lot of fun.
I am really starting to wonder though whether I should shrink both Cappadocia and Istanbul down to 3 days each, and move the 2 days we would gain to a quick bit of time on the coast. Maybe flying into either Izmir or Antalya betweeen Cappadocia and Istanbul. If we came home a day later from Turkey (which would mean no "buffer" day of a Sunday at home to recover and do laundry) we could actually manage 3 days. BUT both my boys (and husband) prefer to have a day to relax at home after vacation.
The thing is, the more I read the guidebooks on Istanbul, the more I think that we can see all we want to see there in 3 days (I can hear the howling now from people saying that a week there isn't enough!). And while almost 4 full days in Cappadocia would be really relaxing, I'm also wondering if we might get a bit antsy and it might be a day too long? I'm really leaning toward flying into Antalya and seeing the area around Olympos. But also wondering if the weather at that time of year would make the activities we would like to do (hiking, kayaking, exploring) a poor option??? Obviously we wouldn't be swimming.
Changing our hotel dates is no problem.
Love to hear what you're thinking!

 

[fluff_tug]

hibbeln,

I recommend cutting one day each out of Istanbul and Cappadocia, and inserting 2 days of Antalya.

If you do not need a day to rest/relax after traveling to Kayseri, then Cappadocia is very doable in 3 days. In fact, unless you are big on hiking/biking or medieval Byzantine cave churches, anything more than that may be too much.

Typically people stay in Goreme, Urgup or Uchisar (all within 5-10 km of each other). I would recommend Goreme the most. This is a 2 hour bus ride from Kayseri, and I am assuming you are heading that way, as it is generally the main attraction in Cappadocia.

I recommend doing the balloon rides, goreme open air museum and taking one or two hikes (walking path maps are usually available from any hotel), and take in the amazing panorama. Also experienced travelers can engage local people/guides to go to the more secluded historic sites which you can enjoy without the throngs of tourist that overwhelm the popular sites.

The main sites in Istanbul can be done in 3 days. The top 3 or 4 of any traveler is usually Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi palace, and Covered Bazaar. The first 3 are walking distance from each other, and the 4th is a 10 minute tram ride from the first. So if you really want to you could do all those in 1 (long) day.

As you are travelling in March, it is too early to be on the beaches in Antalya, howerver hiking should be quite nice. If you like hiking, I recommend taking a trip to Termessos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termessos), an incredibly well preserved ancient city in the Taurus mountains, about 30 km north of Antalya. In addition to that, Antalya boasts a nearly endless choice of historical sites.

 

[Carolinian]

While in Istanbul, I would also take the boat trip up the Bosphorus to the entrance to the Black Sea and back, which is very scenic. There is a more recent Ottoman palace right on the Bosphorus which is also worth seeing, as well as climbing the Galati tower.

 

[dwojo]

It is worth the trip. A couple of decades ago I spent a few years stationed in Turkey when I was in the military. There is quite a bit of fascinating history, architecture and scenery all over the country. Try the museums in Istanbul. The Hagia Sophia is my favorite