Turkey travel tips?

[curlygirl]

There was a thread a while back that is now locked but I'm looking for some real help in planning my trip to Turkey.

DH and I are going in May to celebrate our 5th anniversary and my milestone birthday that is coming up later this month! We're flying into Istanbul and have a total of 9 days in country, not including travel time. I've already been to Istanbul but DH hasn't so we want to do all the touristy stuff together and then we'd like to head to Antalya for a little beachy relaxation.

We don't have hotels booked yet and also need restaurant suggestions. Also wondering how long we would need in Istanbul (I'm guessing about 4 days?). I'm assuming we would fly to Antalya--definitely not up for trying to maneuver on the roads there! I've already checked tripadvisor but I'd love to get some suggestions or recommendations from you guys, if anyone has any. Thanks in advance!!

 

[TravelingGal]

Must be the time of year....thought this thread was going to ask how to safely transport turkey!

I haven't been there, but can I crash? Have you tried the fodors forums?

 

[curlygirl]

Haha, I figured the turkey reference might throw people off! TGal, I was hoping you had been there because you are always a wealth of travel info. You are more than welcome to crash! You and TGuy should totally come along--no kids allowed! I'll check out Fodors. Thanks!

 

[Blackpaw]

exciting trip!

have you considered stopping in Cappadoccia as well? Its a very beautiful spot, google image Goreme

Depending on your husband's level of interest in monuments, mosques etc id say maybe only 3 nights in Istanbul if it means you can see somewhere else?

There are lots of resort towns along the Antalyan coast...and the old town part of Antalya itself, by the water, is lovely to stay in for a night or two. Another option would be to take a sailing trip along that coast. I didnt do it but its a pretty popular and not too expensive way of seeing the area. they often go between Olympos, Fethiye, Kas and Bodrum i believe...

 

[Bunny007]

I second the Cappadocia recommendation. I traveled to Turkey about five years ago; Spent 3-4 days in Instanbul, 3 in Capadoccia, and 2 in Ephesus. Cappadocia was by far my favorite- incredible site-seeing, interesting accommodations, friendly locals, etc... At the time, flights with the domestic carrier were really affordable. I think we spent around $100 for each leg of the trip. On the other hand, there wasn't any place, or part of the trip, that I didn't enjoy,* so I'm excited for you!

* Except for the carpet salespeople. They were everywhere and very persistent. Although even they weren't without their charm, since they'd ply you with ouzo, tea, and a sit down conversation. I definitely caved and bought a rug or two.

 

[Haven]

I've only been to Ancient Ephesus in Turkey, but if you can fit it in your itinerary, it was incredible.

I second the Fodor's Forum rec. I credit our amazing Ireland itinerary to that forum, and this one, of course.

 

[zoebartlett]

Must be the time of year....thought this thread was going to ask how to safely transport turkey!

I haven't been there, but can I crash? Have you tried the fodors forums?

That's what I thought too. I must be hungry for dinner or something.

I haven't been there either but it sounds like a great destination.

 

[Octavia]

I go to Turkey pretty often, unfortunately I rarely get to see any "new" places I haven't seen before. However, I put my foot down recently and told DH that we either go someplace different next time (both Cappadocia and Antalya are on the list; we'll be in Izmir and Ephasus in 2012 anyway, so I can wait until then for those places), I'm boycotting and going to Spain instead.

Anyway, IMO, 3-4 days is plenty for Istanbul. Try to avoid being there on a Monday, as almost all the museums are closed. Hagia Sofia, Topkapi, the Blue Mosque, the Archaeology Museum, and the Basilica Custern are VERY close to one another (all in the Sultanahmet district) and you could easily do a few of these on the same day. The Grand Bazaar isn't too far away, but very little of the goods there are worth buying if you ask me. It's kind of a fun experience to have, though. The Egyptian/Spice Market is near the Galata Bridge, where you can catch a boat tour up the Bosphorus almost to the Black Sea and back. This is a nice, low-key way to spend a couple hours, though I'd say that the "short loop" is just as good as the full tour if you don't care about stopping for lunch halfway through. There are also sunset cruises during the summer, so depending on when you go, that could be an option. Another good way to get away from the city a bit is to take a ferry to the Prince's Islands. They leave from a couple of the main terminals in the city. Buyuk Ada ("Big Island") has a beautiful pine forest and if you want some exercise, you can climb to the monastery of St. George at the top and have lunch at the restaurant there. No private cars are (supposed to) operate on the island, so transport there is by bike, foot, or horse-drawn carriage.

You may know this already, but it is still common for people in small villages to speak practically no English. You should be fine if you stay on the beaten path, but it definitely doesn't hurt to learn some travellers' Turkish because you very well might need it.

I hope you have a fantastic time!

 

[curlygirl]

Blackpaw, I've just started researching and it seems like everyone is mentioning Cappadocia. I would love to try to fit that in. I love the idea of a sailing trip between all the coastal spots as well. Thanks for the advice!

Bunny, Ephesus is the other place that is mentioned everywhere I look. I think I should definitely put it on the list. And I know what you mean about the carpet salesmen! The last time I was in Istanbul with my family, about 6 years ago, we went into a store and they were so accommodating with seats and apple tea and a whole presentation but it got a bit annoying because we were just LOOKING, not planning to buy!

Haven, I just started checking out the Fodor's forums--such a wealth of information there! I'm thinking we should definitely do Ephesus. Thanks!!

Zoe, I know I confused everyone with the subject of the post!

Octavia, great advice, thank you! I just read that Mondays are dead in Istanbul. We arrive on a Friday morning so I'm thinking that by Monday we may be ready to move on to another destination. I definitely want to do the short Bosphorous tour. I did it with my family and I think DH will love it. And the Spice Market is amazing! I also loved the Grand Bazaar but I'm a serious haggler so I had fun trying to bargain with everyone there--and they love seeing Americans who are willing to part with their money! Funny that you mention the language barrier as I was thinking the same thing. When I was there with my family, it was great because my father actually speaks Turkish so he was charming the pants off everyone and we knew we weren't getting ripped off in taxis. I'm going to have him teach me a few choice phrases. I stayed in a hotel near Taksim last time (Ceylon Intercontinental) and it was nice but a bit pricey for a small room. Do you have any favorite hotel recs? I'm wondering if we should stay in Sultanahmet although it might be too touristy...

Thanks everybody for the great advice! If you have more, I'm happy to take it!!!

 

[Octavia]

Curly, sorry for telling you all sorts of things you already knew...I wasn't sure how much of Istanbul you had gotten to see when you were there before! Unfortunately, I don't really have hotel recommendations because we always stay with family. When my parents came, they stayed at the Crowne Plaza near Istanbul University and the Tulip Mosque. It's about three or four metro stops down from the Grand Bazaar. The hotel was very nice but also very expensive, and although it was easy to get around because it was so close to the metro, there was really nothing to do in that area. Taksim is much more happening, although it can be a little too loud and crowded, but I think it's one of the best places to stay because it's easy to get most places from there. I would imagine that the hotels in Sultanahmet are just as expensive as Taksim, if not more so. We did stay in a little boutique hotel once for a couple days, but I honestly couldn't tell you the name of it or how to get there, so it's really no help.

One thing you could do is go on the websites for Turkish Air or Onur Air -- you can access back issues of the airline magazines, and they usually have little features on different towns. It's not enough to really build a vacation on, but it can help you to discover some interesting places you wouldn't know about otherwise, and the pictures are pretty!

 

[Blackpaw]

Im afraid im no good for hotel recommendations either, i stayed in hostels all the way through (though some were awesome!!). One thing i would say is stay in Sultanhamet. Yes its the tourist area but its also easy to get to everything from there. And an evening over in Beyoglu isnt a worry at all if you want to see a less touristy neighbourhood...

Ephesus is good, another good ruin (though with your time id recommend only one) is at Pamukkale - there are all these amazing free-form pools made of calcium deposits that look amazing (and you can sit in the pools of water in them), and up above these is natural springs that the Greeks built a city called Hierapolis on - it was a spa town, and you can swim in the ruined pools (complete with marble porticos etc fallen around you)!! its super cool, but id guess the choice would come down to distances between - i think Ephesus is probably a bit easier!

 

[Blackpaw]

Oh i have one more recommendation! if you havent already, try a football game in turkey! we had an amazing time, we saw Galitasiray play Antalya. There were 7 Antalya fans in one fenced off section all by their lonesomes! The only thing i would say is dont see Fenerbache against Galitasiray, they can get nasty (they're two istanbul teams!). Best to see an Istanbul team against someone random.

We bought Scarves etc and met really nice people in the crowd - and at the end of it they throw chairs on the ground for no reason! its hilarious, and the players go on and off with riot police shielding them. Its super fun