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Who's been to Turkey?

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April20

April20

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 1, 2008
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I've got Sky Miles burning a big ole hole in my pocket and have decided that we're using some this spring. I am OBSESSED with going to Istanbul and the surrounding area. I'm also thinking that we might do a side trip to Greece.

I'm starting to research what we'd want to see and how much time we need. If we do go ahead and do both Turkey and Greece, I'm trying to figure out how much time we should spend in both places. We're looking to go April 4-16, so we have a bit of time to divide up.

Has anyone been to one or both? What are the must sees and how much time should I allocate?

Thanks!!
 
hi! I haven't been to Turkey but I am also dying to go. My parents just visited this summer and fell in love! They are even thinking about buying a condo in Istanbul! My parents are very well traveled so if they say it's a beautiful city, then it must be really nice! Everyone I know who has ever been has only had good things to say.
 
I only spent one day in Ephesus, but it was amazing. Definitely worth a trip if you can make it.

On that same trip, I traveled through Greece and LOVED it. We took a cruise to several islands, and spent an additional ten days touring around the country.

As for the time you should spend--what kind of traveler are you? Do you like to really explore one area before moving on, or do you prefer to hop around and get a quick glimpse of everything?

In my experience, it's easiest to first decide if you'd like to see only a few places but really get a feel for them, or if you'd like to take in as much as you can.
 
I've posted in a couple threads about Turkey on here if you want to search, but I say definitely go! I recommend about 4 days in Istanbul, give or take a day --many of the big sights are very close together so you can do a few of them in a single day. Topkapi, Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, and the Basilica Cistern are a stone's throw from each other, the Archaeology museum is just down the hill, the Kapalicarsa (Grand Bazaar) is a 15-minute walk or 5-minute Metro ride, etc. It's worth taking a cruise up the Bosphorus and/or taking a ferry to the Prince's Islands (Buyuk ada is best, Borgaz ada is also lovely). But mostly, outside the old part of the city (on the European side) there aren't a lot of sights to see. I'd definitely spend more time exploring some smaller cities or towns over staying long in Istanbul. Fortunately, it won't be terribly hot yet in April -- it can get unbearable at the height of summer.

If you're planning to go to Greece, you might want to travel down the coast to the Aegean, stopping by major sites like Canakkale (ancient Troy), Izmir and Ephasus, and island-hop over to Greece. Kos is extremely close to Turkey and there are ferries from a town called Turgetreis, at the tip of the Bodrum peninsula. Or I'm sure you could take a flight from one of the regional airports like Izmir or Bodrum-Milas. You could also go to the east and see the Black Sea region and Cappadocia, but it probably wouldn't be as convenient to get to Greece from there.
 
Haven|1294361878|2816268 said:
I only spent one day in Ephesus, but it was amazing. Definitely worth a trip if you can make it.

On that same trip, I traveled through Greece and LOVED it. We took a cruise to several islands, and spent an additional ten days touring around the country.

As for the time you should spend--what kind of traveler are you? Do you like to really explore one area before moving on, or do you prefer to hop around and get a quick glimpse of everything?

In my experience, it's easiest to first decide if you'd like to see only a few places but really get a feel for them, or if you'd like to take in as much as you can.
Click to expand...

I'm a bit of a hybrid between wanting to see a ton of things but also actually SEEING them. I don't want to travel to a ton of places, yet see nothing, but at the same time, i don't want to linger so long that we run out of time to see things we really *should* see.
 
Octavia|1294363101|2816283 said:
I've posted in a couple threads about Turkey on here if you want to search, but I say definitely go! I recommend about 4 days in Istanbul, give or take a day --many of the big sights are very close together so you can do a few of them in a single day. Topkapi, Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, and the Basilica Cistern are a stone's throw from each other, the Archaeology museum is just down the hill, the Kapalicarsa (Grand Bazaar) is a 15-minute walk or 5-minute Metro ride, etc. It's worth taking a cruise up the Bosphorus and/or taking a ferry to the Prince's Islands (Buyuk ada is best, Borgaz ada is also lovely). But mostly, outside the old part of the city (on the European side) there aren't a lot of sights to see. I'd definitely spend more time exploring some smaller cities or towns over staying long in Istanbul. Fortunately, it won't be terribly hot yet in April -- it can get unbearable at the height of summer.

If you're planning to go to Greece, you might want to travel down the coast to the Aegean, stopping by major sites like Canakkale (ancient Troy), Izmir and Ephasus, and island-hop over to Greece. Kos is extremely close to Turkey and there are ferries from a town called Turgetreis, at the tip of the Bodrum peninsula. Or I'm sure you could take a flight from one of the regional airports like Izmir or Bodrum-Milas. You could also go to the east and see the Black Sea region and Cappadocia, but it probably wouldn't be as convenient to get to Greece from there.
Click to expand...

Great input, thanks! I'll search the other threads. I was wondering if a ferry to Greece made sense- I started looking into them briefly the other night. I love the idea of taking one, but want to make sure it doesn't end up being a time suck.

I went to the Turkey Tourism website earlier and started looking at some of the brochures. I am so stoked!
 
I really enjoyed both Istanbul and Ephesus(amazing!)/Kusadasi/Marymana- especially the history of the various governments and religions that have played a major part in the region. I'm a big history geek, and it seems like everyone from ancient history has left a mark in Turkey. I loved standing in the ruins of St. John's Basilica looking at the local and ancient Mosque, which has been build from the stones in the Temple of Aphrodite. So cool!

I did have to take extra care in the city, however- my blue eyes and very blonde hair garned a lot of attention, several people asked to touch my hair and I eventually tied it back in a scarf so it wouldn't show as much. My dark haired traveling buddy was very annoyed that people kept offering me things while ignoring her, haha!

But my heart belongs to the Greek Islands. I could skip mainland Greece again (worth going the first time, for sure), but I would move to Mykonos tomorrow and never leave again.
 
I've been to both.

12 days.... to do both... You should have 12 weeks in each to really gain an understanding.


Concerning Turkey - I nth seeing Ephesus.

Concerning the trip - you need to decide what kind of trip you want. General sightseeing (rent a car and drive the east coast of Italy), island hopping, shopping, historical sites (or a bit of each). You could do 12 days just doing any one of those items on my list.

In my dreams I would return to the Mediterranean in about a 100 ft yacht - and spend 6 months to a year there. Rental cars, guides, etc all tossed in. While I would love to visit other areas too - I believe that I would want to just spend more time in this part of the world than most others (of course - perhaps some south sea islands might do as well).

Perry
 
Loathed Greece - did the Cycladean islands plus Athens for a holiday and will not be going back. It was horribly dirty, Athens was little more than a big building site, they didn't look after their antiquities and I found the hundreds of starving and maltreated dogs and cats everywhere far too upsetting (and I grew up in a developing country so that is saying something!)

Loved Turkey - Istanbul is fabulous and I suggest leaving quite a few days to see most of the main sights there. My brother went for his honeymoon and also really enjoyed it - they were based on the south coast.

Other places I really enjoyed where Croatia, which has lovely islands and of course Italy - I lived there for 8 years - my favourite place being Lake Como.
 
Thanks for starting this thread. I haven't been yet, but I am going on a cruise in August that will stop at Ephesus for the day!!! So excited!!!

I will be watching for everyone's reviews...

(Our cruise is also stopping in Dubrovnik, Athens, and Split. Spending a few days in Paris and Venice before boarding the ship as well! Since I am traveling with my mom, and we like to get as much new stuff in as possible everywehre we go, we decided to skip the Greek Isles. I feel like that kind of relaxation is something my husband and I would enjoy more. Slower paced.)
 
My newest dilemma is whether we fly RT to Istanbul, RT to Athens or into one and out of the others.

Thoughts?

Here's the cost in miles when I looked yesterday.

150K RT 1st class in/out of Istanbul or into one and out of the other
100K RT 1st class in/out of Athens

Is it worth saving 100K miles to fly in/out of Athens, but know we are going to have to hop over to Turkey? I've heard domestic flights between the two can be inexpensive, but is it not worth it given the amount of travel time required? Does it make more sense to go in one and out the other to maximize time? Don't know, don't know!
 
I would spend the extra to fly into one and out the other...


Are you willing to sacrifice a day of sightseeing for the 100k you will save? If so, then save the miles. When I first answered I read that it was only 50k total. I didn't realize that was per person.
 
Just a question... but is flying economy an option?

It would save you tons of miles, and you could possibly use some of the miles saved towards the country hopper flight.
 
Domestic flights arent cheap between the two i found...the ferry option is time consuming though there is an overnight option which we took. Of course its pricey too (especially if you want a seat or cabin) and terribly uncomfortable to sleep on a metal deck overnight while being sprayed with sea water :)

With 12 days id personally stick to turkey (or greece if you prefer). I did three weeks in Greece and 5 in turkey and it wasnt enough for either!

Assuming Turkey is where you have your heart set on visiting, i think a few days in Istanbul, a few days in Cappadoccia (id say its the one spot in Turkey that's unmissable), then head down to the Antalya, Fez, Olympos, Bodrum area if you'ld like to get some beach time in...

From the coast you could also see a couple of ruins like Ephesus, Heirapolis etc...

If you do want to do both a full day will do for Athens, two at the most. I went to 6 islands and the best are unfortunately the furtherest away from Turkey (which is why id recommend sticking with one country). But if you can pay the cost of flights between Athens and Istanbul then Naxos and Kefalonia were the best of the islands i went to, Kefalonia in particular is spectacularly beautiful, much nicer than the Cyclades Islands (the famous ones!) But of course if you only have time for one, Santorini might be the best bet, and if you can do two Naxos is on the way!

Hope you have a great trip =)
 
Meresal, economy is less miles, but I'd really rather not sit in coach for a flight that long. My miles aren't good for inter-country flights, so I'd rather be comfortable on the way over and back.

I looked closer at the region maps today and decided that doing Turkey and Greece in 12 days is unrealistic, so we're just going to do Turkey. If we want to do Greece and the Greek Islands, we need a seperate trip.

I've been working on my itinerary all day today (they closed the office due to the snow, so I figure that applies to me too even though I home office. :cheeky: ).

Day 1: Arrive Istanbul, catch domestic flight to Izmir (Ephesus). Spend day around Izmir
Days 2, 3: Ephesus
Day 4: Fly from Izmir to Kayseri. Figure out balance of day
Days 5, 6: Cappadocia region flying to Istanbul on the evening of day 6
Days 7, 8: Take ferry/bus to Bursa. Spend two days in surrounding area
Days 9, 10, 11: Istanbul
Day 12: Fly home

Thoughts?
 
I've got our tickets booked! I am so excited. I also went thru and reserved hotels thru Booking.com for where I believe we will be. I spent all yesterday afternoon researching them. All of them have very good cancellation policies, so if we need to change, we can. All I lack now is booking the Istanbul hotel with Hilton points and booking inter-country travel.

My biggest concern now is what kind of luggage we bring. We're going to be moving around quite a bit and I don't want to drag bags around all day on days we're between hotels. Anybody have good advice?
 
Congrats April! So exciting to have almost everything booked!

Re: Luggage- You are going to want to research the airline websites and what weight is allowed for each of the flights that you book. We flew American into London, and a day later when we went to check into our flight on Lufthansa to Barcelona, they tried to tell us that the flight only allowed HALF the weight that the oversea flight allowed. My mom and I both had 75 lbs worth of luggage, and they were only going to let us board with 45lbs each!

It took us 30 minutes of arguing to get them to let us take our second bags.
 
Turkish Airlines (THY) is the best for domestic travel; Onur Air is also good. I don't know if your loyalty program is Star Alliance, but if it is and you are gold level or above, you get a larger bag allowance on THY flights. Otherwise, the checked baggage allowance is pretty stingy (15 kilos, maybe? I don't remember exactly). You can pay extra, but the price per kilo isn't cheap, especially since you are flying several times. I say pack light and plan to wear things more than once, if possible (not intimate apparel, but jeans, sweaters, etc).
 
My goal is to pack absolutely as little as possible. I'm thinking no more than a carry on rollaboard. Maybe even back packs. We're going to have to lug this stuff all over Turkey, so we need to be as light as possible.
 
Good plan. It should be mild around Istanbul and pretty warm in Izmir at that time of year, so capris or skirts and tees will probably be appropriate (and are small and light). Not sure about Kayseri or Cappodocia, but I would imagine that a sweater and a windbreaker, plus a pair of long pants, would probably get you through just fine. Be forewarned that Bursa is very conservative, so you'll probably want to cover up more there than you will in Istanbul and Izmir. A shawl might (?) do the trick though.
 
Octavia|1294867886|2820999 said:
Good plan. It should be mild around Istanbul and pretty warm in Izmir at that time of year, so capris or skirts and tees will probably be appropriate (and are small and light). Not sure about Kayseri or Cappodocia, but I would imagine that a sweater and a windbreaker, plus a pair of long pants, would probably get you through just fine. Be forewarned that Bursa is very conservative, so you'll probably want to cover up more there than you will in Istanbul and Izmir. A shawl might (?) do the trick though.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the pointers- these are extremely helpful!
 
I am a little late to this thread but I just wanted to wish you happy travels. It sounds like a fantastic itinerary. We did a cruise from Venice to Istanbul through Croatia and Greece in October and loved Turkey. We only spent a day in Kusadasi, a day at Ephesus, and three days in Istanbul but we really enjoyed what we saw of the country. I'm sure you will have a great time and you must go back for Greece sometime as it is also wonderful.
 
April, I've never been, but must say I am JEALOUS! Will you be staying in Cappadocia? I've always wanted to spend time there.
 
:appl: :appl: :appl:

OOO OOO OOO I am so excited for you! Turkey is one of my all time favorite places! I am glad you are going to Cappadocia because it is spectacular. Stay in one of the cave hotels, go Turkish rug shopping! Ahhhh I'm jealous. I spent about one month each in Greece and Turkey, Greece first. We almost didn't go to Turkey because there was some polital upheaval and everyone in Greece was telling us not to go. Well, I'm glad we didn't listen. I liked it much better than Greece, especially the beaches. Ephysius (sp?) is remarkable. You will love it!


Have a fabulous time!
 
We are staying in a cave hotel for two nights in Goreme. I am so excited! We are staying in hotel built in the 1450ish for two nights in Kusadesi. I've got a boutique hotel in Bursa and we're staying in Hiltons (maybe the Conrad?) in Istanbul because I can use Hilton points.

I am now trying to plan the inner-country travel and what we do. This is work! I have all new respect for travel agents!!
 
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