We are going to be in Turkey at the end of August for 2 weeks. We will be in Istanbul for one week, so looking to tour some of the other cities during the other week. Just wondering what people believe are the must-see attractions/cities? Is an organised tour the way to go or is it easy to organise on your own?
Turkey travel advice
Giraffe on 21/05/2013 - 00:16
Comments
Most of the sights are on the Mediterranean coast, e.g. Ephesus, Izmir. You might want to look up tripadvisor.com to see which sights are to your liking. You should be able to catch buses there and back, or you may wish to take a tour as August is peak season. So book your accommodation ahead. And very hot too so take the sunscreen.
I am working out a trip to Turkey too. You will be glad of the 2 weeks as distances are large. Unfortunately I only have one week so will be flying to Cappadoccia and bussing around south west coast, flying back to Istanbul via Izmir Airport. Definitely look at trip TripAdvisor, I also looked at Intrepid's tour itineries to see what towns I might like to visit. Flights start at Aud 14, so can be very cheap. It has been a learning curve but its not that hard to organize yourself and you can post any questions you have on Trip TripAdvisor.
Thanks for the tips! I have been looking at TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet websites and also now turkeytravelplanner.com - there's so many cities it's a bit overwhelming!
STA have recommended an 8 day tour which fits into our schedule well and seems to cover the main sites.
www.statravel.com.au/tours-and-treks/ALL/The-Best-of-Turkey-…We can get it for about $880 with some discounts. Doesn't go to Cappadocia though. Do you guys think it's worth it? Thanks again.
Cappadoccia is great. The fairy chimneys are out of this world. But you would need a few more days to do it justice. 1 week on the Med coast is not enough as it is. Well maybe the organised tour will squeeze it all in for you. Better a short visit than not at all.
I spent a month there a few years ago. ephesus and cappadoccia are great.
do a circle: istanbul —> cappadoccia —-> ephesus (and coast) —> istanbul.in ephesus I stayed at a hostel run by a turkish/australian family , actually in cappadocia the hostel I stayed at was run by a turkish/australian family.
We did Turkey on our own a few years ago and found the following link very useful
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/index.html
I would suggest about 4 days in Istanbul and stay near the main tourist attractions and you can walk to the major sights. It's a fascinating country and one of our favourite travel destination. Have a great trip!