BootsnAll Travel Community

looking to do 5 to 7 days in turkey but havent began to look at places to go to.. will be taking the train in to istanbul from budapest and then going from there... thoughts? THANKS!

Clickety-click right here.

I'm just back from a too-short time there. Resign yourself to the fact that you've relegated too short a time there, and soak up each location as best you're able. Even if this means just one location, you'll still be rewarded.

Turkey tempts you to just bag Site A, B etc. It's much better than that. Bag the sites, but go to hell with yourself by maximizing your time in each place.

I think i 5-7 days you can really only focus on Istanbul and the area around Troy/Gallipoli etc. I didn't make it there but that's the only palce I can think of that wouldn't be a night bus trip away. Cappadocia is wicked but an overnight bus each way might kill you if you've only got 5 days.

5-7 seven days in Turkey is too short to see anthing....however I don't think Troy is worth seeing when you don't have a lot of time in Turkey. three days for Istanbul is really enough.

If you are interested in seeing lots of ruins and ancient cities I would fly down to the Kusadasi area. You could see Ephesus, Priene, Milet, Didim, etc, etc. Also you mentioned the night bus---don't take it--but that money towards a flight...because you save time,see more and on the night bu you do not get any sleep. And flights are not that expensive anyway.

With 7 days, don't mess with Troy. Its a bunch of ditches which forces you to imagine a city, at best.

Ephesus, on the other hand, is a gem.

There is also the cappadocia area, which eats up seven days like a hungry child.

Istanbul is 3 days by itself, taken too quickly.

When I went I ended up spending my first 4 days or so in Istanbul, and then, missing it, went back at the end of my my trip for another 3 days or so...and I still want to go back!

Istanbul can easily eat up a few days, but if you must get away for something else, you can also consider Pamukkale (calcified cliffs from natural hot springs)...it's a UNESCO site http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=485)

...though I think Pamukkale is about the same distance from Istanbul as Ephesus, and Ephesus takes the cake, I say. I'm not a huge ruins roamer, but i was thoroughly impressed.

Capadoccia, from what I remember, was about 13 hours by bus from Istanbul, overnight. The bus trips in Turkey are nice (trains aren't really an option), but in the end, it's still a bus, and I could only get so comfortable on those things.

I've been told by train lover that a train does run to near cappadocia,but have never taken it. Buses are direct and brutal.

Cappadocia is worth it.

A train runs to Ankara. It is a few hour bus ride down to Goreme.

Buses are not so bad. I like them, myself.

Turkish buses are not so bad, that's true. I'm told a eurolines bus is another matter. 13 hours in that kind of bus would be veritable torture, as told by someone who took one from london to Amsterdam.

Some turkish buses even have lay down beds. Its fascinating.

One year I had the bright idea of buying a Eurolines bus pass.

NEVER AGAIN!