BootsnAll Travel Community

I will be traveling through Turkey in November with my husband and am curious which direction to head first.

Thanks to BnA's travel forums's, we have narrowed it down, but are still unsure if it's best to go clockwise or counter clockwise on our route.

We fly into Istanbul, and desire to take it slow and stay for at least 4 days or so.
Cappadoccia is the second priority on our list, also wanting to stay there for 4+ days.
Then the South West coastline; from Antalya to Ephesus. Fithye seems to be worth visiting, along with all the sites near Antalya. Hopefully up to Pammukale and Heiropolis.

From some point, we will need to head into Greece. We are open to that being by ferry from one of the SW port towns (we'd like to see Rhodes, and maybe Santorini) OR we have considered flying from Cappadoccia (Kayseri) airport.

So, should we head south along the coast from Istanbul and then inland to Cappadoccia, or directly inland from Istanbul and then make our way SW to the coast and then into Greece?

Total, we have 6 weeks to travel from Istanbul to Athens, so we aren't pressed for time anywhere.

I have read many suggestions not to use tour guides/agents and this is encouraging. We hope to travel as simply and economically as possible. We will be just finishing a Trek through Nepal & be living out of our backpacks. We are pretty easy going and open for anyones crazy ideas.

It's getting closer and we are beyond stoked to go!

Traveling clockwise is fine. Though, after hanging around a bit in Goreme, you may never want to leave.

Clockwise will work well for what you want to do. My girlfriend and I did a similar trip last year, except that Istanbul was last in the Turkey/Greece portion of our trip, and we loved it.

Leaving Cappadoccia will be the hardest part of the trip...we still long to return there.

Since you're going in the off season, make sure the international ferry you intend to take is working. The main ferry link between Greece and Turkey is Kusadasi-Samos. The other ones run iffier shedules. We crossed Ayvalik-Lesvos, and didn't find out until we got there that even in June, the ferry was only running every other day. So check the schedule out before you get a bus to the port.

Turkey's a wonderful country and you'll have a great time. It's one of only two countries that I've visited and dream of returning to. Certainly don't waste your money on a tour or guides. It's the easiest country to travel in that I've ever been to.

Turkey's transportation system is convenient and ridiculously easy to navigate. By the way, I really enjoyed a couple of days stop in Kas over the very touristy Fethiye.

Your original itinerary sounds good. We met people going both directions, no big. But like the previous replies, Cappacocia is magical: 5 days of fairy chimneys and we were still not ready to move on. And the equally fantastic food...!

This is seriously making me want to go back.

Keep in mind that some things will be closed down in both Turkey and Greece in November. Do not miss Pummakkale and spend at least a night there. It will be wonderful at that time of year, swim in the Sacred Pool as kings did in ancient ruins, see the best preserved stadium in Turkey etc above it and go to the travertines in the moonlight and at dawn or dusk ( they are open 24 hours..with spectacular views). The water will make you feel wonderful and fall or spring is the best time to be there.

Don't miss Rhodes as it is wonderful ( again tho much will be closed as many pack up and shut down) , but see nearby Symi and Lindos if you can and the great museum, and best preserved walls etc.

Itis really a pain to get between Rhodes and Santorini by ferry, so I would fly if you can. Santorini on the caldera is priceless and I would not miss it.

We went around the opposite way most people do, but I think either way would work. You WILL love Cappadocia and not just Goreme that is wonderful. We also loved Urgurp and Uschisar and more. We added time here and ended up staying a week and could have stayed more. The local cave house and restaurant are great. Esbelli Evi is outstanding and worth the splurge.

There are also some fantastic french cave lodgings in Uschisar area that would be worth a few days as different areas of Cappadocia have different qualities and advantages and disadvantages.

Turkey IS the easiest country in the world I think to get around,and the hospitality is unbelievable.Every body seems to know each ohter and they can set you up from one thing to the next.

We also added time in Selcuk which we loved at the Kalehan hotel,so ended up there a week. There is a lot to see in this area and easy to drive or take a bus to Pummakkale and Aphrodisias from here. ( Both are "must sees" in my book).

We were glad that we added Troy and ancient Pergamum, altho they are a little harder to do.

As everyone says who has been there....you will love Turkey!

BTW, I have just uploaded 26 entries on our month in Turkey with lots of pics and info including hotels, which may be a help to you.

We enjoyed Fethiye and the Turquoise coast very much ( we did the gulet thing),but I wonder how much will be closed down. There is a fantastic little fishing village that can only be reached by boat ( look at my blog for name as I have already forgotten,but it was our fav place on coast).I believe you can get a ride from Kas ( which is also very nice).

If you are into trekking check out the Lyceum Trails and or St Pauls trail that a Brit has written a book about and helped develope. You would be there at a fabulous time to check out some of these awesome sites ( without the heat).

I am glad to her the transportatin system is good. I also hear that joining a tour is not a good idea, but how safe is it for a single female to tour around alone?

I have traveled all over Turkey and all over Minneapolis.

Turkey is safer. Really.

Okay, my girlfriend and I travelled together in Turkey, so take my observation with a grain of salt, but I didn't see anything that I think would have been a real problem. I think "safe" isn't an issue. You may encounter a bit of extra hassle, unwanted attention and such, but nothing dangerous, particularly if you're sticking to well-trodden tourist paths(which, unless you have several months, is really all there'll be time for on a first trip to Turkey). Avoiding bars and such is also a good idea, since they're the sorts of places that attract sketchy people.

Plus, it's easy enough to hook up with other people if that's what you want. Even though things were slow when we went, there were always other travellers around.

I am a single female and just finished spending two weeks (in May) in Turkey traveling around by myself. I never had any problems other than an occasional curious stare. You can check out my blog if you want more details, but I never ever felt unsafe. I was debating whether to take the Fez bus, but I'm really glad I didn't - the transportation system is easy as pie, and much cheaper than Fez. It's also more convenient to travel on your own.

Turkey is probably one of the most traveler-friendly countries I've been to - everyone is extremely friendly and helpful, and it's an easy country to make your way around in. You will have an incredible time.