BootsnAll Travel Community

Hello everyone,

I am seriously considering going to Turkey (beginning and ending point Istanbul) in Mid May. The airfare is quite cheap at around 900$ and I'd like to keep the total cost of the trip at 2000. With a budget of 80$ a day at 14 days, it looks possible.

The catch: I have nothing planned---no travel route, no particular hostel picked out. Now tommrow, I'll go to the library and get a couple of travel Guides and a Turkish language guide. But still...

This could be really good or really bad. What I do know is that I spent 10 months planning and working like crazy to travel around Australia for a month. It was worth it, but at the same time by the time I was Sydney bound I almost hated Australia because I had over analysed every little detail. Though in defence of that: Australia is massive.

Any ideas, any comments about the daily budget or length of the trip, anything a must see or a definate warning?

Cheers,

Samantha***

Well, Turkey's very big, too.

But this is hardly crazy. Turkey is one of the easiest countries to travel in that I've ever been too. $80 per day will likely turn out to be significantly more more than what you need - we spent about 67 YTL per person per day, which at today's exchange rate translates to $50, but that was with two people, which lowers the accomodation cost. Travelling similar to us, you'd probaby spend around $60 per day, and we're not exactly cheap.

The one thing that comes highly recommended, but may blow your budget, is a balloon ride in Cappadocia...everyone we talked to who'd done one loved it, but it costs around €200

I'd suggest not overplanning. Pick 3, maybe 4, spots you want to visit, and then just go with the flow. Turkish buses are amazing both for their quality and for how easy it is to just show up at the station and get on a bus...major destinations are linked so frequently, there's little need to plan in advance.

The standard backpack route would start in Istanbul, head over to Goreme in Cappadocia, then down to the med coast around Olympos, take a gulet cruise to Fethiye, then to Selcuk for Ephesus, and back to Istanbul.

Those are all great places, and we enjoyed them tremendously, but with only 2 weeks, you're going to have to choose between seeing all of them, maybe slightly rushed, or taking your time and maybe going a little off the beaten track. Istanbul and Goreme I wouldn't miss, they were both amazing, and very memorable...the med coast and Ephesus...they were good, but if you want to do something out of the ordinary, missable.

As for time frame - we spent a month in Turkey, and still didn't see even half of what it has to offer, and we really want to go back. Two weeks is not much for a country like Turkey, but if it's what you have available...take it, you won't regret it.

Let's see...other recommendations - we really liked the Kose Pension in Goreme. There's lots of pensions there, and I'm sure they're all good, but what we really liked about Kose was that there was a dinner available every day for 10 YTL (may have gone up slightly...Turkey has high inflation), which was good food, and different each day. Not the same old kebabs that are the staple of restaurant food.

Anyway, have fun. And check out the "Go to Turkey" thread.

quote:

Istanbul and Goreme I wouldn't miss, they were both amazing, and very memorable...the med coast and Ephesus...they were good, but if you want to do something out of the ordinary, missable.

See my previous posting on Istanbul- plenty for a week.

Goreme/cappadocia- Definite
Ephesus- Sure, if you like roman ruins.
Hieropolis- Very good
Troy- Don't bother
Gallipoli- if you only have two weeks, and are not australian, probably not worth it.
Other places:

Olympos, Fethiye, good beach/coastal vacation sights

YOu can't do it all in two weeks so you need to decide if you want to do the coast and area, Plus Istanbul, or historical western Turkey and Cappadocia, a few select sights. Overplanning is bad, a little advance knowledge is great.

Heres a thought, and my goodness!! I hope I don't lose my Bootsnall credentials.

You CAN see most of Western Turkey and Istanbul if you go to a tour agency with a network of buses that go on a defined route. I used one that was whirlwind, but I DID see a lot in a short time, with pre-arranged housing.

People here seem to like Fez tours.

YOu can get details in Istanbul.

I agree with the advice given so far. Turkey is an easy place to travel to and decide what to do as you go. However, as mentioned, with only two weeks you should have an idea of the types of places you'd like to see. We spent 6 weeks there and there was still much more to do.

You can break down what Turkey has to offer into these broad categories (I'm noting only a few of the places to see, there is so much more):

Natural beauty (The Cappadoccia region for rock formations, Parmakkule for hot springs, a Meditterranian boat cruise, lakes, gorges, beaches with nesting turtles, the Chimera flames near Olympos...)

History & Culture (Roman ruins are scattered throughout Turkey - most notably Ephesus, Hieropolis*my fav*, Olympos & Istanbul)



Dont overplan, but get an idea of what sort of stuff you would like to see. The hostels/pensions in Turkey are generally very good and an excellent way to hook up with other travelers. Your budget should offer you lots of flexibility (esp. outside of Istanbul)

*UPDATE*
Whoa! Just purchased ticket, expedia special fare everything included 679.00$!!! I will be in Turkey 23 April-8May!

I am actually shaking, I know it might not seem crazy but I've never been quite as balsy as this when it comes to travel!

Thank you everyone for your suggestions, if you have anymore advice or information it would certainly be welcome.

Cheers,

Samantha***

Hi, Samantha - I am a solo female who will be in Istanbul (arriving May 4th) and will then head into the countryside on the 7th for the next 2 weeks. If you're in Istanbul between May 4-7, and want to meet up someplace in the city, let me know. I will be staying at the Hanedan Hotel in Sultanahmet.

Also, check out some of the older posts here - they have been very helpful. I would also check out http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/index.html - there is some good detailed information there as well.

Hey Samantha,

I did a trip to Turkey much like you’re planning two years ago. I spent about a week in Istanbul split between the start and end of the trip, and went to Goreme and Pamukkale in between. To add to what’s already been posted, if you’re staying in Sultanahmet in Istanbul, there are a bunch of travel agencies on Divan Yolu (the main street which the tram line follows). You can book buses, accommodation, tours anything else you’ll need for the rest of your trip if you haven’t done it before you get to Turkey.

Goreme is a great base for exploring Cappadocia. But while there’s the Goreme Open Air Musuem, a number of valleys hikeable from the village, and hot air balloon rides, there are a lot of great sites that you need wheels to reach. If you don’t have a car, it’s worth taking a tour (or tours). You can book them in Istanbul or Goreme, probably at your hotel/pension. Another nice one is the Kelebek. Some rooms are built into fairy chimneys incorporated into the hotel, but even the regular rooms are very nice. Excellent Turkish breakfast buffet included and you can buy dinner. No pool though.

Pamukkale was worth seeing, but you can pretty much do it all in one day. You can walk up through the travertine pools to the top of the cliffs and the Hierapolis is behind them. I got up very early to walk up which turned out to be a good idea for several reasons: the sun rises opposite the cliffs and it was very cool to see it come up and slowly illuminate them; I was the only person going up, by the time I came down mid-morning it was very crowded; the temperature was comfortable in the morning, roasting by midday (in early June).

Whatever you decide, I’m sure you’ll love it and want to go back soon.

I also recommend staying at Kelebek in Goreme, it is a great place!