BootsnAll Travel Community

Can any one give me information on the FEZ Bus service in Turkey? Is it good, worth doing etc? Replies to lindamgillam@yahoo.com would be appreciated.
Thx

lookat www.feztravel.com
i went fez and really enjoyed it ..
its great if youre an independent traveller
as they give you heaps of info and help with accomadation etc..they are very friendly
and in backpacker area of Istanbul

Does anyone have any RECENT info., experiences, etc. on the Fez Bus in Turkey/Greece?

I'm actually considering doing one of their "tours". I usually do a "hop on/hop off" kind of thing and plot my own itinerary, but work is going to be just nuts the next two months, and I'm kinda' in a frame of mind to just let someone else handle the planning, esp. to a country I've NEVER been to.

Thanks for any reviews, recommendations, do's, don't, etc.

There are two tour agencies in Istanbul. One is located in the Yucelt youth hostel, and offers a pretty good stop in, stop off program provided you're willing to wait up to a week for the next pickup.

Then there is Fez, which I have heard good things about. The bus tours are just that, bus tours. It means you spend about half your time on a bus between destinations, and are rushed about once you get there. The good news is if you only have four weeks to see Turkey, it takes a lot of the pain away from trying to see all of Western Turkey in one go, independently. You get to see 6 different places in 7 days, which really isn't bad. Then you can go back to the places you liked the most.

When I was there, they wanted about 150 dollars for the week, which includes lodging for 6 nights, and you have to figure on another 150 for associated expenses.

Do's and donts.

Do allow a few rug dealers to convince you to look at their rugs.\, and offer you teas. Don't buy rugs from a hard sell dealer.

Don't go to many of the tourist bars on the tourist strip. If you feel inclined to do so, only bring enough cash to pay for a night out, don't bring a credit card, and ASK specifically about the prices of drinks. Don't let cute girls or guys descend on you, and then insist on drinks which you will be billed for. Also, its good to know that in Turkish nomenclature, the X means two orders of, and when you see the word Yabangi on the check, be prepared to be gouged in your dinner bill or drink bill. Its possible to talk it down with the manager, IF you are sure the prices have been hiked. That takes a little experience.

If you run into bill trouble, there are two important words to remember, and engrave them into your memory:

Tourist Police. Learn where the HQ of the Tourist police are, and use them if you have any bill disputes of obvious ripoff nature, especially in bars or restaurants.

Don't go looking for trouble, just be aware of the prices of things before you order them. In this way, you won't go too far wrong.

Oh yes, Cabbies in Istanbul often like to take you the long way round. Unless you know the way around, you just have to accept it. I've never heard of any Turkish cabbie to rip a tourist off outright, except in a large fare. That's the really good news.

Standard tourist precautions, as I see it.

Do's for Istanbul-
Walk around the city walls. They're incredible, and its free. You take the tram to Zeytinburnu, but get off after you SEE the walls at the next stop. Its not hard to see.

Don't walk around the INSIDE perimeter of the walls at nighttime, as some areas can be sketchy. Some areas you can walk ON the walls, which is a real trip.

DO see the Museum of Islamic Arts by the Hippodrome. It's nearly free, and has an incredible rug and art collection. Its hidden gem is the series of exhibits on old nomadic Turkish culture.

Do try to find the outside walls of the Hippodrome, which are the only remainders of the filled-in stadium, aside from the curios set deep in wells.

Thats enough, I think.

skyehiker...not sure if you are still looking for info, but I did the Fez bus from Istanbul to Cappadocia last summer. I enjoyed it. Certainly the bus is cheaper, but I did like the convenience of Fez. They book your hostel for you, which means they only give you a limited number of hostels to choose from (the ones they work with). BUT -- you don't have to have them do it for you. You can still do what you want. I did feel like there was a bit of pressure to stay where they want you to stay (though I found they were usually fun good places) and to buy into their optional tours. My friend and I also felt a little pressured to hang out and have dinner with the group, but that also didn't stop us from going off on our own.

It's one of those things where it really depends on what kind of experience you are looking for. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.

I understand the appeal of a tour with Fez if you're limited on time. They'd be a good company to go with as they seem to mainly cater to youngish backpacker types so you'd probably be on a tour with the whole 18-35 crew looking for a fun time.

But I wouldn't recommend them for hop-on hop-off. I recently travelled around Turkey by bus for 3 weeks and it is the easiest thing ever. I had heard good things about fez and would have gladly gone with them but their service doesn't start till mid-late April and I was there late March to mid-April. Some friends had good experiences with them but felt that they were rushed, especially since they don't leave every day and are on a pretty fixed circular route.

Public buses are cheaper, more flexible (there are loads of companies going all over at seemingly every hour) and you will meet locals and probably plenty of other travellers.

If you are considering Fez's hop-on hop-off service because you're afraid bus travel in Tureky is difficult on your own then don't do it. If you want to meet busloads of like-minded travellers, are on a tight/inflexible schedule and want your hand held around Turkey then it might be a good choice.

Thanks for the ideas.
Naw, I don't need my hand held around Turkey. And, naw, I won't do their hop on-hop off thing. My thinking on taking one fo their tours was just the convenience factor: I've got a few HUGE projects I'm immersed in at work, the kind with boatloads of little, time-sensitive, potentially fatal details that I've gotta' be on top of for the next few weeks. With that going on, it's just kinda' easier to keep my mind focused on the job (and thus the paycheck) and let someone else handle a few details at least. Backpacker tours definitely have their pro's and con's, and I've expereicned both. I'll take you up on the PM offers as time gets closer and/or with more specific questions. Thanks again for the tips!