Turkey in 7 days

Quick Summary

Our big vacation this year was Turkey and we couldn't have been more pleased with it. This was a 9 day trip - well, 2 of the 9 days was spent travelling. Turkey is a very large country and has lots of different places to visit. Since it was our first time, we concentrated a bit on usual touristy places. There is enough in Turkey to spend a few weeks. The time of the year may also dictate it.  July-Sep seem to be the most touristy months as they are hottest and suit the sun-chasing Europeans :)  We went in October and in hindsight, it was perfect as it was not as crowded and yet at the same time it was nice and warm. A word of caution about October : It can rain a bit in October and so depending on your luck you might hit bad weather. Weather wise, September might be a bit safer though.

Day 1 - Fly to Izmir from London and head to hotel at Selçuk town centre
Day 2 - Ephesus ,  Temple of Artemis, Basilica of St John
Day 3 - Sirince, Kuşadasi
Day 4 - Fly to Kayseri(Cappadocia), Goreme open air museum , Rose valley, Red valley, Cavusin
Day 5 - Balloon tour, Derinkuyu underground city, Ilhara valley, Selime monastery
Day 6 - Fly to Istanbul,  Basilica Cistern, Egyptian Bazaar, Taxim Sq
Day 7 - Bosporous cruise, AyaSofya, Arasta bazaar
Day 8 - Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace,  Istanbul walk, Gallata Tower, Taxim Square
Day 9 - Return home

Where we stayed
Selcuk - Saint John's hotel
Izmir - Orty hotel
Goreme - Vezir Caves
Istanbul - Ambassador Hotel


First Leg - Seçluk and surroundings.


Day 1, we left London to Izmir. Our plan was to go to Selçuk first , then to Cappadocia and end in Istanbul.  We landed in Izmir and had booked a 60 minute transfer to our hotel in Selcuk, Saint John's hotel .  If you are into beaches, Kuşadası which is about 30 Km from Selcuk may be a better base. We also went in October which is a touch cooler and less beach weather.  Kusadasi for what is worth is more a resort town and more commercial with the usual American fast food joints. Selcuk on the other hand is a nice little town, old fashioned in many ways, yet at the same time has loads of restaurants and caters to tourists as well. It was 4pm by the time we got settled in the hotel. The remainder of the day was spent wandering around the town and a quite meal at the Wallabies restaurant. This restaurant has a lovely terrace with views of some old columns just across from the train station.

Day 2 was a visit to Ephesus which we toured ourselves. There are typical day tour packages with hotel pickup and the usual but we wanted to explore on our own. It does take more time this way but you also get to sample the local life a little more.  You can take a taxi to Ephesus or you can walk to the bus station and take a bus(Dolmas). The busses are nice and there are several running well into the night. For Ephesus, we did take the taxi and landed at the top entry point (this way you walk downhill). It was quite crowded , mainly because a cruise ship had landed that day and so we had tons of people. There is separate ticket for the Terrace houses inside Ephesus and we recommend buying that as well. Ephesus takes about 2 to 3 hours depending on your pace and interests. There are local tour guides or you can buy an audio guide. There are no cafes or toilets inside Ephesus and so be prepared for it. Also carry lots of water and wear comfortable walking shoes!!!  House of Mary is an attraction that is much further away from Ephesus and tour packages do take you there. If you go on your own, it is a 20 Lira cab ride. We actually skipped this as it did not seem like something worth going (especially after reading other reviews).  Once you are outside Ephesus there are cafes and you can have a good pint or drink. After Ephesus, we took a taxi to the Temple of Artemis (about 10 Lira). Honestly this is waste as there is not much left here to see. However it is a 10 minute walk from the Basilica of St John which is much better place to visit and has some good views of Selcuk. The castle was closed for restoration which it a shame. It looked like a another good attraction with even better views. The Basilica is also a short walk the town centre. We relaxed at a park cafe opposite to the bus station - can't seem to remember the name - and even tasted some Turkish coffee.  We wrapped up the day with some wine and a nice meal at Ejder Restaurant. Definitely get the lentil soup here, it was the best that we had across Turkey.

Day 3 and our best part of Selcuk was Sirince (pronounced She-rin-je). This is a wonderful little town about 6 km from Selcuk. Bus ride is 5 Lira and there are several of them during the day.  This town has quite a few wine bars and tasting places. There is not much to write about Sirince but it is a place to wander and enjoy a town that seems to still set in olden times. Not to mention there are tons of photo opportunities. We spent around 2 hours there - we walked on little alleys through village homes and small pensions and restaurants. After some Turkish tea and gozleme, we took a bus ride back to Selcuk town center and then another bus to Kusadasi. Kusadasi is a beach town and a much bigger city than Selcuk.  It has lots of markets, western restaurants and bars/pubs.  It is safe to say that Kusadasi was our least favorite in our first leg.  Since we had a early flight to catch next day , we took a train to Izmir (about 45 minutes and 8 Lira) and stayed a hotel near the airport. 


Second Leg - Cappadocia

Day 4 and the 2nd leg started with an early morning flight to Kayseri from Izmir and then followed by a 45 minute shuttle to Goreme. The drive is quite but with excellent views of the dormant volcano that dominates the area around Kayseri. Göreme is a town in Cappadocia's Nevşehir Province and importantly a center for tourism in Cappadocia. Our stay here was for 2 and 1/2 days and in hindsight another day would have helped.  Nevertheless, this was our best part of the Turkey trip. It is one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen and there is lots to do here.  On the first day in Cappadocia , we walked from our hotel (Vezir Caves) to the open air museum which is a bunch of man-made caves on formations from volcanic explosions. The caves were homes to the ancient Christians and so are full of Frescas and nice paintings.  The open air museum tour was about 30-45 minutes and after that we rented a quad (ATV) for about 1 hour. The ATV also came with a tour guide and it only cost about 80 Lira  (2 people can ride together).  We drove around what is called the 'red tour' and visited the rose valley and the red valley (they look the same colour if you ask me).  We also went to a little village called Cavusin which has some spectacular views.  To be honest there are lovely views everywhere in Cappadocia.  It was quite a hot day here and so be prepared with water or hydrate yourselves with freshly squeezed pomegranate juice which you get almost everywhere. If you have the whole day to spend want to cover things yourself, rent a quad or a car or a bike and drive around.   Dinner on day 4 was at an Indian restaurant called Indian Rasoi which was near our hotel and had decent Indian food and wine.


Day 5 was the longest and best. We started with 5.30 AM balloon ride which we had booked the day before.   The hotel pickup,  balloon ride and drop off takes about 3 hours. The actual ride is about 1 hour and is the best way to view the terrain of Cappadocia.  We took like a million photos because every way you look there is something beautiful. It is very expensive though (about 450 Lira) but it definitely worth it.  We took the tour with Butterfly balloon who are  one of the more expensive ones but had great reviews and our experience matched it.  The flight was very skilfully done and the landing precise.  To cap it off we also had Champagne at 7.30 AM :)  The weather is critical with this ride.  Rain and they will likely cancel it,  cloudy and you don't get the same views. So check the weather and pick the right day. The good thing about this early balloon tour is that you are back in the hotel at around 8.30 AM have the rest of the day.  In Cappadocia you need to rent a car or rely on tours. There are buses but they don't go everywhere and are not frequent.  Since we were there only for 2 days, we did not go for the rental car and booked the 'green tour' for 9.30 AM. This tour takes you to Derinkuyu , the underground city, then a 3km walking trip in the Ilhara valley, then a trip to Selime monastery and you end up by seeing an Onyx demonstration. The underground city is a must see. The Ilhara valley walk is nice one but it might be better done on your own. The monastery is another one of those cave dwellings with paintings etc. If you have car there is no reason why you cannot do all this on your own. All in all the green tour is good value for money and covers good points.  Rest of day 5 was spent wandering around Goreme, buying a ceramic painting and a dinner at the Anatolian Kitchen

If we had another day, we would have probably done the blue tour as well or done a bigger hike or something. If you are into hiking, biking or ATVs this region has lots of places. There are also plenty of castles , caves and other areas of interest.

Third Leg - Istanbul

Day 6, started with a drive to Kayseri airport and a flight into Istanbul. We landed at Sabiha Gocken which is on the Asian side of the city and had booked a transfer through the hotel (around 60 minutes).We stayed at the Ambassador Hotel located in the old town - Sultanahmet - which is walking distance from most attractions.  The hotel also a rooftop restaurant which nice view of the blue mosque and AyaSofya. We arrived in Istanbul around 2.00 PM and did a quick trip of Basilica Cistern. This 6th century construction tour usually takes around an hour  Do check in advance as some of these places in Istanbul are closed on Monday/Tuesday or on national holidays. We walked from the Cistern to the New Mosque and the bazaar around it and the Egyptian Bazaar. Trams and trains are also an option to travel around and we took a tram from New Mosque to Taksim Sq and wandered around it. Taksim Sq is like Oxford circus or Time Sq and is good only if you are interested in shopping. Other than the square there is not much to see. There are several restaurants around it though. 

Day 7 started with a Bosporus cruise and afternoon was spent visiting AyaSofya. The cruise is highly recommended as you can cover a lot of attractions.  We had booked a package tour which included the cruise and some other unwanted items like a cable car ride, a leather emporium etc. In hindsight, doing just the cruise would have been a better option.  Dolmabahçe Palace is another place to visit but we had to skip it as it was closed for the 2 days we were there. We walked around the area behind the Blue Mosque and around in the Arasta Bazaar. This bazaar is more up-scale with some very good shops. For dinner we went to the terrace restaurant of Sultan's pub


Day 8 was spent visiting the Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace.  Blue Mosque is only open on specific times and closes before and after prayers. Going there in the morning is the best thing to do. Women need to cover their head and no short skirts or shorts are allowed for either sex. They do provide scarves and covers before entry. Topkapi has lots to see and there is a separate entry fee for the Harems.  You can easily spend the whole day here as there are several artifacts from the Ottoman empire. We sped through the Topkapi as we had plans to walk around the city. We took a walk from the old town, via the Gallata bridge towards the Gallata tower. This place near the tower is full of nice shops selling different Turkish stuff. Less haggling and more eclectic shops. We skipped the Gallata tower as there was long queue for it.  If you keep walking further you end up at the Istiklal St (the shopping street which leads you to Taksim square. The Grand Bazaar was close the 2 days we were in Istanbul for the religious holiday so didn't get to visit it.

Day 9 was the flight back home.


Turkey Tips

Transportation
Istanbul has plenty of options; from taxis, to buses/trams and is easy to get around on foot as well. Places like Selcuk also have decent local transport. Cappadocia on the other hand had no transport option and so you need a car or rely on tour operators to get to the attractions.  For Istanbul trams you are better off getting a rail card which you can top up as you go. These cards are hard to find and not available on all stations.  You can check on some of the train station bookstores for it.

Food
There is lots of food everywhere in Turkey. Most places stay open for long time and there is also plenty of street food vendors wherever you go.  Vegetarians can struggle a bit because this is Kebab country :) Although, most restaurants have some Veggie options like Grilled veg, Pizza, Chips etc.  Gozleme is a pancake that can be cooked with variety of stuff like Cheese, spinach, potato etc.  For those familiar with Indian food, this is very similar to Parathas.  Most places have Lentil soup or some variant. You also get Kestanes (boiled & roasted chestnuts) and boiled/roasted Corn on cob from street vendors. Restaurants are are quite expensive especially is touristy areas.  A meal for two with drinks can cost around 100 Lira. Alcohol, especially liquor can be very expensive because of taxes. Beer and local Wine are cheaper options. Beer options are limited to Efes (local beer) in most places. Some places do have imported bottled beers. Okusgozu is a very good local wine to sample. The local liquor, Ragi is also worth a try. The freshly squeezed Pomegranate juice is highly recommended on a hot day.

Shopping
Streets are full of people trying to sell lot of stuff and you can't walk into a shop without being pestered. Ultimately the people are trying to make a living and so be polite but don't get pushed into buying anything. You can haggle in almost any place and in some places you can get stuff for half the price they quoted.