Terra Encounters Turkey Trip – 31 days
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| Göreme |
Overall, this was one of our best-ever vacation trips. This is because of the friendliness and
hospitality of the people and not just the sights. Our trip summary gives the best places to
go, in our opinion, for a 31-day trip.
We have also attached stars to each destination to give a sense of what
is most worthwhile seeing. Our ratings
take into account the many places we have seen around the world.
Because this trip report is very long, we have split our itinerary
into two segments so that those of you who only have a couple of weeks can use
one or the other. Do not ask which is
better: all the places we visited in Turkey were good choices. But first, we will cover some of the
logistics.
Accommodation
Every
traveller goes to hotels at the standard of living s/he desires and the budget
they have. We prefer places that provide
good value. We did not go to the
cheapest places like when we backpacked around the world. We chose to stay in family-run or small
hotels (sometimes called pansiyon in Turkish). In the off-season, we could go to places that
in high season would be much more costly. Istanbul and Bursa are more expensive: we
averaged TRY 192/day in low season. In
the rest of the country, we averaged TRY 128/day for a double.
Travel Pace
Once
you decide on your primary destination, you should assign at least three nights
and preferably four to it. In our case,
we chose four nights in Istanbul and Göreme.
Then with the remaining days, you can determine the number of additional
stopovers by using our rule of thumb of a minimum of two nights for each
destination since at least half a day of that is required for travel. Even though we had 31 days, there are always
choices to be made. Turkey is the size
of Britain and France combined.
Each
place listed below is described in more detail along with photos in our posts
on the Terra Encounters blog.
All underlined text below are hyperlinks that will take you directly to the
most relevant post.
For shorter trips,
it is recommended that you focus on one geographic area reducing the number of
places as well as travel time. On the
other hand, you may be able to add some of the other places we considered on our More
Places
page.
Travel Mode
For
this 3700 km trip, we rented a car. Yes,
that is very expensive, especially with the TRY 4.60/liter gas. Some Aussie travellers had a neat idea. They travelled between major destinations by
public transport. Then they rented a car
to do side trips to national parks and more remote places.
For
a visual overview of the first part of our trip, see Itinerary
Map 1.
Spent
8 nights in IST altogether: Yes, there is that much to see but on a shorter
trip, you can spend less time here by reducing what you do. The following is what we saw in the first stay there.
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| Sirkeci Mansion |
AIRPORT:
very inefficient, very long lineups to go through security and
immigration. Allow sufficient time.
HOTEL:
Hotel Ilkay upgraded to Sirkeci Mansion **** great location, fabulous staff, like
having personal travel advisors, unbelievable breakfasts. Book directly to get free airport shuttle for
a long (4 day) stay.
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| Live Like a Sultan |
Topkapi Palace Paradise
– definitely worth a day. There is a
separate ticket the Harem. We would
highly recommend it if you have the time. Here you will see close up the beautiful Iznik
tiles and carved wood decorations where the Sultan's family lived. It is also useful to go there when everywhere
else is so busy and then go to the jewel and weapon rooms (the most congested
areas) at the end of the day.
Hagia Sophia Dome-ination
–
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| Dome of Dreams |
the most significant dome and building of the Byzantine era that influenced
Ottoman and thus Islamic architecture
Istanbul Archaeology Museums
– meet Alexander the Great, Iznik tiles, and other important artefacts that
talk about the impact of Turkey on the world
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| St. Peter |
Chora Church Mosaics
– magnificent Byzantine gold mosaics
Süleymaniye Mosque Dome-ination
– incredible domes of this Ottoman masterpiece
Spice Market – buy delicious
Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi kahve (coffee), Turkish Delight, and hazelnuts
We
did all the “museums” at one time because the weather was cold and dreary and we
bought the Museum Card. We do not
recommend the card. You are limited to
five days, can only go to each museum once, and must visit all museums at one
time. Not many tourists want to spend
all their time indoors. Secondly, there
is no discount if you only go to the top three places. Any National Park card gives unlimited visits
over a significant timeframe at a significant discount.
Bursa
** 2 nights
HOTEL:
Hampton by Hilton very modern, business like, north of downtown, free parking,
VG self-serve breakfast
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| Emerald Wonder |
Green Mosque & Tomb
*** – it is really Yeşil Türbe (Green Tomb) opposite the mosque that blew us away and is
the must-see with its unbelievable shades of green, so do not miss it!
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| Cumalikizik |
Cumalikizik, Bursa – Ottoman Delight
** – the first is a small, old Ottoman village (do not expect incredible
architecture like the wealthier Safranbolu but it was pleasant walk in the
off-season when there were very few tourists) and the second is the old walled
district of Bursa with nice views from the ramparts near the Türbe.
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| Acrophobics Avoid! |
Bergama
** 1 night
HOTEL: Red Basilica
very nice manager, E breakfast, good location
Pergamum Acropolis ** – loved the spectacular setting
and the precipitous theatre
Selçuk *** 3
nights
HOTEL: Homeros
Pension – great place, location, decor, and breakfast; can easily meet other
travellers in dining/living room; we even ate supper here just for that reason
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| Famous building was a library |
Ephesus *** – the top archaeological site of
Turkey but overrun with tourists; spent all day here; actually is busiest from
the opening until lunch then much less people the rest of the day
Şirince
* – old Greek town famous for white-washed houses, wine, et al.; spent
afternoon of our arrival day here
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| Ionic Columns are from Ionia |
Priene – Connection to Architecture?
*,
Miletus – What is a Vomitorium?
*,
Didyma and the God Apollo
– these ancient ruins are all close together but require a car or a tour; we spent
all day and did not have enough time to visit Lake Bafu.
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| What's a Tetrapylon? |
If you have a car,
you can visit nearby Afrodisias, on the way to Pamukkale. However, it is very difficult to get to by
dolmuş. Rent a car or take a tour. It is one of the nicest archaeological sites
in Turkey with some actual buildings still standing or reconstructed! Its’ fairly compact size
gives a very good idea what an Ancient Roman city looked like. Needs a half day.
First day was
Afrodisias and travel time; so we really had only one day here.
HOTEL: Melrose
House Hotel very warm owners, good conversations, E breakfasts and suppers
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| Where has all the water gone? |
Pamukkale Terraces – notice no stars. Only a few places
in Turkey were disappointing. The
Pamukkale Terraces were very disheartening with hardly any water in the
"thermal pools". They are not
worth the price of admission.
Most of
the water goes into pools that visitors can walk into. I am sure this appeals to many tourists but
it is not what a thermal area should look like.
If you want to see thermal areas go to Whakarewarewa (Rotorua), Orakei Korako (New Zealand) or Yellowstone National Park (USA).
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| Theatre Stage |
Hierapolis Ruins ** especially the theatre ***
However, Pamukkale
admission also includes the Hierapolis Ruins, which were a pleasant
surprise. The theatre made the price of
admission.
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| Lycian Tombs |
Dalyan was one
place that deserved more time – not for the laid-back town but for the places
nearby. This is a case where one day
really is only a half day at your destination. If it were beach weather, wouldn't you want to
spend time swimming at one of the best beaches in Turkey?
Iztuzu Beach ** – Trip Advisor ranks it as one of the top 25 beaches in the world!
Kaunos Lycian Tombs *** – spectacular, high up on a tall cliff. But who are the Lycians? Click the link to find the surprising answer.
Kaş *** 2
nights
HOTEL: Hideaway Hotel was one of the
best in TR; E breakfast with a terrace view, E coffee
On the way there: Ölüdeniz
– overrated, narrow beach with the sea that is not as turquoise as in the over
saturated photos in the tourist brochures
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| Soft Sand Patara |
Patara
*** – best beach we saw in Turkey, a world class beach with historically
significant ruins – the site of the world's first parliament, whose
constitution has influenced most democracies
Kaputaş Beach
* – cute beach in a cliff-enclosed cove fringed with turquoise water; near to
Kaş so probably dolmuş to get there
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| Off-season Kaş |
Old Kaş
– small but enjoyable
with overhanging balconies and plants
Kaş Market – every Friday, be sure to eat here
the gözleme
View high up from
park on road going down from main highway; Çukurbağ Peninsula; Old Roman
Theatre
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| Kekova Kaarst |
Day Trips: Kekova Sound *** spectacular karst scenery but
need car so you can stop for views, else book a boat trip over sunken ruins
Could easily spend
more time in Kaş, a great "vacation from the vacation" spot
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Kiyi Hospitality
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HOTEL: Kiyi Pension
E owners, fantastic so meals, so welcoming
Çıralı itself could
be skipped but we had a great stay on a farm B&B. Beach is pebbly and overrated.
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| Turquoise Treasure |
On the way to Çıralı:
