Istanbul - accom near Yenikapi?

We will arrive in Istanbul after a long flight from Oz round 2pm on 30 April, and currently plan to leave early the next morning by ferry/train for Izmer, departing from Yenikapi.

From what I can see most good accom options are in other parts of town and we will probably go through to Sultanahmet, where we will stay on return to Istanbul later, and get up early for the ferry departure. Can anyone offer advice on this? We will probably just crash for most of the time between flying in and catching the ferry, so if there is a reasonable option handy to the ferry terminal at Yenikapi that might be good: but only if it's comfy and quiet.

a road plan

We have been to St. Petersburg before and have visited most of the major sites. We will be in St.P. in early June and would like to organize
a car and driver (through a tour agency) and drive through the countryside to some villages stopping as we please.Any recommendations or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We could spend up to eight hours touring including getting back to the ship. Thank you in advance billm60

Travel to Eastern Turkey

I will have about 20 days to travel in Turkey in July and was wondering if it looks like this line-up sounds feasible to do:
Day 1) Arrive Istanbul
2-3-4) Train or bus to Dogubayazit on the eastern border via Erzurum & Kars
5-6-7) In the area around Dogubayazit
Day 8) Bus to Van
9-10-11) Around Lake Van area
12-13) Bus or train to Goreme via Kayseri
14) Goreme
15-16) Bus or train to Ephesus
17) Ephesus
18) to Troy
19) Troy
20) Bus or Train to Istanbul
Do this sound realistic? And is there a train Istanbul to Erzurum and a train Van to Kayseri?
How much would a train and / or a bus cost Istanbul to Dogubayazit via Erzurum & Kars?
How much would a train / bus cost from Van to Goreme? And from Goreme to Ephesus?
Thanks much......Tom.

Moscow in August

Going to Finland late August. Want to take side trip from Helsinki to Moscow for 3-4. Tour companies, what to see ( interested in communist era), tips, etc. ?
Thanks

Wedding Band Wanted!!!!! Dubrovnik Wedding 3rd June 2013

Hi All,

We are struggling to find a band to play at our wedding in Dubrovnik on June 3rd. All the local bands seem to have a swing and blues sound which is really not to our taste. After looking around on the net, it seem's like all the bands have this particular sound.

We are looking for anyone travelling through Dubrovnik around the time of our wedding who might want to earn a bit of cash. Unfortunately if you are travelling, you are unlikely to have a guitar or drum kit stashed in your backpack so hiring the instruments may be an option.

We have in mind, male vocals prefferably with acoustic, bass and drums etc, your usula set up. We are from the UK so are looking for a soft rocky sound with such songs like Oasic, Kings of Leon and all the ones people know....

Please don't hesitate to contact me even if you are one person or travelling in a group. Wedding bands are expe... more »

Feel Ukraine

Hey
Im Andrew and here is my short info for those who would love to go to Ukraine.
More on my blog FEEL UKRAINE

First when you go somewhere, you read a lot about that country, then you think about weather and prices. Here I wanna tell you and show some basics that you need for Ukraine and no more.

1) PASSPORT, ID - sometimes police can check it. You never know when, where and why!
2) We have FOUR SEASONS, so check the weather and pack light.
3) CURRENCY is hryvna and you have to exchange your money in a bank. You need passport for it (so have it in your bag, pocket). Currency rate for now you can find HERE CURRENCY.
4) SPOKEN language - Ukrainian, Russian, and mostly student age people speak English (in a big cities). In smaller towns or villages its a bit harder to comunicate on English, its getting be... more »

Trans Siberian rail trip

Hi there,

Planning a trip along the trans Siberian rail this summer- planning to do the trans Mongolian route. We will unfortunately arrive in UB a few days after the Naadam Festival is scheduled though.

We want to get off in Mongolia and see UB and perhaps go and stay in the yurt tents. Other than this, we plan to stay on the train with no more stops.

We have done lots of research and read a lot, but if anyone has any advice or recommendations based on personal experience I would love to hear it.

• Do you know if we should get off before UB to experience the yurt tents and see the nomad living, and then take a local train the UB?

• What do you think the train will be like leading up to Naadam? Will it be absolutely packed?

Istanbul Itinerary help

Going to Istanbul 13 Sep - 19 Sep

Arriving to Istanbul but don't want spend 6 days only in one city is someone can help me with Itinerary ! What to do in 6 days !

Were to stay, (asian side or european side ) go ,see etc .... Any advice would appreciated !