Hi--
I'm working on a last minute trip plan (we leave in 5 days) and have decided to limit the places we will visit. My first thought had been one week in istanbul and one week in the Cappadocia area doing the usual stuff plus some extra days of hiking and mountain biking. For that plan we would have just flown round trip to Kayseri from Istanbul. Now, I'm wondering if we should branch out a little and visit a couple other places I've read about that sound interesting. To do this we'd drive one way from Istanbul to Cappadocia and then fly back. Can you tell me if it is dumb or a good plan in regards to the locales I plan to visit, the driving idea, and the time I need to do this?
We get in on a Saturday afternoon and fly out on a Sunday morning 15 days later. So, if I give Istanbul 7 nights and six days of sightseeing, it leaves me with basically eight days of activities to play around with for this part of the trip.
Our flight to Istanbul from the US lands at 16:30. We pick up a rental car and drive perhaps one to two hours in the direction of Safranbolu to some place at least a little interesting where we would enjoy some ambience while just walking around for a couple hours. Any suggestions for this?
The next morning we drive the rest of the way to Safranbolu. (I'm guessing this would be about another 4 hours of driving.) How much time we need in Safranbolu I don't know. The next stop would be Amasya. Here again I don't know how much time we'd need both for driving and to enjoy the place. Then we'd head on to the Cappadocia area where we would spend the rest of our time doing some active things like hiking and biking while seeing the area. I'm guesing this plan would give up about 4-5 days in the Cappadocia region. Then, we'd drop off the rental car and fly back to Istanbul where we would have 6 full days and 7 nights.
Can you experts help me out on this one? Is this a lot of driving for not much reward? Or will we get some insights on Turkey by trying a little more atypical itinerary like this? Are Safranbolu and Amasya worth the hassle of getting there? What is the scenery while driving like? If we do this driving trip, are there any other places I should try to add in? We're usually game for things that are a bit more off the typical beaten tourist path. Thanks so much!
It's a dumb idea. Have you checked the price of petrol in Turkey? You can see most of of Ist in 3-4 days. 6-7 days is wasted time. You can get Ist to Safranbolu a lot cheaper by bus than by car. Or do you just want to drive.
There is no little place from Ist to Ankara where you can walk around enjoying the ambience. There are some tourist locations at Bolu, but you are planning a dream than reality. Have you consulted the guide books? Have you looked at www.turkeytravelplanner.com?<BR><BR>Everybody says they want to go off the beated path. Problem is, the "beaten paths" are where the important sites are.
You want to drive through Istanbul traffic after a transcontinental flight? Bad idea.
As HMB says, there is no idyllic town in between Istanbul and Safronbolu. It is a multilane highway as far as Gerede, and then a decent road from there on, but you are underestimating the time it takes to drive on Turkish secondary roads. Safronbolu is interesting, but not worth the drive - personally, I had enough after a few hours.
Gas is presently 2.90 or so per litre - not sure if it matters to you or not, but that is a lot more than you are used to spending. A car is the best way to get around, in my opinion, but if you are just going from A to B then take a bus or fly.
Thanks. this is the type of feedback I was hoping to find out. Guess I'll go with another plan.
#1 I'm surprised at your comment though that 6-7 days in Istanbul is wasted time. I have several guidebooks that suggest that a week isn't too long. We also intend to take a day tripup the Bosphorus and another day to Princes Island.
A week in Istanbul is easy to fill, and you can discover some areas that are not so touristy. Try visiting Eyup, which is a very conservative neighbourhood. A trip up the Bosphorus is nice (I smile when people call it a "cruise"!) and also try and visit Ortakoy - a lot of nice cafes and restaurants. Personally, my attention deficit (and my job) prevents me from spending more than a couple of days there at a time - but don't think about what you might be missing elsewhere but what you are seeing. You'll never see all of Turkey anyway - we've been here for a few years and feel like we've only scratched the surface.
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