August in Istanbul

Hi,

I am planning a trip to Istanbul for early August. I heard the weather is very hot during this time. Should I still continue planning this trip even though the weather will be very hot? I heard it can be very busy/touristy during August.

Also, what is the best way to travel from Istanbul to Cappadocia? Should I buy the flight while I am in Istanbul or should I book the ticket early?

It is hot yes,but I guess that is relative;if you are used to hot weather then it will be nothing you cannot cope with.If you aren't then just take your time,drink plenty of fluids and you'll be fine.You can expect it to be c.30-32oC most of the time with odd days a tad higher.
August in Istanbul is no busier than any other time these days.many choose this period for coastal holidays so foreign tourism doesn't increase especially and many local people will be away on their summer holidays too.

Flying is the quickest way to reach Cappadocia(I guess you're not interested in a 10 hour overnight bus ride...right??).Flights go from both of Istanbul's airports to Nevşehir and Kayseri.Flights to the latter tend to be far more frequent and cheaper too.Transfer time from there is not very much more than from Nevşehir,maybe an extra 20 minutes is all.
If you definately know you'll go to Cappadocia then it would be wise to book your flights asap.The nearer the date so the prices tend to rise and seat availability drops.
Turkish Airlines,Pegasus,Anadolujet and Onurair all cover the routes so you can look at their web sites and book directly with them.

As above...it is hot but far from unbearable.Depends on you and your tolerance to heat I guess.

It will be busy too...at the main tourist attractions.These days in Istanbul I think it is almost always busy at those places ;-) Maybe in the middle of winter? It is a huge city with a large population,and it is crowded,aside from tourists.

I have done the overnight bus to Cappadocia a few times..its fine,if you don't mind a nightbus.Fairly economical and you save a night's accommodation cost.

Alternatively there is the plane as above..faster for sure,more expensive.As sari suggests book it in advance if you decide on a flight....

It's not as hot as you might think. Yes it's warm but akin to several European cities in summer rather than swelteringly tropical.
I disagree with the above, August is the height of European school holidays and Istanbul is exceptionally busy.

What is 'hot' or 'warm' differs from person to person..depends on your experience,what you are used to.....your tolerance.

Last summer I was there in August.It was around 33°during the day, as i remember.Hot for many,but cooler than the European city that I live in.......

I agree on the number of tourists..there will be a lot.But there are nearly always a lot of tourists in Istanbul these days.It is on the way to becoming one of the most visited cities in the world....I think it is already in the top 6 or 7.

Boston is hot and busy during August. That won't stop people from traveling.

Pretty much all the major tourist cities in the world are 'hot' in August..apart from a couple In Australia,and maybe Cape Town and Buenos Aires.....plus London sometimes ;-)

If people have vacation at that time,they will travel.....

@4"... I disagree with the above, August is the height of European school holidays and Istanbul is exceptionally busy...."
Yes,it is the height of the European school holiday season but,as I pointed out, most tend to take coastal holidays, with perhaps some just spending an odd day or so in Istanbul en route to the coast.In August one can frequently find some excellent hotel special offers in Istanbul as they wish to encourage visitors to spend longer in the city at this time of year.

I was in Istanbul last August and found it quite a nice time to visit certainly quieter than other times I have visited, as Sarikanarya says most people head to the coast at this time of the year, as do a lot of the residents. Of course the main attractions are still busy but as not as much as when I visited in June or September. As for flights as always it is cheaper to book in advance, buses it makes no difference.

Thank you all for the advice and suggestions!

In regards to the overnight bus, where can I purchase tickets? Also, is there an overnight bus to Ephesus?

Does anyone have any particular cities in Turkey they would recommend me visiting? Thanks!

Considering that most of Turkey lies between the latitude of Chicago (same as Istanbul) and Memphis, Tennessee (Hatay--the southernmost city of Turkey) there is a great variety of weather.

Since it looks like you're from the U.S., I'll try to make comparisons to the USA.

Istanbul in August will be very similar to Boston -- warm and humid but rare to be much above 90F. Rain isn't too common and if it happens it will probably be a thunderstorm. (Violent thunderstorms are rare with tornadoes exceptionally so.)

Cappadocia will be similar to the Great Plains--think Kansas, western Oklahoma, eastern Colorado, Nebraska, etc. It's at a fairly high elevation and gets barely enough precipitation during the year to keep it from becoming a desert. The sky will be clear to lightly cloudy with extremely little chance of rain with a quick thunderstorm about the only possible type of precipitation.

You didn't mention, but the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts are extremely hot and humid in August. Similar to the Gulf Coast in the USA. Clear, blue sky is nearly a 100% guarantee. The central Aegean coast (near Izmir) isn't quite as hot or humid as the southern Mediterranean coast.

Yes, Istanbul and Cappadocia will be very busy but Istanbul in particular is always busy. I was just there this January and was surprised at the number of tourists. It's the coasts that are typically the busiest--mainly with tourists from England, northern Europe, and Russia (at least until the Ruble collapsed a couple years ago). While there is some overlap, any suitable coastal place not filled with foreign tourists will be filled with Turkish tourists.

In my opinion there is absolutely no reason to change your plans based on either weather or crowds.

And yes, book any domestic flights very soon as the prices will definitely increase!

You can ask your hotel if the ywould kindly call and reserve your bus seat for you.I have never known any hotel refuse this request.Then you just go to the main otogar at Esenler and pick up your ticket.
From Istanbul to Selçuk (where Ephesus is)Pamukkale Turizm have a bus at 22.00 arriving in Selçuk at 08.00.Kamil Koç Turizm have a bus at 22.30 arriving Selçuk 08.30.Cost is 80TL.
From Selçuk you can take a bus directly to Cappadocia if you want.Nevşehirliler Seyahat have a bus at 20.00 arriving in Göreme at 08.00,cost 60TL.

These are places which you have already picked out so before suggesting more can I ask the following;how many days will you have here in total?What interests you most?History,shopping?nature?culture?beach?buzzy places or quiet spots?Knowing these details will help to narrow down a thousand+ options to just a few :)

Hi,
Me and my girlfriend are travelling in Turkey and here is our itinerary as follows.
3/8/2015 - take an overnight bus to Seluck
4/8/2015 - Visit Ephesus, stay in selcuk
5/8/2015 - Take train or bus to Denizli and visit Pamukkale. Take overnight bus to Goreme
6/8/2015 - Do Cappadocia green tour, stay in Goreme
6/8/2015 - Do Cappadocia red tour, overnight bus to Istanbul

Right now wwe have budgeted 571usd for this trip for 2. Its a bit more that half of the cost of joining a tour provider. If anyone else wants to join us, would be fun.

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