Turkey Questions!

Hi There,

me and my girlfriend are going to Turkey over the new year and start of January. We have about 9 days there in total. Our itin as follows:

Istanbul - 2 days
Cappadocia - 3 days
Izmir - 3 days
Istanbul - 1 day on the way back to fly out.

Couple of questions:
Whats the average rate for a hot air balloon trip in Cappadocia?
Whats the best airline to take from Istanbul to Cappadocia and then to Izmir. What are average costs for flights
How long does it take to go from Izmir to Pumakkale and whats the best form of transport (local bus?)
How long does it take from Izmir to Istanbul by bus?

Any help would be appreciated!

Average price for a balloon trip is around 150 Euros depending on basket size. Royal Balloons who are a firmly established company are advertising 175 euros to 240 euros.

For domestic airlines, I normally search Pegasus, or Turkish airlines. Although Sunexpress sometimes comes up with some bargains.

For Pamukkale, instead of flying from Cappadocia to Izmir and then traveling roughly 4 hours there and back, get the overnight bus from Cappadocia to Pamukkale, then from Pamukkale to Izmir. Saves you doubling back on yourself.

Izmir to Istanbul is roughly 12 hours by bus, but I normally do it by plane.

Is it your first time to Istanbul? If so, I am wondering if 3 days in Cappadocia at that time of year is too much. Especially if there is rain and snow and the attractions are inaccessible. Perhaps knock a day off there and spend more time in Istanbul

Hi NatalieSayin - thanks for the information. Yes this is my first time to Turkey and thanks for your comments about staying in Cappadocia.

For the overnight bus from Cappadocia to Pamukkale - do you need to book this beforehand or can you book like a day or so before?

For the balloon price of 150 euros - is that for the full basket? can you share with others?

I agree;at that time of the year 2 days in Cappadocia is enough.Many valleys will be closed due to snow limiting wh<t you can do and where you can walk.When you arrive in Göreme or whichever village go to the bus station and buy your tşcket to Denizli for Pamukkale,that is soon enough.
You'll arrive c.07.00 giving you the full day there until c.16.00 when there is a direct bus from Pamukkale village to Selçuk.
When you say Izmir,I'm assuming it is to visit Ephesus is it?So 1 full day there is enough.
From nearby Izmir airport you can then fly up to Istanbul.
As you'll be tired upon arrival stay 1 night in Istanbul and then move on to Cappadocia and save the other 3-4 days in Istanbul to the end of your stay.This is better than flying back just to leave.
At that time of year you should be able to find hot air balloon flights for around 120-130 Euro's per person.This price is for the ride-you are not hiring the whole basket :)You'll probably share with 12-16 others depending on how many folks are around at that time.
Bear in mind that night fall comes early at that time of year so to maximise daylight hours as much as possible try to travel during the evening(basically dead time!).
Both THY and Pegasus airlines fly to Nevşehir and Kayseri for Cappadocia and from both of Istanbuls airports too.Flights into Kayseri tend to be more frequent and cheaper .

Your time in Istanbul is very,very little. ..I would certainly allow more time there.Its a great city,with many things to see and do.

The balloon price is per person. You should be able to get it for less than 150 euros,though that might be with more people in the basket.....the more expensive companies limit it to 16,some of the cheapest ones take 20...

How long does the bus take from Cappadocia to pumakkale?

How long does the bus take from Cappadocia to pumakkale?

About 9 hours. Use Metro or Suha Turizm

Metro - http://www.metroturizm.com.tr/en-default.html

Suha - http://www.suhaturizm.com.tr/

For the overnight bus from Cappadocia to Pamukkale - do you need to book this beforehand or can you book like a day or so before?

For the balloon price of 150 euros - is that for the full basket? can you share with others?
**

Book your ticket as soon as you arrive in Cappadocia. The overnight buses can get fill quite quickly.

All balloon trips are shared. The private balloon trips are a lot more costly than that.

That's a lot to do in a short time.

To save as much time as possible I highly recommend that you immediately fly to either Cappadocia or Izmir upon arrival in Turkey. That avoid splitting your time in Istanbul. I'm not sure where you're coming from or how much time difference but Istanbul (especially your first visit) is an awful place to recover from jet lag!

Given the short days and the very real possibility that weather will cause some delays I suggest somehow adding at least two full days to your time in Istanbul. Four FULL days minimum. Flights between Istanbul and Cappadocia and Istanbul and Izmir are frequent and cheap. There is a direct flight between Cappadocia and Izmir but it is not daily--if it doesn't work for your schedule this is a good place for an overnight bus. If you go by bus, regardless of which direction I suggest stopping at Pamukkale (Denizli) along the way to avoid backtracking.

Cappadocia will be freezing. Pamukkale will be cold to freezing. Ephesus will be cool to cold. Istanbul will be cold with a very good chance of clouds/rain/snow.

Thanks for all the information guys and the tips...

Where is the best place to base yourself for Cappadocia?

Kayseri? Gerome or Nevsihir?

How much would a taxi cost from Kayseri - gerome or the best place to base yourself in Cappadocia region.

Kayseri and Nevşehir are both outside (to the E and W respectively) of the true Cappadocia area.

Göreme, Ürgüp and Avanos are the main (small) towns of Cappadocia but there are other villages with accommodation with Avanos being the largest and most "Turkish" but also with the least accommodation.

For the short time you have to spend and given the time of year I suggest Göreme unless perhaps you want to splurge for a really nice place at a very off-season price in (nearly as convenient) Ürgüp.

While you can certainly just arrive and find accommodation I do recommend that you make advance reservations and also arrange for convenient and inexpensive transportation from the airport (most likely Kayseri) to your hotel. I also suggest that you pre-arrange with your hotel for the balloon tour and any other tour you may want to take. The people and businesses in the Cappadocia area are very fair in their business. Just be certain that you are dealing DIRECTLY with the hotel/hostel/etc. and you can be nearly certain that the prices you receive are as good or better than if you do things on your own and more importantly you won't waste time upon arrival finding accommodation and arranging a balloon flight and/or tour(s)!!

On the subject of reservations, you should ALWAYS reserve Istanbul accommodation in advance!

In January the only village with anything going on is Göreme.The others will be pretty much sleeping :)
You don't need a taxi from Kayseri;once you have booked your accomodation ask them to book you onto the shared airport shuttle which is a door to door service and costs only c.25TL per person.
When booking your hotel do make sure they have a proper hot water and heating system installed and don't just rely on solar systems!Most do have these but there are still one or two who don't.

I'm not sure where you're coming from or how much time difference but Istanbul (especially your first visit) is an awful place to recover from jet lag! >

Hi swampeastmike, why do you say Istanbul is an awful place to recover from jet lag? My wife and I will be flying from Sydney, Australia to Istanbul in a little under two weeks. It will be our first time there and my wife will be 20 weeks pregnant. I'm curious to know how I can go about making the jet lag recovery less awful.

Thanks

Istanbul is a sprawling beehive with people, people, everywhere people most chugging about at their duties for hours on end. Its vibrancy is infectious. When you hit the long haul jetlag wall it's still difficult to rest. Try allowing for two days with a light schedule where one or both of you crash at least once.

Riding a hot air balloon in Cappadocia was one of the best travel experiences of my life! I highly recommend it!

One thing to keep in mind regarding your time in Cappadocia is that if the weather is not ideal, the hot air balloon flights will be cancelled for the day. In the off season (when you are planning to go), cancellations can happen a few days in a row. I was just there two weeks ago an was fortunate in that weather was fine on the day I went and I didn't have any problems. I had a friend who was only there for two days, however, and balloon flights were cancelled both days he tried to go. Some of it is luck but your chances to fly are better if you're there for a longer period of time. This can also be extended by having an afternoon flight when you leave. The cost is generally around $150 per person but you may be able to get slightly cheaper when you're going.

Make sure to arrange the balloon reservation ahead of time and book a company with lots of experience in a balloon with 16 or fewer passengers. Based on where you choose to stay, they may have a recommendation and a possible discount as well.

Regarding transportation to Cappadocia, flights through Turkish Air, AdadoluJet (owned by Turkish Air) and Pegasus are generally the cheapest. Expect to pay around $25-$60 each way to/from Istanbul, on average, during the off-season. Check the websites for flights to some of your other destinations as well. I paid around $30 to get there from Istanbul and around $20 to fly out of there to Ankara.

Buses are another option if flights don't work with your schedule. Based on the number of questions I've received after my recent trip to Cappadocia, I put together more detailed information and price ranges here. This also includes ideas on airport transportation, where to stay in Cappadocia and my favorite restaurant in the area.

Enjoy your trip! I hope this helps!

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