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[hyp3rlink]

Wife and I are planning to visit Turkey in couple of weeks for 7 nights. So far, we have narrowed down Istanbul, Izmir and Goreme as three destinations with 2 nights per city. We'll be doing the top of the list stuff like ballooning in Cappadocia and ruins in Ephesus. I also liked the idea of driving to Pamukkale from Selcuk/Izmir.

Any suggestions regarding the places/things not listed on travel guides but are fun/local experiences worth the time?

Also in the search are some good vegetarian restaurants in these cities.

 

[jasonmb17]

Izmir itself is kind of gross. If you're going there just check out Ephesus (which is totally worth it), I'd recommend picking a smaller mountain town nearby. I stayed in Sirince and it was beautiful.

Also, with that itinerary you might be stretching yourself a bit thin. I'd recommend picking two of the three places you listed and doing those. 2 nights in Istanbul particularly feels rushed - it's a huge city, and you might be a bit disappointed having to leave some big sights unseen. Topkapi takes a half day, you can spend hours in the market, there's the old Roman cisterns under the city (that were in From Russia With Love) then there are all the mosques and just sitting in old town with hookah and tea...I know when you go to a place like Turkey you want to go everywhere, but it's almost always more enjoyable to take your time in fewer places.

 

[PS3GamerKyle]

Wife and I are planning to visit Turkey in couple of weeks for 7 nights. So far, we have narrowed down Istanbul, Izmir and Goreme as three destinations with 2 nights per city. We'll be doing the top of the list stuff like ballooning in Cappadocia and ruins in Ephesus. I also liked the idea of driving to Pamukkale from Selcuk/Izmir.

Any suggestions regarding the places/things not listed on travel guides but are fun/local experiences worth the time?

Also in the search are some good vegetarian restaurants in these cities.

Been to Turkey twice. First trip was 5 days in Istanbul, and second trip I spent 3 days in Goreme and the remaining 4 days back in Istanbul. Two days won't be enough to see Istanbul. But make sure you go to the Princes Islands (there are plenty of ferries that will take you there. BEAUTIFUL!).

Goreme is the best city in the Cappadocia region. From there, there are plenty of hikes (Pigeon Valley and Rose Valley being my favorites). You can hike to Uchisar Castle as well, from Goreme.

Never been to Izmir but I've heard mixed reviews on it. Some people have said it is absolutely beautiful, with Ephesus being close by and all. Others have said there are a lot of slimey/scummy people that live in that area and can make you uncomfortable.

Either way, Turkey is a beautiful country and you'll have an amazing time. PM me if you have any other questions.

 

[NyMartin90]

I appreciate this thread. I'm going in February for 7 days. 5 days in Istanbul and two in Izmir. Hoping to go to Gallipoli since its only 3 hours from Istanbul. Also definitely going to visit Troy and Princes' Islands. Anything else in Izmir worth looking at other than Ephesus?

 

[jasonmb17]

I appreciate this thread. I'm going in February for 7 days. 5 days in Istanbul and two in Izmir. Hoping to go to Gallipoli since its only 3 hours from Istanbul. Also definitely going to visit Troy and Princes' Islands. Anything else in Izmir worth looking at other than Ephesus?

Dilek National Park has some really cool beaches. There are tons of wild boar that hang out on the beach and swim around, very cool.

 

[18-Volt]

I appreciate this thread. I'm going in February for 7 days. 5 days in Istanbul and two in Izmir. Hoping to go to Gallipoli since its only 3 hours from Istanbul. Also definitely going to visit Troy and Princes' Islands. Anything else in Izmir worth looking at other than Ephesus?

There is also Pergamon (Bergama) in Izmir, I think it's more worth to see than Ephasus.

Sardis, 80 miles away from Izmir, is another ruin city to see. Each those three has one of Seven Churches of Revelation.

House of Virgin Mary is another landmark of Izmir. I think it's pretty overrated but it's really authentic.

Other than Izmir, Antalya (Xanthos, Makri, Milet, Aspendos, Manavgat), Kurdistan (Mardin, Midiat, Amida, Edesa, Mount Nimrod), Phrygia (Gordion, Midas), Trabzon (Monastery of Sumala), Hieropolis, Aphordisias, Safranbolu are all must see places in Turkey. I wouldn't recommend Kurdistan/Komagena area right now as there are ongoing military operations.

As for vegetarian dishes, avoid kebab places and try to find Aegean/homecooked restaurants. Meat dishes common in Kurdish/middle eastern cuisine but Aegean cuisine is full of meatless food. Olive oil food like cauliflower, leek, celery or eggplant or legumes like lentils, chickpeas, beans and peas. Olive oil dolmas and sarmas are free from meat. Cigkofte (raw meatballs) are made of bulgur and chili pepper so that's also an option. Borek is another awesome veggie dish, a kind of phyllo with lentils, potatoes or cheese.

 

[Fritz]

I thought Izmir was great.

 

[NyMartin90]

Thanks how is Turkey for English speakers? Is it hard to get around the city if I can't speak the language?

 

[storafötter]

I cant help you much in ways of Turkey yet (but I do want to visit the country soon!) but Happycow is pretty decent (got an app too) in finding vegetarian options. Used the website for years finding places to eat abroad.

http://www.happycow.net/asia/turkey/

Another nice thing I discovered last year is an article about vegetarian/vegan traditional turkish food.

http://foxnomad.com/2015/04/30/12-turkish-dishes-that-are-unintentionally-vegan/

 

[UFO]

Hope you're not brown, because everyone is going to think you're joining ISIS.

 

[Fritz]

Thanks how is Turkey for English speakers? Is it hard to get around the city if I can't speak the language?

No, when I went we were able to make it even in the most remote village. And by make it I mean renting a room and ordering food and drinks or asking for directions.

 

[1.21Gigawatts]

When in Istanbul go to a restaurant called Ciya in Kadiköy (asian side, its just a few minutes away from the ferries).
Its easy to eat vegetarian or even vegan there(i went there with a vegan) and its one of my favorite restaurants. Its also very affordable.

Also, when you're visting the grand bazar in Istanbul there is a neat little place right next to it. Its hard to explain how to get there, but there is a guy who asks tourists for a lira and then shows them a door that leads up to the rooftops of an old building and the view up there is pretty amazing. Maybe ask some locals how to get there.

 

[hyp3rlink]

Thanks guys, for the tips and suggestions and appreciate the input on the veggie food.

Any ideas on visiting Pamukkale? Looks like a cool place in the pictures I've seen so far.

 

[dakun]

Does Izmir still smell the filthiest of sewers? I remember going back in the 90s and we were on a the bus near water. I think my siblings and I were the only ones who had our hands up over our noses.

If you're going to Turkey, you go Fethiye. At least go on a cruise there. That water looks cleaner than the water coming out of your tap.

yeah last time i was in Izmir i had the same experience with the horrendous smell. That was in the late 90s too.

But i gotta say some places near Izmir, like Karaburun were paradise on earth. It's not much of a tourist place though like Cesme. I was lucky to know someone who had a house there so it was an amazing experience.

 

[Heavy's Sandvich]

My mum's home city is getting parred all over the shop in this thread.

 

[univariate]

I would stay away from the area bordering Syria (Southeast Turkey)

 

[Heavy's Sandvich]

I would stay away from the area bordering Syria (Southeast Turkey)

Guys, to show that he knows what he's talking about, he also gave you a heads up where it's located (in brackets as well, well profesh)

 

[hyp3rlink]

I would stay away from the area bordering Syria (Southeast Turkey)

Seems like we'll have to stay away from the whole country for now!

 

[NyMartin90]

So I'm still planning on traveling next month to visit tourist areas but now with the attack in Sultanahmet I wonder if I should choose different areas to go.

 

[Mrmartel]

Seems like we'll have to stay away from the whole country for now!

Ya I would stay away until things cool down. Like Tunisia, these attacks sometimes follow one another rather closely.

Turkey's Tourism is going to be ugly this year. Russia was their second biggest customer. But after that silly action of shooting the Russian jet down, relations are horrible and Russia basically told it's citizens they can't travel to Turkey. A economic sanction that will hurt Turkey a lot.

This latest attack in Istanbul killed 10 people, 9 who were Germans. Germany is Turkey best customer by far when it comes to Tourism. 5.6 Million Germans travel there a year. Say good bye to that too and generally most Westerners that don't want to be looking behind their shoulders every two minutes.

 

[NyMartin90]

Since I'm still going next month I'm thinking to branch out my trip from just Istanbul for security reasons. How are the roads in Turkey? I'm thinking of renting a car to go to the Gallipoli memorial in Sehitler Abidesi.