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Turkey Travel Tips

Ancient cultures, delicious food, and warm, sunny beaches: We love and Turkey! What tips do you have for your fellow travelers to the East Mediterranean?

I want to add my comments! 

Ataturk Airport
I have been in Turkey twice. First time for a 7 day trip. Second time I had a connection flight at Ataturk Airport. Both experiences were AWFUL! I was literally harassed by men. As I hear about so many good experiences that other people had in Turkey, it is very difficult for me to understand why did that happen to me. During my last trip, at the airport I was mistreated, ignored and given wrong information. Instead of answering to my question about where the airport hotel is, the customer service advised me to buy a visa and stay at a hotel outside the airport. I explained them very clearly that I have a connection flight and I don't want to leave the airport. They simply ignored my request. I will NEVER fly to or through Turkey again!
Mary
USA   11/15/2009

All Class Hotels
All Class Very good atmosphere in this hotel. The room was spacious, clean and very comfy! Check inn very good and staff very helpful and nice. We had a room in the top www.allclasshotels.com Great view to the opposite street. Room was refurbished. Nice bathroom with very comfy bathtube and shower. You got the feeling of beeing back in the times of All class Hotels inside. be careful
harun ergun <email>
london, uk   10/19/2009

Warning re One Nation Travel Agency
There are several posts purporting to be from One Nation Travel Agency. They have been spamming this forum with pretend reviews for ages. Despite having their fake posts removed and being warned that disguised ads are not permitted here, they persist. I have no idea whether they are a good travel agency, but their dishonest marketing ploys ought to give you pause.
JER
Seattle, USA   10/10/2009

tour guide recommendation
Hi, just returned from Kusadasi, Turkey. I took several tours of the area. I would like to recommend Ertunga Ecir. He does private tours. He's an awesome tour guide, very nice and informative. I've done a lot of traveling all over the world and he's one of the tour guides I will remember.
Jo
Daytona, FL  USA   10/07/2009

Istanbul Updates
We have just returned from a five-day trip to Istanbul, our first(24-29 Sept). We had a great trip and utilized the Rick Steves' guidebook before and during the trip (in fact, anytime I saw other travelers with the guide book I took it as free license to approach them and swap recommendations).

We stayed in the Hippodrome Hotel recommended in the RS guidebook. As there were three of us, they placed us in the annex building across the street. We realized that this was actually an upgrade as this was the only room in the annex that had a balcony. We also had a kitchenette so we had apple tea on our balcony every night. The room was clean and I would recommend the Hippodrome to other travelers. We paid $150 per night (10% RS discount!) and that included breakfast in their sister hotel the Obelisk and airport pick-up. Breakfast was fantastic and the rooftop terrace was great -- we sat each morning with a view of the Blue Mosque and could walk around the corner to see the Hagia Sophia. Note: annex has no elevator and we were on the sixth floor which actually was only four floors up).

The mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent is still closed off for construction. However, I think it is worth the walk just to see the mausoleums.

We couldn't pass up the experience of the Turkish Bath, so we went to Cemberlitas because it was within walking distance. I'm glad we did it however I do feel it is getting more touristy than authentic. We went after 8pm when it said it was less busy, but the attendants were perhaps tired because I felt we got the half-effort bath. But the interesting part was that two attendants got into a shouting match across the marble slab and this went on for several minutes. What I can deduce is that one attendant may have stolen a client from the other attendant (they use a token system where you pay at the front desk and give your token to the attendant who bathes you). All is all, a worthwhile and memorable experience but next time I will seek out a more authentic hamam.

I thought I got more use out of the Istanbul guidebook than any other I've ever used. I am loyal to RS guidebooks so that is quite a compliment. The writers did a great job using landmarks to keep you on the right path. I will close with a quote I overheard from a traveler in Spain, "Rick Steves has never led me wrong." Thanks for the help!
Inger
Lincoln, NE  USA   10/05/2009

Istanbul restaurant recommendation
Forgot one recommendation in my last posting. Near the Hagia Sohpia and recommended in the RS book: Caferaga Medresesi. Charming location down a narrow alley. Courtyard restaurant is surrounded by student workshops creating tiles, painting, silk scarves, jewelry, etc that is for sale at reasonable prices. Food is good and reasonable; try the Turkish coffee for dessert. I bought a beautiful silk scarf and should have bought more in retrospect. Next time!
Inger
Lincoln, NE  USA   10/05/2009

Istanbul tour companies
Hi, I just came back from Istanbul (Sep 17-23, 2009) and was really pleased with all the travel arrangement made by my travel agent = ONE NATION TRAVEL AGENCY. Mr. Bilal, the manager, personally talks to you over the phone & replies your emails. If you don't have time to scout around for transfers, hotels & tours, then, don't go any further, One Nation Travel Agency is your choice... Their office is in Binbirdirek Mah. Kladfarer Caddesi, Sultanahmet, Istanbul. Email address: info@allistanbultours.com and website: www.allistanbultours.com Phone: +90 212 4582191.

One satisfied tourist,

Mannie
Mannie
New York, 10018  USA   10/05/2009

6 Day Classic Turkey Tour
I had a wonderful time. The travel arrangements made by One Nation Travel worked like "clock work". I would recommend this tour to anyone. Turkey is a beautiful place.
christis <email>
New York, NY  USA   09/11/2009

Bodrum, Turkey
I went with a couple of friends to the island of Kos in Greece under the guidance of www.dogreece.com . We hopped from their on our own to Bodrum, Turkey with a small fishing boat and it was the best thing we ever did. It was great over there. Very cheap and the service was great! Bodrum is also becoming very cosmopolitan too lately with a yacht marina and jet-setters from all over the world!
Joan
Los Angeles, CA  USA   08/04/2009

Great Tour Guide in Ephesus
Prior to our trip, we contacted Fatma (fatmaacarguide@hotmail.com) to see about taking our extended family (including 2 kids under 10 and my 86 year old Dad) to Ephesus and the Virgin Mary's house.

Fatma was very good with the children and our kids can still tell us how to differentiate Doric, Ionian and Corinthian columns from her unique way of telling the story of this area of Turkey. After a very insightful tour of Ephesus, she took us to a nearby village and we got to experience the best food of our entire trip at a local cafe. To get there, we walked through farmer's market and saw the most colorful fruits and vegetables I have seen in ages. After lunch, we finished with the Virgin Mary's house.

The only downside was that my sister in law and I wanted to visit a hammam and do a turkish bath after the tour. Fatma was glad to accomodate us and arranged transportation back to the boat for us while she took the rest of the party back. I was a little wary when the hammam we stopped at had a sign saying 'Best Hammam in Turkey' or something like that in English . Everything I had read prior to travel said that hammams were separated into male and female sides. After we were in there, we found out it was COED! It apparently catered to Russians and other Europeans who weren't too bothered about being half naked in front of other people - plus we didn't have swim suits like the other tourists did, we had to wrap with towels. It was a very strange experience, but not very relaxing. I would have rather had a 'real' hammam experience, the woman only thing - not big guys slathering me with oil, next time, I'll know to ask in advance.

Other than that, Fatma was wonderful, knowledgeable, very patient about my Dad's physical limitations and helpful. Including the entrances to the parks, we came out much cheaper than we would have with some of the bigger tours, particularly the ones from the boat (which had way too many people - we saw them around Ephesus). We would all definitely recommend her to any family traveling to see Ephesus.
Marcy Halterman-Cox <email>
College Station, TX  USA   07/09/2009

Istanbul Travel
I would like to thank you for arranging my tour of Istanbul on March 16. Everything went very smoothly and comfortably. The young driver, I think his name was Mehmet, was very courteous and pleasant. I would particularly like to say thank you for my guide, Mr. Ilhan Atesgoz who was so knowledgeable and a very interesting person to talk to. He certainly made the time spent in Istanbul memorable. I shall be very pleased to recommend OneNation Travel http://www.turkeytravelservice.com/ to anyone who is coming to Istanbul. All the best and thank you again. Rumi Engineer
Engineer
New York, NY  USA   06/29/2009

Mosque
We traveled to Turkey between May 14-28, 2009 and found that the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent (Süleymaniye Mosque) is essentially closed at present. Only a small portion of the interior is open to visitors. Also, if you need to travel to the Militas airport in Bodrum a taxi will cost you about 100 lira while the Havas bus (associated with Turkish Airlines) is only 15 lira per person. The Havas bus leaves from the Octogar (bus station) in Bodrum. Rick, hurry up and extend your book to cover Ephesus, Bodrum, and Cappodocia. Ed
Ed K <email>
Washington, DC  USA   05/28/2009

Aegean turkey tours
Our students group visited western Turkey in March. We visited Pamukkale, Pergamon, ancient Priene/Miletos/Didyma, Izmir, but the highlight of this excursion was Ephesus! The site is so impressive! The Virgin Mary house close to Ephesus house we liked too; the most interesting part of this tour was Sirince (old greek village close to Ephesus) where we had traditional turkish lunch in the house of one of the villagers, and it was great experience. That village is famous for wine tasting, too. Ancient towns Priene/Miletos/Didyma were another destination important for our history and art lessons (I liked the photo of Apollo temple in Didyma, that I saw many times in books; when we arrived to the temple, the first reaction was: wow, it`s so big and well preserved!)Pamukkale- miracle of nature, so unique, real "cotton castle". Izmir- beautiful and very modern city, it surprised us with it`s European atmosphere and spirit (not so asian and oriental). For all the tours we used the same English speaking guide, Ertunga, and he was great, very reliable and knowledgeable. I strongly recommend everyone to visit this area; so many sites to see, nice climate, reasonable prices, very hospitable people
Maria <email>
Belgrade, Serbia   05/11/2009

3 weeks in Turkey isn't enough!
There are a lot of great sites (and hotels) in Turkey outside of Istanbul! We just came back from 3 weeks in Turkey, starting in Istanbul, then flying to Cappadocia (a guide here is really helpful, there is so much to see and it is quite spread out), then driving to Antalya, Konja, Cirali, Kas, Kayakoy, Pammukkale, Selcuk (for Ephesus) then flying back to Istanbul. I highly recommend visiting small beach towns like Cirali and Kas. Both were beautiful and there are incredible places to stay--much less expensive than the big city. Hotel Canada is beautiful and friendly, the nightly dinners (optional) are tasty and inexpensive, and there is access to the Cirali beach (a short distance) and the ruins at Olympos--Pateros and Phaselus are also nearby. The hotel owners make you feel like family and will help out with excursions, planning, airport pickups (we didn't need it but other guests did). Gunnay's Garden Villas at Kayakoy are an incredible bargain especially if you are traveling with a group--there were only two of us but we had a beautful 3 bedroom 2 bathroom villa with 3 or 4 decks--and a washer and a line to dry clothes outside which we needed at that point. Only 50 euros for all that, plus a pool and beautiful grounds, and a view of the "ghost town" of kayakoy. The service at Hotel Bella in Selcuk is unlike anything I have experienced (and the rooftop terrace is delightful, I could have spent all day there watching the storks nesting nearby and admiring the view of the basilica if Ephesus wasn't calling). Nazmi dropped us off at Ephesus and picked us up at the bottom to save us the 3 km trudge uphill to get the car, then brought us to an inexpensive restaurant where we had unbelievable gozleme (try the tahini-walnut-honey, yum), then took us the the museum and picked us up after that! After we checked out, we were invited to sit on the terrace and drink complimentary elma chai until it was time to leave to go to the airport. You won't be sorry if you choose any of these places--you'll be sorry if you miss them! Turkey is fantastic, people are friendly and helpful and interested in strangers. It is less expensive than most of Europe--everyone should visit before it gets too popular!
Nancy
Seattle, WA  USA   05/07/2009

Here in Istanbul (continued)
At the foot of Nuruosmaniye Camii (1748-1755) you'll find a few cafes on the that street -- Coffee World, Columbus Cafe and Starbucks. There's also another Starbucks on Divanyolu Caddesu. Of course, go to the small eateries so you can try their teas!
Eileen
San Francisco, CA  USA   04/27/2009

Go against Rick's advice and buy an Akbil!
In Istanbul, definitely get the Akbil. It is loadable transportation pass that can be shared by multiple people and is useful on almost all the transportation systems in the city. It is SO much easier than paying for and keeping track jetons every time you want to ride the tram, etc.

You DO NOT need a photo of any kind to buy one. I can't imagine why they are not overwhelmingly recommended since you also save money on each trip by using the Akbil.
Shelby
Columbia, SC  USA   04/23/2009

Fell in love with Turkey on Rick's tour of Western Turkey. Went back a few months later for the SRM "Seafarers of the Agean" tour. Traveled on our own a few days before and after both trips.

Two things we learned

Nicer restaurants have a 2.50 YTL per person service charge. It is not listed on the menu. Just shows up on your bill. If they have white table clothes, give you water before you order, or provide a basket of bread, you will probably find this charge on your bill.

Do not take torn paper money (the tiniest tear) in change. No one will take it from you except a bank.
Diana
Portland, OR  USA   02/18/2009

We really enjoyed Istanbul and plan to come back in the near future. Thank you for organizing the tours for us. It was very professional and well run. I have mentioned your company to friends of ours who are intending to visit Turkey and they are very interested in using your services.
Julie J.
USA   02/17/2009

Go to Turkey!
My husband and I visited Istanbul and Selcuk (Ephesus) over Christmas and the 2009 New Year and we had a fabulous time. The Rick Steves Istanbul guide was absolutely essential to the success of our trip. In Istanbul we stayed at Hotel Sultan Hill which was charming, in a great location, and had very friendly staff. We spent 9 nights in Istanbul and 3 nights in Selcuk at Hotel Bella which was also a great hotel. We ate and drank anything and everything we wanted. We did not have a single bad meal and we tried most of the street food. It took us 12 hours to travel between Istanbul to Selcuk even though it was only a couple hundred miles. We took the ferry/train/dolmus down but the dolmus/bus back. We sort of understand why most tourists fly between Istanbul and Izmir to get to Ephesus but we were the only tourists on our journeys and they weren't bad journeys, just long ones. We saw the countryside and riding a Turkish bus is far nicer than American buses although Turkish trains are not quite set up for tourists the way European ones are. We found the locals to be friendly and helpful although the salesmen kind of grated on us after a bit with their constant hustling. We are historians so we loved all the museums, mosques, and archeological sites but they were all so much more impressive than we expected that I think everyone would find Turkey fascinating. The sites we visited are set to deal with tourists and even in December, Istanbul was crowded with tourists. All the admission prices were about twice what is listed in Rick Steves but every one was worth it. We never felt unsafe but I felt most comfortable having my husband with me. Western Turkey is a complicated mix of secular and religious, western and eastern, modern and agricultural. Turkish is based on the Latin alphabet not Arabic script so you can read the language. If you buy only two things in Turkey make one an evil eye good luck charm and the other a silk scarf from the place in Rick Steves guidebook. The scarf was not cheap but it is absolutely gorgeous and luxurious. Look for one with the tughra (sultan's signature) on it. If you've ever thought about going to Turkey, do it!
Jennifer
Utica, NY  USA   02/07/2009