Istanbul Travel Answers

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If you want to fly to Cappadocia, you should take the flight to Nevsehir. You can check flights from Anadolu Jet, Pegasus, Onur Air, Atlas Jet. In Istanbul, you can enjoy the sea in Prince Islands or Kilyos. You can check my Istanbul page for many useful tips.

Yes staying in istanbul for 2 days is good. I recomend you to do old city tour on your frist day which is blue mosque, topkapı palace, st sophia, hipodrom, grand bazaar, little sophia mosque.At the night you can join dinner cruise and its lovely to do. Second day you can do Bosphorus Cruise and Asia which is beylerbeyi palace and camlıca hill. On your third day early in the morning you can fly to İzmir and you can see ephesus. Next day you can see pamukkale and take night bus to cappadocia. On your fourth day in the morning you can join daily tour in cappadocia and stay in cave hotel in there. On your fifth day you can do baloon tour (see cappadocia on air) than you can join second daily tour. at night you can take overnight bus to istanbul or stay one more night and go istanbul next day by flight.

Cappadocia is just a small part of Anatolia. Do you mean the seaside town of Antalya? There are apparently flights from Istanbul and Izmir to Anatalya. The bus time from Goreme, Cappadocia to Anatalya is nine hours! If you want to avoid the long bus trip you will have to look for a flight in or out of Nevsevir or Kayseri --- there was none 2 years ago. I would not consider Izmir as good way to go to get to Cappadocia or Antalya unless it is to be used as just a flight stopover. Perhaps you mean to consider Ankara, the capital. If so I would suggest an overnight train from Istanbul. You could continue on to the Cappadocia area by train getting off in Kayseri, or take a bus (4-5 hours by bus to Goreme, Cappadocia). The train leaves from the Asian side of the Bosphorus (Haydarpasa -- unless it has been closed and the new station opened.). The best way to get to the train station is by ferry. I would think that a 7 year old would enjoy a train trip. I think that there are flights from Istanbul to Kayseri, Cappadocia. I am not sure about flights from Ankara. Fun should be easy to arrange for a 7 year old, you just have to make sure you block off some time both for activities and for rest. A small rubberband driven balsa plane, a kite, a ball, a little sale boat for in a fountain, or a stop at a park with climbing toys can make for a special time while traveling. HAVE A GREAT TRIP.

izmir is best used for access to ephesus. nevsehir is best for getting to the cappadocia area but there are not that many flights, so most visitors use kayseri about an hour away on a dual highway. it is pretty much a full day for the travel to and from kayseri. perhaps go there on the day you fly into turkey and therefore only lose one day in the week you have. istanbul can easily use four days, so much to see and visit.

Your seven year old would probably enjoy a visit to the Rahmi Koch museum more than some of the places you will be considering, and I'm sure you would enjoy t too. It's Istabul 's version of the Science Museum, packed with interesting exhibits - working models, toys, steam trains, planes, trams, boats, even a sub out in the Bosporus. Lots of buttons to push and levers to pull, all labelled in English. Good fish restaurant by the water. It's in Haskoy, on the Galata side of the Golden Horn, past the Attaturk Bridge. Opens at 10 and is closed on Monday. Take a taxi or catch the 47 bus.

7 year old? I was just in Istanbul last month and with a friend and his family of 3 kids, they had a blast as I took them to places for kids, and I just wrote details on that here: Sapphire Observation Deck+ Helicopter simulation ride, I enjoyed this the most even if am not a kid :) - "Kids Entertainment 2: Observation Deck" - Istanbul Ili Things to Do Tip by June.b Turkuazoo - "Kids Entertainment 1: Turkuazoo" - Istanbul Ili Things to Do Tip by June.b The Dolphinarium - "Kids Entertainment 3: Dolphinarium" - Istanbul Ili Things to Do Tip by June.b That is of course if you have time to spend in Istanbul to see those sights. For Cappadocia, nevsehir airport is nearer to Goreme than Kayseri, but I took the Kayseri flight twice already because of the lower airfare from Pegasus before. Turkish Airlines is flying to both Nevsehir and Kayseri. If you chose Kayseri you can always ask your hotel in Goreme to arrange a pick-up at TL20-25 per person in a shared van, 2 hours trip. You don't really need a travel agent for booking domestic flights, just go online their website (thy.com or flypgs.com), the earlier you book, the more chance of getting a lower fare. But I'm afraid you have to take an overnight bus trip from Cappadocia (or the other way around to any of the beach like Antalya, Marmaris, the breath-taking Oludeniz, Patara, etc. I did booked some friends / family on the same itinerary like yours just last month, from Istanbul to Antalya (for Kas not Antalya beaches as they prefer a quieter town), then an overnight bus from Antalya to Goreme, and flying out of Goreme from Kayseri airport back to Istanbul. Although of course I had a regular agent/contact for the transfers that picked them up from Antalya airport to Kas and back to Antalya main bus terminal for the overnight bus to Goreme. While the Goreme to Kayseri airport transfers, I did arranged it with the hotel they stayed at in Goreme, they normally do that. 2 days in Goreme - you will be able to take their popular red and green tours (costs TL60/person per tour), green tour is the longer one and most popular. But you can also take a walk to the open-air museum since it's walking distance from goreme town. If you need more info, just ask. Hope that helps. have fun.

BTW, the Observation deck is on the 54th floor offering a 360 degree view of the whole Istanbul + the helicopter simulation ride is an exhilirating ride infront of a 3D screen (with 3D eyeglasses of course) that takes you for a 4D helicopter ride over the highlights of Istanbul with matching fish crawling on your legs and mists on your face while the chopper dives under the bosphorous bridge (you see, I enjoyed it too). I highly recommend it for the 7-year old, it won't disappoint, it's a relatively new attraction (1 year old) so not so many people know it yet.

Another place in Istanbul that I think a 7-year-old would enjoy is the underground Basilica Cistern in the centre of town on the Sultanahment side. It was built by the Romans and has wooden walkways over the water (which has fish in it!) and the ceiling is held up by pillars of different designs that were pilfered from other sites. There are also two huge stone plinths (?) with each side carved into Medusa heads. It is dark with low lighting (but not dangerous) and the walkways have sturdy wooden rails so there's no danger of falling in. There's also a cafe inside where you could take a break afterwards. Be aware that the Bazaar (market) is very crowded and bustling so keep a close eye on the 7yo there. I got lost in there and I was on my own! Your son will probably enjoy some of the displays (eg weapons) at Topkapi but I think he might find the Mosque and Hagia Sophia boring (even though of COURSE you need to see them as you will be amazed just at the size inside!) I don;t know about beaches in Istanbul but your son might enjoy watching the fishing boats come in (I don't know what it's called but you drive past this on the way from the airport into the city) - I have never seen so many seabirds in one place! To get from Istanbul to Cappadocia you need to fly to Kayseri or Nevshehir (I think Kayseri is closer and I know there is a shuttle bus to Goreme and I think it will drop you at Urgup also). The bus takes all night and a 7yo would go crazy. You would want to stay at least one night in Cappadocia. A 7yo will love exploring the ancient town outside Goreme with the cave houses, and you can also stay in a cave hotel if you like. Most accommodation can also arrange interesting walks eg the Ilhara Valley which is surprisingly green with a pretty river and painted cave churches carved in the cliffs, and also the Rose and Love Valleys with the strange rock formations. I have not been to Anatolia so can't comment on that.

Thanks everyone. Your responses were most helpful. I think I had some of the airports and towns mixed up. Based on all these suggestions, I have decided to restrict ourselves to just Istanbul and Cappadocia - 3 days in each place. Many thanks for the suggestions for my son, I was afraid it would be an overdose of mosques and palaces. The overnight bus ride is scary - I do not sleep at all during busride and it would drive my son crazy. So I will be flying to Keyseri and then taking the bus to Goreme. I also read about cave hotels. Are these a rip-off or would you recommend one of them from personal experience.

Thanks everyone. Your responses were most helpful. I think I had some of the airports and towns mixed up. Based on all these suggestions, I have decided to restrict ourselves to just Istanbul and Cappadocia - 3 days in each place. Many thanks for the suggestions for my son, I was afraid it would be an overdose of mosques and palaces. The overnight bus ride is scary - I do not sleep at all during busride and it would drive my son crazy. So I will be flying to Keyseri and then taking the bus to Goreme. I also read about cave hotels. Are these a rip-off or would you recommend one of them from personal experience.

i think the cave hotels are terrific. and your son will likely be fascinated.

I didn't feel ripped off at the cave hotel I stayed at. However, one thing you might want to do is check when you book that you will be staying in a cave ROOM, as some cave hotels also have other ordinary rooms. If you have the budget for it, I recommend a dawn ballon flight when you are in Goreme - you can usually arrange it via the hotel. It gives you an amazing view, including abandoned cave towns that are collapsing, and just the vast spectacular Cappadocia landscape. Have a great time!

Good decision. More days in Istanbul is smart. You can mix mosque and museum visits with boat trips, visits to a bath house and park visits. I would suggest that you look for a couple of children's books of stories related to Turkey that you can read with your 7 year old, or he can read himself, both during travel time and during rest periods. Three days in Cappadocia. You may pay a premium for a cave room, but with a seven year old it will be worth it. My understanding is that summer can be a very busy time, so you should probably try to make reservations. Goreme is a pleasant sized town and a good place to stay. It is central to the hot air balloon trips, the open air museum and fascinating by itself. If you find the time, there are other nearby small places you can visit on a tour or on your own. An underground "city" would also fascinate a 7 year old as it does adults. Limiting yourself to two main places will allow you to be as hectic or relaxed as the mood strikes you and your child's stamina allows. Good luck.

Good decision! You'll be back anyways, I'd bet. Ur absolutely right about that museum and historical stuff overdose. It's fascinating really, but something a 7-year old may have a different view. I remember taking my friends to Pamukkale and a point came that they just don't want to see blocks, rocks and columns any longer, I think it came on the 3rd day. And I felt that too. Consecutive days of museums and old ruins really got into us. and we're adults and me personally who's really into ruins. Anyhoo, learn those directions to all those kiddie stuff I've mentioned in my previous post, I would bet you the kid would enjoy that a lot --- esp. the observation deck + the chopper simulation ride at Sapphire Mall. 2 days museum and history stuff in istanbul and a kiddie stuff either on the afternoons or on the 3rd day would be nice for the kiddie. Cave rooms absolutely aren't rip-offs. All of the rooms in that recent palce I've stayed at are cave rooms and cost me EURO 38 for two people with nice breakfast, family room (for you) costs I think 77euro. Most hotels anyway in Goreme have caverooms, great experience. Some non-caverooms hotels are even expensive than caverooms. Don't forget - the cost of the green tour at most is TL60 per person and the red tour is TL50, bargain if the hotel offer you more. Tell them that yoou found an agent oput there who are offering it at lower price, they'll buy that. Have fun!