Sunday,
May 11th - DEPARTURE!
From JFK
Airport (NYC) to Istanbul Ataturk Airport (Istanbul)
Flight
Number: Turkish Airlines 12,nonstop
Departure
Time: 11:55pm, May 11th
Arrival
Time: 4:45pm, May 12th
Total
Travel Time: 9h 50m
At
Ataturk Airport, consider exchanging some Turkish Lira, but keep in mind
airport rates are usually not as good as rates at PTT(post office) or currency
exchange offices(Döviz
Bürosu). ATM
withdrawal using your bank debit card is another very convenient option. ATM machines are widely available in
Istanbul.
Consider purchasing
tokens/fare card for the Metro and Tram.
There are 3 types of fare card machines: 1.Istanbulkart,the
Card itself costs TL10, and you need to use a separate machine to fill the card
with money, there are discounts on fares if you use Istanbulkart, but since the
card itself costs money, there’s a trade-off; 2. Biletmatik
Fare Card, disposable fare card for a pre-determined number of trips; 3.
Jetonmatik (token machine) [see separate sheet]
Route from Ataturk Airport to
Erboy Hotel: Take the Metro M1A(Aksaray
direction) to Zeytinburnu Station (the 6th stop, bypassing DTM Istanbul
Fuar Merkezi, Yenibosna, Atakoy-Sirinevler, Bahcelievler,
Bakirkoy-incirli); at Zeytinburnu, transfer for the Tram T1(Kabatas direction) and get off at Gulhane Station(the 16th stop, bypassing Mithatpasa,
Aksemsettin, Merkez Efendi, Cevezlibag AOY, Topkapi,
Pazartekke, Capa Sehremini, Findikzade, Haseki, Yusufpasa,
Aksaray, Laleli Universite, Beyazit Kapalicarsi, Cemberlitas,
Sultanahmet); from Gulhane Station, walk along Ebussuut Cd until you see
Numara 18, should be a very short walk.
The trip takes about 40-45 minutes.
When we settle in at Erboy Hotel,
time should be around 7PM.
Things To Do:
1. Walk along the Tram T1 route
and sightsee on Divan Yolu. The office
of Pamukkale Tourism is located on Divan Yolu.
Consider buying bus tickets to Pamukkale. Grab dinner here.
2. Sirkeci Station neighborhood
is a historic neighborhood. The station
building itself is a historic landscape.
Tuesday,
May 13th - Istanbul
Things To Do:
1. Blue
Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) - From 9:00AM; Avoid prayer sessions; FREE;
(≈1-1.5hrs)
1.5 the Hippodrome,
on the way to the Blue Mosque; (≈30-45min)
2. Yerebatan
Sarnici(Basilica Cistern) Hours 9:00-17:30; 10TL (≈2hrs)
3. LUNCH
- TBD.
4. OPTIONS (any ONE option should
take up most of the afternoon):
MUSEUMS
- the Archeology Museum Complex has 4 museums: the
Archeology Museum; the Museum of the Ancient Orient; Museum of
Turkish Ceramics/Çinili Köşk; and Istanbul History of
Science and Technology in Islam Museum (10TL
combined ticket for first 3 museums; 5TL for last museum)
- the Mosaic Museum
OR
Grand Bazaar/Kapalıçarşı - Hours 9:00-19:00
OR
SPICE BAZAAR/Mısır Çarşısı - Hours 9:00-19:00; Eminonu
neighborhood; the streets surrounding the bazaar are less touristy, lined with
similar shops that may offer better bargains
5. Aya
Sofya (Hagia Sophia) CLOSED MONDAY; Hours 9:00-19:00; Latest Entrance
Time 16:00; 30TL (≈1-1.5hrs)
6. Next door to Aya Sofya, BATH
at Ayasofya
Hürrem Sultan Hamamı
- Hours 8:00-22:00; Cost ≈$100; Recommended: the 50min package that
includes a massage
DINNER
- TBD
Check
out of Erboy. Ask about baggage
storage at hotel. Another option is
to store our baggage at Sirkeci Train Station.
Things
To Do:
1.
Topkapi Palace and Museum - CLOSED TUESDAY;
Hours 9:00-19:00; Museum Ticket 30TL; Harem Ticket 15TL (Takes up the entire
morning)
2.
Galata Bridge/Beyoglu/Taksim: mackeral
sandwich/street mussels; Galata Tower; follow the tram and walk along Istiklai
Caddesi until reaching Taksim Square; DINNER at Beyoglu
Get
luggage, head over to Divan Yolu area/shuttle bus pick-up location, board night
bus to Pamukkale. [From Pamukkale
Turizm: Pamukkale
Turizm is
a Denizli based popular bus company and it serves in many locations in Turkey.
You can find many branches of Pamukkale Turizm in Istanbul. They do have
offices at popular locations like Taksim. You don’t worry about getting to the
bus station as well. Pamukkale Turizm provides shuttles to bus
station from their branches and they will tell you when shuttles leave. Once you get to Denizli, you will
arrive at Denizli Bus Station (Denizli Otogar). Pamukkale is just 20
minutes away from
there and you can take a dolmus (minibus) or a taxi from there. You can find
detailed information about Pamukkale Turizm
on
this page.] The bus ride from Istanbul to Denizli takes
about 10 hours.
Thursday,
May 15th - Pamukkale!
Arriving at approximately
8-9AM(?) in Pamukkale?
First thing, book night bus
tickets from Pamukkale to Goreme, Cappadocia. (Metro Turizm
has daily bus. Suha
Turizm has two buses daily. Trip
takes anywhere from 9hrs to 11hr, depending on the bus company.)
Store
luggage/check in at Venus Hotel.
Check-in starts at 11:00AM.
Things
to do:
1.
Hierapolis and Travertines - 3 bathing options:
1.
Natural Park (24hr;
FREE);
2.
Travertine paths
(included in your Hierapolis ticket, 20TL);
3.
Pamukkale Thermal Baths (Hours
8:00-19:30; 30TL).
Many visitors go for the third option. :)
Many visitors go for the third option. :)
See
map on P.281.
Tips: EARLY BIRD sees
most beautiful scene, and the Travertines are mostly empty early in the
morning. (Before 7AM)
Wear
comfortable shoes. Shoes are forbidden
along the Travertine paths, so have a bag for storing shoes.
Points
of Interest: Museum; Temple of Apollo and Plutonium; Roman
Theatre; the nymphaeum(fountain-house); basilica; the colonnaded
street; the necropolis which includes Tomb of Flavius Zeuxis
Friday,
May 16th - Pamukkale -> Night bus to Goreme, Cappadocia
Check
out Venus Hotel. Store luggage for the day(?)
Things
to do:
1.
If time permits, ask hotel to book a day tour to Aphrodisias.
Saturday,
May 17th - Goreme, Cappadocia - half day
Arriving early in the
morning. Bus from Pamukkale probably
drops us off at Nevsehir, should have free shuttle to Goreme.
Store luggage
at Grand Cave Suites hotel.
Check-in starts at 2PM.
We have 3 and ½ days in
Cappadocia. The itinerary is subject to
changes, consider book the “GREEN TOUR”.
Also ask Hotel to book HOT AIR BALLOON. Either 19th(Monday)/20th(Tuesday) is
OKAY. Cost for 60min is about 150 to 180
EUROS ($200-$250). Basket size ~ smaller
the better (6-10 people). Recommended
reputable and reliable balloon companies:
Book bus ticket to Safranbolu. Ticket from Cappadoccia to Ankara. Ticket from Ankara to Safranbolu. No direct route to Safranbolu.
Things to do:
1. Goreme village (See Goreme map
on P.437)
2. Goreme Open-Air Museum
3. If
time permits, HIKING to Uchisar. 4km,
2-hour hike. (p.438) Authentic Cappadocian village. Uchisar Rock Castle. Best time to visit is SUNSET.
Uchisar Castle
Sunday,
May 18th - Cappadocia - full day
GREEN TOUR.
Either Sunday or Monday is a good choice for this full-day tour.
Cost≈120TL; Time 9:30-6:00;
Available everyday; Cost includes transportation, tour guide, lunch, entree
frees; Ask hotel/local tour agency to book. (http://www.captivatingcappadocia.com/cappadocia-green-tour/)
1. Derinkuyu underground city.
2. Ihlara Valley hike
Ağaçaltı cave church; freely
follow the valley path
3. riverside restaurant in the Valley for LUNCH
4. Selime Monastery/fairy chimneys
5. Pigeon Valley
6. Onyx jewelry factory (souvenir shopping stop)
7. Finally, Goreme panorama
Derinkuyu Underground City
Monday,
May 19th - Cappadocia - full day
Things
to do:
Rose
Valley/Red Valley Hike. Takes half a
day, may extend into the afternoon. See INFO below.
Red and
Rose Valley
One of
the nicest and most most beautiful places to go walking in Cappadocia in in Red
and Rose Valley . The two valleys are next to each other and are easily
combined. Start at Sunset point (near Ortahisar) and hike down through first
Red Valley and then continue on the Rose Valley. At the top of Red Valley you
can stop for lunch or a cold drink at Ibrahim's place - Kizilvadi Restaurant (www.cappadociarosevalley.com). This must be the most
pretty and serene places to eat in the whole region. It's right in the valley
surrounded by flowers, cave churches and fields full of fruit trees and grape
vines. The owner Ibrahim and his family (3 generations of them in all) are
extremely nice and serve traditional and very tasty home made food. It is a
great place to relax and escape the heat during walking through the surrounding
valleys.
Once in
Rose Valley don't miss the Hacli Church and the Ayvali Church.
Both with beautiful painted decoration. The caretakers ask a small entrance fee
(1 Euro for each church). A small price to pay to keep the churches clean and
to protect them from vandalism. From the end of Rose Valley you can either walk
to the nearby village of Cavusin. There you can visit the old part of
the village which is crumbling away and too dangerous to still be inhabited
because of the chance of falling rocks. Or you can continue back to Goreme
(around another 45 minutes walk).
If time permits, visit Zelve
Open-Air Museum (on the road to Urgup), and Urgup. Points of interest: Old Urgup, Temmeni Park,
Tuesday,
May 20th - Cappadocia -> Night bus to Safranbolu
Things To Do:
1.Hot Air Balloon Ride. Early
Morning
2. Rest of the day - we could
visit a few churches or revisit another nearby valley, or if we missed any
nearby places due to time constraint, we could visit them on this day.
Board night bus to Safranbolu!
Wednesday,
May 21st - Safranbolu!
Arrive
in the morning/before noon?
Store
baggage/Check-in at Cesmeli Konak.
Check-in is at 1PM.
Book
bus tickets to Istanbul! (About 6hr 3min)
Things
to do:(p.488)
1.
Restored historic mansion - Kaymakamlar Evi (Lieutenant Colonel’s House)
2.
Arasta (Bazaar)
3.
Hidirlik Parki - a lookout point
4.
the Museum
Thursday,
May 22nd - back to Istanbul
Arrive
early afternoon.
Check-in
at DaruSultan Galata. Check-in
starts at 2PM.
Bazaar
shopping, eating!
Friday,
May 23rd - Istanbul - Shopping and Eating!!
Consider
arranging airport van service with hotel. (Done!)
Things to do:
Bosphorous Tour
●
Company “Şehir Hatları” seems to be used by a
lot of people
●
Most suggest short cruise tour about 2 hours
●
http://sehirhatlari.com.tr/en/announcement/everyday-short-bosphorus-tour-1085.html
For schedule and route.
●
From our hotel to the cruise company
headquarter is ~10 min walk.
Saturday,
May 24th - Home Sweet Home :)
From Istanbul Ataturk Airport (Istanbul) to
JFK Airport (NYC)
Flight Number: Turkish Airlines 11, nonstop
Departure Time: 6:20pm, May 24th
Arrival Time: 9:55pm, May 24th
Total Travel Time: 10h 35m
Foods
to try
Nona’s recommendations
1. Menemen (breakfast eggs)
2. Fresh pomegranate juice — street vendors
everywhere!
3. Kunefe (shredded wheat with cheese
dessert) but might be too sweet
4. Cappadocia Clay-pot kebab (lamb stew)
YEAH!
5. Manti (lamb dumplings with yoghurt sauce)
YUMMM!
Street Foods
1. Stuffed Mussels
2. Roasted chestnuts (if they still sell in
summer)
3. Simit (Sesame ring/Turkish bagel)
Love or hate items
1. Raki (anise vodka 茴香伏特加)
2. Ayran (salty yoghurt drink): Best from
rest stops on your bus route for the real frothy version
3. Şalgam (salty turnip juice)
4. Sahlep (very sweet milky root drink)
Watch out for tourist food on menus! Just
avoid the pages with Schnitzel and other non-Turkish stuff
Other Suggestions
1. Beyoglu Chocolate - Famous with special
chocolate since 50’s
2. Haci Bekir Confectioner - Lokum (Turkish
delight) and akide (hard candy
3. Boncuk
Restaurant (Meyhane)
http://locallypera.blogspot.com/2007/03/boncuk-restaurant-meyhane.html
http://locallypera.blogspot.com/2007/03/boncuk-restaurant-meyhane.html
5. (V)Yaprak Sarma - Wrapped vine
leaves with filling of rice onion and spices
6. (V)Dolma - Vegetables with
fresh and dried eggplants, peppers, tomatoes or zucchinis
7. (V)Taze Fasulye - Green beans
cooked with tomato and onion
8. (M)Karniyarik - Fried
eggplants with minced meat
9. (M)Lahmacun - Pizza like dish
with topping of finely minced meat and other good stuff
10. (M)Kuru Fasulye - Beans and
beef (pastirma), served with sade pilav (plain rice) and tursu (pickles and
sauerkraut)
11. (M/V) Kabaps
12. (M) Doner - Meat sandwich
13. (M)Kofte - meatballs (lamb or
mutton) mixed with crumbled bread
14. (M) Manti - Dumplings.
15. (V) Pilav - plain rice
16. Bulgur Pilavi - Wheat
17. Fried veggies
18. Mucver - Shredded zucchini,
eggs and flour
19. Cacik - Mixture of
grinded/shredded cucumbers with diluted yogurt, garlic and mint.
21. Great LINK! http://www.buzzfeed.com/jeremybender/tantalizing-turkish-foods-youll-want-immediately
24.
Shopping
Terkos çıkmazı
Things
to note
Tipping:
• Restaurants: 5 TL
• Round up for taxis but no need to really
tip (5 TL if you want to be nice)
• Bathhouse (Hamman): 10 TL
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