Anyone been to Turkey?
- Thread starter @if ®afiq
- Start date
Soldato
@if ®afiq said:I know I've posted a lot of these holiday things lately, but I (or rather "we") have finally settled on Turkey....so what are your experiences? What to do and what to avoid?
TIA
To avoid... people trying to drag you into shops and sell you bloody carpets
Other than that, the holiday was excellent
Associate
Its been a while but I backpacked over most of western Turkey from 1992 - 1997.
Most of the places I loved were not your average turist destination.
Bursa & Bergama were great. Antalya's old quater is lovely.
I liked Dalyan and the awsome atmospheric Assos.
Depends what you're into really.
I'd avoid places like Marmaris & Kusidassi (sp?) as they attract the worst sort of english tourist and I'd also avoid the all-in places as they're generally a hotel miles from anything interesting.
Are you doing a package holiday?
Most of the places I loved were not your average turist destination.
Bursa & Bergama were great. Antalya's old quater is lovely.
I liked Dalyan and the awsome atmospheric Assos.
Depends what you're into really.
I'd avoid places like Marmaris & Kusidassi (sp?) as they attract the worst sort of english tourist and I'd also avoid the all-in places as they're generally a hotel miles from anything interesting.
Are you doing a package holiday?
richard smith said:
On of my mates want to, but I don't! I think I should be able to persuade them all. I don't really want to be restricted and want to travel about as much as poss in the 7-10 days that I'm there...
I want to soak up as much as poss, sites and scenaries(sp?) but also want to visit a beach or two - did you check out any of the beaches?
I was having a look at hotel prices yesterday and they are fairly cheap for a three star (although I'm that fussed about accomodation) in Istanbul (£20/night), but also need to look at transport - what did you do to get about, taxi or train?
Soldato
vaultingSlinky said:
pretty much my experience. Whereabouts are you headed?
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@if ®afiq said:
Hmm. Well a cheap charter flights to Dalaman would leave you a short 15min taxi to Dalyan (which has ruins and a unspoiled long beach). Fethye and Olu Deniz are about hour & a 1/2 by coach away. Also around this area are Kalkan and Patara which are intersting for a day or so.
You best bet is the Rough Guides followed by Lonely Planet.
Istanbul is a top place but hotel rooms are expensive - but if there are a few of you, it's a lot cheaper as its usually by room, not person.
If you were to go to Istanbul, a route might be.
Istanbul (2 days), ferry to Yalova, 1 hour bus to Bursa (one night), then on to Chanakkale (for a tour of Gallipoli) 1 night, then Bergama for another night (has corking ruins right up a mountain). Troy (not much there but still atmospheric) is around that area as is Assos for a bit of unwinding (I think it is, I can't remember)!
You're really limited by your time - it is a big country.
Public transport in Turkey is fantastic. It's cheap and companies like Varan have better coaches than anything I've ever been in in the UK. If you get confused in bus stations (Izmir bus station, for example, is unbelievable!) I always found that simply yelling where you want to go is a great option as you'll be led to the bays where the busses depart from.
Turkey is (or rather it was when I was there) a fantastic place with lovely poeple provided you stay clear of the poo hole tourist resorts.
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Pickers said:I've been to Side once, and I've been to Northern (Turkish) Cyprus several times - but thats very different to Turky itself.
I just love the history of the place to be honest - byzantine and roman, all that stuff
What's northern Cyprus like? Quite unspoiled I hear?
I am from Northern Cyprus, however perhaps we should conform with the Greeks and call it illegaly occupied turkish territory by the murdering turkish invader as 1974, wow that's a mouthful. Just don't want to get on the wrong side of what's right you see.Pickers said:I've been to Side once, and I've been to Northern (Turkish) Cyprus several times - but thats very different to Turky itself.
I just love the history of the place to be honest - byzantine and roman, all that stuff
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R3DBuLL said:I've been and it was possibly thee worst place I've ever been too
Was the true in my case, but other friends have been and thought it was great so could be great could be crap
Like anywhere... Good places, bad places. I'm sure I'd hate Faliraki but it might appeal to someone after different things to me out of a holiday.
Soldato
Turkey is one of those places that will probably be good if you go but I personally wont take the risk. I find Greece, Cypress, Portugal and Tunisia to be more appealing.
Be warned you will probably have to take a dump in a hole in the ground
Be warned you will probably have to take a dump in a hole in the ground
kitten_caboodle said:
At the moment the only place I've got on my list is Istanbul
- but Richard has posted some very useful info and I've found a couple of guides that I'm going through at the moment.I think 10 days is is probably the most I can get everyone to get away for, but will try and twist their arms.
re: pooing in holes, it's something I've done before in Pakistan - but I've far from mastered it!
Soldato
Take plenty of Imodium with you and you'll be fine.
Caporegime
@if ®afiq said:At the moment the only place I've got on my list is Istanbul
I think 10 days is is probably the most I can get everyone to get away for, but will try and twist their arms.
re: pooing in holes, it's something I've done before in Pakistan - but I've far from mastered it!
Actually funnily enough my gf is coming over from NYC in a few weeks time, just got an email and call...shes finally booked her tickets \o/ and she was saying that she wants to go to Istanbul for a week or so...
So it looks like ill be taking her there as she loves history especially islamic history along with me. Im kinda planning a surprise, in that instead of flying back to London i might take her down to Jordan/Syria to go and check out those caves that they show on theses docu's....i think she would love that.
Anyone point me in the right direction as to where to find these sort of holidays???.