girldetective

Im considering taking a trip to Turkey this summer with a girlfriend of mine: Istanbul and Ankara, as well as 2 more southern towns: Andana and and Anatalya, which is on the Mediterranean. it has been discussed, the idea of renting a car. Ive never been to Turkey and am unsure of driving across the country on my first visit, or maybe any visit for that matter.

Dont you think a car with a driver might be more sensible? Or better yet, a bus?

Also, any highlights for me?

Thanks.

__________________
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons...be cheerful; strive for happiness - Desiderata

dlish

ive only been to Istanbul and Pamukkale, but it was well worth the trip.

Turkey is much bigger than people think it is, and if you really wanted to see all of it you'll need to give yourself a few months. heck, if you just wanted to see everything in istanbul you'll need 2 weeks if you wanted to cram everything in - but probably close to a month is best!

summer is quite hot in turkey (well maybe not hot for me, but probably hot for you), and probably humid along the coasts, but check out the temps and weather to make sure.

Istanbul is a lovely city. Its clean, modern and very european, with a mix of middle eastern/islamic influence, as well as plenty of history. There wont be a day where you would sit down to do nothing. Of course the biggest atractions are the Aya (Haga) Sophia and the Blue mosque which are quite literally acoss the road from each other and the Basilica Cistern which runs underneath the city streets. Then you have the Grand Bazaar and the many different stores that sell everything from turkish lights, to leather to carpet. Dont forget the delicacies, the kebabs and the turkish sweets, and turkish coffee.

I didnt go to ankara, but i caught an overnight coach to Pamukkale, The coaches are quite modern and clean, and used a lot by many tourists and locals alike. There's a central bus station in istanbul where all bus trips start from called Autogar. That's where you buy all your bus tickets, instead of pre-booking them from the states and getting overcharged. There's plenty of different tour operators, and numerous bus companys to choose from.

as far as renting a car is concerned, if you are pressed for time, catch overnight buses because you can sleep on the bus overnight, and you'll also save money on a hotel for the night which probably would be cheaper than hiring a car, paying for petrol and paying for a hotel room. of course you dont get the flexibility of seeing the country as much, so it really depends on how muchtime and money you have to spend.

i have friends who have travelled to turkey plenty of times, i can always ask them for any specific info or questions you have.

is theres places you must see, its Istanbul and Pamukalle are highly recommended and ive been told that Copadocia is fantastic.

heres a link to my trip to Istanbul and Pamukkale http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/members...-istanbul.html. if you have any questions, please let me know and ill be happy to help out.

__________________
An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere

I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay?
- Filthy

Charlatan

My wife just spent a week in Istanbul and had a great time. I met her there while on a layover for less than 24 hours. I can't wait to get back. It's truly a lovely, active (and all the other things that dlish said above) city.

My mom just spent two weeks on a package tour, she arrived just as I was about to leave. She spoke highly of the southern cities along the Mediterranean. While I wouldn't advise getting a tour guide and driver, if that's your sort of thing, by all means go for it. I am told that it isn't too difficult to travel around by yourself. Regardless, I don't think you really need a guide in Istanbul. The transit is cheap and easy and with a little planning, you can see tonnes.

My wife and her friends rented this apartment while they were there: http://istanbulplace.com/apartments/firuz-place/. It's in a very cool part of town. If you can avoid staying in the touristy hotels just below the Blue Mosque, you should. Sure, it's a place to stay but there was just something cool about staying in a neighbourhood with people who actually live in the city.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Sheepy

It can get extremely hot so make sure you have HEAPS of water in the car/bus.

If you are interested in ww1 history you should totally check at Gallipoli!

Cynthetiq

I can't wait to get to Istanbul.

I'm a fan of driving about, I got a GPS with the ability to add worldwide maps, specifically now I have all of Europe. Turkey is $69 (All of Europe is $99) addition to the Garmin GPS cost. You can also easily resell the map as it comes on an SD card which is easily sold and mailed in an envelope.

I love it because it lets me explore the way I explore any city I've lived in, but just going around and not worrying about getting lost and still knowing how to get back to my home.

For car rental prices, I've not been able to beat autoeurope.com. I use it exclusively to book my reservations when traveling Europe. They are an aggregator based in Maine and really easy to deal with if there are any problems. They deal with all the major US brands and also many of the local European big brands that you'd never know to look for.

have a fun trip. drink lots of coffee and tisane.

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.