Turkey has recently named the most popular destinations, and after our trip, I see why. Turkey is just magical; you can't describe in words; you have to go and see the magic yourself.
I went to Turkey Last year two times, we were in Turkey for 11 days from which 1st four days was sort of business trip, and you may see there will be nothing done touristy and actual tour begins from Cappadocia.
Istanbul- Cappadocia- Pamukkale- Istanbul
We booked a flight with Etihad Airway, and it was perfect, compared to the Turkish flight, which I had booked the 1st time I traveled in March.
BOM - IST
Note: Turkish Airline is a direct flight whereas Etihad was with 3-4 hours layover at Abu Dhabi
Day 1 (19th June 2019) : our flight was at 5 am, and we reached Istanbul by 2.50 pm. We stayed at Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus. The hotel location was perfect, not far from Taksim Square.
We stayed at: Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus
We relaxed and enjoyed the property.
For dinner, we went to Dubb Restaurant (Indian Restaurant) This place is on the top of Hilton Bosphorus, we will highly recommend you this Restaurant big you are craving for Indian food.
Day 2 (20th June 2019)
Today we explored historical sites of Istanbul
we covered:
Hagia Sophia
Blue mosque
Galata Tower
Grand bazaar
Day 3 (20th June 2019)
Today we kind of kept it leisure, we went to Taksim Square in the afternoon, then Bosphorus café to chill for some time, and evening we decided to go on Bosphorus Cruise. You can totally skip the cruise part, it's nothing fancy.
Day 4: (21st June 2019)
if you have 1-day spare do visit lake Sapanca, it's a 2-hour drive from Istanbul
We had our lunch at one of the Restaurant there with the beautiful lake and Mountain View.
At night, we went clubbing to sortie.
Great place with amazing view and music and was terrific to enjoy partying with friends.
Date: 22nd June - Day 5
On our way to Cappadocia from Istanbul
There are two main airports that you can use to reach Cappadocia by flight
1st Istanbul to Kayseri (ASR) and 1-hour drive to the center of Cappadocia region
and the 2nd option is to take flight from Istanbul to Nevşehir airport (NAV) and about 45 mins of road trip
So we decided to go with the 2nd option, our flight was at around 5:30 pm, and we reached around at 6:55 pm when the sun was about to set and the journey from NAV airport to Göreme was so beautiful.
We stayed at: Grand Cappadocia Hotel
The hotel is located right in the central area. All the cool cafés and restaurants, ATMs, are within walking distance of 5-10 minutes.
Our experience at Grand Cappadocia was super awesome. We stayed in the family room it was perfect for 4 peopl (Exactly same as we saw in the picture), and the staff was beyond friendly and helpful, they helped us with airport transfer and our hot air balloon ride. They also booked a last-minute RED tour for us.
The cost was included with Breakfast, and we got a great deal from booking.com
Day: 6 (23rd June)
Today was the day, the day we all were dreaming for so long, standing outside our hotel at 3:00 am waiting to be picked up for our sunrise hot air balloon ride.
Cappadocia is all about Valley, cave hotels, & fairy chimney. This place is so picturesque that after reaching Cappadocia, we also realized that this is why Cappadocia is called "the Land of beautiful horses."
Important tip: Cappadocia is famous for the hot air balloon ride. Book your hot air balloon ride at least ten days -15 days prior. You can also check with your hotel where you are staying if they can book it for you. The average cost is 14-16k ride per person
Above mentioned rates are from June 2019, while we were there, pls check the current rates from ballon ride website or hotel.
Also, 1 crucial thing to remember is you at least need to keep two mornings in Cappadocia as a hot air balloon ride depends on the weather conditions and may have to reschedule your balloon flight. Though they will refund your money if you don't get to fly on the day, you have booked, but you will miss the magical experience (you need to check with the tour company for the refund thing before you book, our was refundable)
The views below were amazing!
Breathtaking view of the early sunrise over the remarkable Göreme open-air museum, a UNESCO Heritage Site.
125- 150 balloons flying at the same time with the mountains and caves is something extraordinary.
Watching the sunrise from the balloon on top of Cappadocia, it was surreal. One of the highlights of the trip was being able to see the other balloon float along with us.
What a fantastic experience it was worth waking up at 3 am
An experience that cannot describe in words! Recommend it! You have to experience it yourself.
Note: we had booked our ride with Cappadocia Voyager Balloons
We got back to our hotel by 8 am, had our breakfast and then again picked up from our hotel at 9.30 am for the RED tour (Which we again booked through our hotel)
Highlights of the RED tour:
• Uçhisar panorama •Göreme Open Air Museum • Love valley viewpoint • Lunch in Avanos Village • Avanos traditional pottery demonstration • Paşabağ fairy chimney rock formations • Devrent valley
Cost for RED Tour: 30 euro per person which included transportation, entrance fees, and buffet lunch, totally worth the money.
Cappadocia is one place where you don't have to look for the photo spots – they are everywhere around you.
The red tour ended by afternoon, and We were in our hotel by 4.30 pm, so we went to explore some nearby cafés and hotels.
We went to the viewpoint café restaurant - where we enjoyed our sunset, genuinely magical view.
They have some excellent options for vegetarians, and I had one of the best hot chocolate here. It was so yummy.
We were walking for hours and hours. Exploring the village and then for dinner we went to Pasha café while enjoying Turkish live music we had delicious veg noodles and desserts.
Day 7 (24th June) half-day in Cappadocia
Today was our last day in Cappadocia, and evening we had to leave for our next destination, and we planned to explore and go Red rose Valley by ourselves.
Important note: pls visit crazy Ali panorama café at the red rose call for sunset.. They have the best view with cute seating setup
With this, we bid goodbye to Cappadocia and boarded an overnight bus from Cappadocia to Pamukkale with a promise to come back again.
We were craving some Indian food and decided to go to a Restaurant named Namaste India. The food was delicious.
Travelling Details: we booked our bus through the Metro Turizum
Timing: 7:55 pm from Göreme, and we reached Denzil by 6:30 am
I will suggest you go with the metro Turizum , the journey was very comfortable, and we reached on time.
Cost: 110 lira per person (1418 RS)
Day 8 (25th June)
After a long night's journey, which we did after ages, we were in our hotel.
We loved our stay at Melrose house at Pamukkale you will find the homely atmosphere here, the family who runs it is super friendly, they gave us early check-in since we reached the hotel by 8 am
We enjoyed an excellent variety of breakfast.
We freshened up and went to travesties.
Hotel: we stayed at Melrose house hotel highly recommend
I still remember when I saw the video of this song "kaise bataye kyu tujh Ko chaye from movie Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani" which was shot here and I instantly fell in love, It's the Travertines that gave Turkey's famous thermal pools their name: Pamukkale, or "cotton castle."
It's hard to describe the feeling one gets when seeing the thermal pools filled with blue, milky waters, Pamukkale's thermal pools and Travertines are surely a bizarre sight. the minute we reached here we just wanted to jump in this pools.
Pamukkale is also the site of the ancient holy city – Hierapolis.
The access to both the Travertines and Hierapolis is through the same gate, and the ticket price includes both.
We were so into this pools, that by the time we realized that we still need to see Hierapolis, it was closed.
We reached there by 4 pm, and we were there until 8 pm till sunset.
Important notes:
- There is too much walking to do, so be prepared and come fresh so you can enjoy.
It can get sunny there so be prepared and keep yourself hydrated
- carry bathing suit if you wish to swim in the mineral-rich thermal pool
- Wear sandals or slippers that you can remove and carry easily, as You need to remove your shoes while walking on the Travertines
Get your own water bottle so you can refill here
Entry Cost to Travertines and Hierapolis: 50 TL per person
Pamukkale: only the Traventies are worth visiting unless you plan to see places around as we did.
After the long walk and sunset bath at Travertines, we had our dinner at Mehmet's heaven, we had a vegetarian pizza which was so tasty. Highly recommend having your dinner or lunch here.
Address: Mehnat's Heaven
Atatturk caddesi, Pamukkale Turkey
Day 9 (26th June)
Usually, people come to Pamukkale only for Travertines, but we planned to stay here for 2 days, so we rented a private car, and we explored places near Denzil
So our itinerary for the day was:
1) The ancient city of Laodicea
2) Denizli Teleferik
3) Aphrodisiac museum
4) Lake Salda
1st: The ancient city of Laodicea
Laodicea is undoubtedly off the tourist map
A must-visit site for those interested in history. The best part of this gorgeous place is that it is NOT CROWDED at all, so I was able to take some fantastic pictures without anyone photobombing you.
2nd stop to Denizli Teleferik
A whole different experience, the views are great worth at least once while you are in Denizli. From the top of the mountain, you can enjoy a beautiful scenario of the city, and it's a lovely place to take photos
There is also a picnic spot from the top to which you can walk or take a free shuttle bus.
Important note: you can carry some food and enjoy your meal while having a little picnic at the top
Cost: 6 lira return per person cable ride
3rd stop: Aphrodisiac museum
Aphrodisias is an honestly terrific site. Although It's not popular like Ephesus, etc., the whole area is quite breathtaking.
If you are a person who likes going to historical, ancient places, this is a MUST.
Beautiful and very impressive.
Cost: Entry cost 20 lira per person
4th and the highlight of the day was Lake Salda, Since I am more of a beach person then historical I was super super excited to get here
It's called the Maldives of Turkey
The lake is not close to well-known tourist areas, and if you wish to visit that place, you have to go there mainly as we did.
The sand of this lake is white & the water in various shades from turquoise to dark blue. We managed to catch the sunset while we were at the lake. And the feeling was just wow.
With this, we ended our long, long day trip.
Next morning, we were flying back to Istanbul from Denizli airport
Day 10 & 11 in Istanbul
And with that, we were back in Istanbul. during the 2nd time we choose to stay at Hammamhan the l location is excellent, amicable staff & tasty breakfast.
The hotel is within walking distance to Taksim Square.
This time we didn't do any touristy thing; instead, we decide to enjoy our last two days spending time at Istiklal street doing Lot of shopping and exploring cafes around.
Day 12: Time to go back home with unforgettable memories.
Few points to note before you plan your trip to Turkey.
There is a lot that we have, and there is to be explored in Istanbul and around. (Even two days were not enough for Istiklal street, we missed princess Island and other beautiful locations around Istanbul)
You can spend more than two days at Cappadocia, it has good vibes it's tourist Friday, many shops and cafes to explore and each touristy site has a different feel in the morning, evening and afternoon. You get a glance at Turkish history via guided tours and also can explore the underground city.
Turkey Offers everything - beaches, history, mountains, lakes, and friendly ppl, and culture.
All I want to say it Turkey, I want to keep coming back to you!! Görüsürüz Turkey (see you Turkey)