I would like opinions on what travel method to do. I know plane is fast, and maybe easier, and train is overnight, no paying hotel, plus is seems kida fun for someone who has traveled alot, even on trains, but never overnight. Ay opinions?
Posted by
Seattle, USA
990 posts
The best overnight train experience in Turkey, in my opinion, is the express train between Ankara and Istanbul. You would need to go by bus from Nevsehir to Ankara (and probably by minibus or dolmus between Goreme or Urgup in Cappadocia to Nevsehir, where the main bus station is). The train leaves every night and gets into Istanbul just in time for you to mingle with the morning commuters making there way from Asia to Europe in Istanbul.
Posted by
OP
Brentwood, ca, USA
115 posts
JER,
Your the best, can always count on you for a good quick answer. Night train it is. How far in advance should you make reservations? We're going in high peak season, in Aug. And do you think we should have car during out time in Cappadocia which will be at least 3 nights maybe one more if I can squeeze it in.
Thanks
Posted by
Seattle, USA
990 posts
You can make a reservation for a sleeping car (yatakli vagon) online if your Turkish is good enough, or at a travel agent if it isn't. There are good travel agencies in Istanbul that you can access online and who can do this for you. I suspect a quick Googling will come up with them. We've done the overnight train twice, but both were in the springtime, so I would definitely plan this one at least a couple of weeks in advance for August.
A car in Cappadocia seems like a better idea than it turns out to be. Distances between the hiking places, open air museums, and underground cities are fairly great, which suggests having a car would be good. But maps of all the little roads around Cappadocia are, to the best of my knowledge, non-existent. We almost never take organized tours, but in Cappadocia, we did, and were glad of it. Your hotel can probably recommend a good agency that can arrange daily small group excursions.