I would like someone to give me some thoughts on: 1. Possible day trips out of Istanbul as a base. 2. Locations where I might be able to see the whilrling Dervishes without spding a fortune.
3. Surviving as a vegetarian (no meat, fish chicken etc.) Thank you.
Posted by
Redlands, Ca, USA
358 posts
We have been in Istanbul since friday and both my wife and I are vegeterian. Most restaurants have 5-6 items that are vegeterian. We are on a RS tour of Istanbul and the welcome dinner at a local restaurant was very good. You will have no problem is this city. The turkish pizza's are better than the pizza in the USA.
Posted by
California
15 posts
You can do a day trip to Ephesus if you leave first thing in the morning. Fly using Sun Express (a discount airline) to Izmir (about an hour flight), and catch a train to Selcuk, the town right next to Ephesus (just under an hour ride). The train station is in the airport. Once you get to Selcuk, you can take a cab or minibus shuttle to Ephesus (10-15 minute trip). If I remember correctly, Sun Express' prices vary depending on day/time of travel. I think my tix were about $60/person, and the train fare was less than $10.
Posted by
Tampa, FL, USA
417 posts
The Princes Islands are a nice day trip with frequent boats from Istanbul, though less frequent depending on the time of year you plan on travelling. This page has a pretty good write up: http://wikitravel.org/en/Istanbul/Princes%E2%80%99_Islands Edirne is about 2 hours by bus and has many historic sights and was capital of the ottoman Empire before the Turks captured Constantinople. Closer to the city, the boats that ply the Bosporus are fun and can take you to any number of small towns along the water. This is a relaxing and fun day trip. Of course, there are other alternatives that are farther afield, such as Ephesus, but in my opinion if a destination is more than three hours each way, that is too far for a day trip consideration- though this is purely my opinion and you are free to disagree!