We are planning a cruise from Budapest to Istanbul next summer. We also are planning on adding on a side trip to Jordan to Petra. We thought since we were already there, to add on another side trip to Cappadocia.
What is the recommended mode of transportation to Cappadocia? We will be traveling with our 82 year old mother. Any special issues this might have? And how many days to stay there?
Thanks
It has been a while since I looked into this, but to get you started: It is a good distance from Istanbul to Cappadocia. The diehards method was a looong bus trip, now the option seems to be flying budget airlines most of the way, then bus or hired car to get around the area.
For time, I would plan on most of a day of travel to get there, two days to see the area, then a day to return to either Istanbul or Ankara (4 days, 3 nights).
To go on to Jordan will likely mean an International flight from Ankara or Istanbul.
you definitely want to fly from IST to ankara then bus. direct bus route takes a long time can be exhausting for old folks.
We are going to Turkey in November and want to make this trip side trip also. Do you buy your flight tickets when you get to Turkey or can you do it from the US? Does anyone have suggestions on which local airlines are the best? Thanks for your helpl.
We thought that 3-4 days in Cappadocia was a good amount of time. For us, the best way between Cappadocia and Istanbul was a flight on Turkish Airlines to Nevsehir Airport. We were able to take a shuttle bus (arranged by our hotel) to get to and from the airport. We found that hiring a driver was a perfect way to see all that there is to see in Cappadocia. It was $80. per day and we hired the driver for 2 days. Money well spent! Our hotel suggested the driver. Your trip sounds great!
Andrew - we purchased our tickets on the Turkish Airlines website in advance. The tickets weren't very expensive. There are probably other airlines that fly that route as well. One way to check airline options is a www.whichbudget.com. In addition to Nevsehir Airport there is another small airport - Kayseri Airport. You can get good info about travel in Turkey at www.turkeytravelplanner.com.
I was on a trip to Istanbul in April and could not return home as scheduled due to the ash. Several of us (6) went to Cappadocia and we essentially did the two days of the RS Tour for that area, including the hotel. We arrived about 10am and toured the entire day arriving at our hotel around 4 or 5pm. We enjoyed dinner at the hotel as well as a nice Mediterranean breakfast. One member of our group got an early start and went up in a hot air balloon. What a way to start the day! We did hiking around our village on the second day and had lunch at the hotel (cookout) before loading our baggage and leaving for an afternoon of more sights. We had a nice light dinner before our flight back to IST about 8:30pm. I think the airport we used was Kayseri and it was a very carefree experience. I would say the area is a bit rough for an 82 year old person unless they are hale and hardy. Many of the sights involve climbing, stooping and at times almost crawling through the caves. The hotel where we stayed would not be a good choice as it involved walking up some very tricky stairs. I am sure other hotel options are available. I can provide the name of the agency that arranged our tour if you are interested. It was very well done, meals, transportation and entrance fees were provided in the tour and we were met at the airport by a driver and guide. I don't think I would want to spend more than 2 or at the most 3 days there.
