Travel from Istanbul

It would be helpful to know what you've already seen and where you will have already been in Turkey.

The Princes Islands are just a short ferry ride away - there are 5 of them and you can explore each by hopping on and off. They are totally relaxing and have no cars except horse and buggies and bikes. It was a wonderful trip for me. You can also take a longer ferry to Bursa, which is a sizeable city famous for its silk. You can easily spend a few days there as well.

By the time I complete this 2nd trip, I will have spent more than 10 days in Istanbul, been to Izmir, Kayseri, Cappadocia. I was thinking of somewhere outside of Turkey for a short trip. Have traveled much in Asia and western Europe. Not so much in this part of the world (been to western Greece & Athens)
Looking for a place a solo female would feel comfortable. I'd appreciate any advice.

Agnes, Were you traveling solo? Would it be an okay place to go alone? Are there options on the ferries? Do you recall which one you took? Thanks,
Sherry

Yes, I travelled solo for over 2 weeks. Absolutely, you will be just fine. The places I mentioned are much more mellow than Istanbul. The Princes Island ferries are easily spotted by the (I think) Eminonu terminal close to the Galata Bridge - the same area where you can find ferries for the Bosphorus. There is only one service that I know of and it is dirt cheap to go there (like $5 cheap or so, from what I recall - you just need to buy a token at the ferry station). They run all the time because a lot of locals go there. It was very easy and straightforward even though I understand very little Turkish. By the way, the Lonely Planet Turkey book was my lifesaver - great info on every conceivable area. Bursa ferry requires at least a transfer once you get off the ferry (or you can just take a bus too, that may be easier) and you should be prepared to spend the night there, whereas you can do the islands as a day trip. Ferry info is as follows.... http://wizardistanbul.com/other_towns_cities/how-to-get-from-istanbul-to-bursa/

Thank you, Agnes, I will look into this. It sounds perfect. After spending 10 days with a group, traveling alone to islands sounds perfect. If you think of anything else, please let me know. Thanks soo much! Sherry

Hi Sherry, you could also go on a full day bus trip to Pammukale (if you haven't been) but my votes are on Princes Islands and Bursa. With the former, just take a whole day and island hop a bit so you can see the differences among them. At least one is populated by Greeks and you can see that with the Greek orthodox churches. My favorite thing to do was taking an island tour on a horse and buggy (on Buyakada - the big island - I'm pretty sure) - there is no doubt in my mind that I was a bit "taken on a ride" on the price and that it made more sense to split the cost among multiple people - but hey, that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes and singletons have to pay a premium for their solitude. It was great fun and I wouldn't have done anything differently. It was such a relaxing pace after Istanbul. I wish I could have stayed overnight but I had an apartment in Istanbul, so it was just an easy day trip. http://www.wittistanbul.com/magazine/why-and-how-should-you-visit-the-princes-islands-in-istanbul/
http://www.wittistanbul.com/magazine/is-buyukada-the-only-princes-island-of-istanbul-i-should-visit/