Travel Turkey as a family with young children?

Perfectly safe. The Turks are extremely hospitable and friendly. It's a long haul by bus. If there's a train it will be more comfortable. Flying to Izmir and a bus the rest of the way would be even better, and the Turkish airlines aren't expensive when it comes to domestic flights. Check Turkish Air, Onur Air, Atlas Jet.

very safe but don't take bus or train from istanbul to ephesus. train is very slow and limited, and bus ride is very long. it's physically challenging for kids so you should just fly.

Turkey is one of the safest countries to travel to. Must more safe than the US. Edwin

Extremely safe! If I were you I would consider flying from Istanbul to Izmir, rent a car and drive to Selcuk (Ephesus). There are cheap cheap flights-especially if you book early. Plus if you rent a car you have so much more flexibility and ease- especially since you have 3 little ones. Renting a car was the best decision we made and well worth the extra cost. From there you can easily drive south and down the coast. Also consider, Pamukkale. It was incredible (one of my favourite destinations in Turkey) and I think the kids would get a huge kick out of it. There's nothing in the world like it! I just went last year and I was pretty impressed (thank goodness I ingnored the naysayers!). Another favourite was Patara beach and Kas. Absolutely breathtaking!

Your kids will love Turkey. Ours were a little older when we went last summer (16 and 18) and there were no issues whatsoever. Do fly to Izmir, but then consider renting a vehicle to give lots of flexibility. Stay at Hotel Bella in Selcuk (it was our favourite in a month of travel in Greece and Turkey) when you go see Ephesus. Consider driving down to the Mediterranean coast (Dalyan, Saklikent Gorge, Kas, seakayaking, Cirali) and fly directly to Athens rather than messing around with the Greek Ferries and trying to get to the islands.

We just took our 3 kids (11, 9 & 7) to Istanbul and Ephesus via Med cruise. We never felt threatened/unsafe at any time. However, we did feel harassed a bit at the Grand Bazaar. It is a 9 hour drive to Ephesus from Istanbul, so I would recommend flying if possible. I'd be happy to give you more information on places we visited, what the kids did and didn't like, etc if you're interested. We spent 2 days in Istanbul and one in Ephesus. We also spent a day in Athens.

I've been to Turkey twice ... absolutely love it ... and I can't wait to be able to afford to take my kids someday! Fly to Izmir. Unless your planning to really explore places on the way, you should fly. Spend the night near Ephesus and then get to Ephesus right when they open. The first hour is the best time there. No (or not as many) crowds. I've been there first thing 2 times. About an hour after it's open it looks like Disneyland. (Both time were in the summer. don't know what it's like other seasons)
Pay the extra fee to go into the Terraced Houses. Very cool to see the homes where the wealthiest Ephesians lived. Consider making your stay in Turkey longer and taking your kids to Cappadocia. They would love it! Underground cities, caves, interesting geology. Istanbul is fabulous too. Make sure to do the walking tour of the Grand Bazaar in Rick Steves Istanbul book. You'll see cool things that you'd never see without it! You'll love Turkey!