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Need guidance for 2 days from Izmir to Istanbul. To Troy or not?

Posted by (Florida-USA) on

Our group tour ends in Izmir and have 2 whole days (May 26 & 27) before flying out of Istanbul on May 28 early morning. We were considering taking a bus to Canakkale, spend 1/2 day in Troy, overnight in Canakkale and another bus to Istanbul arriving evening of May 27. Alternately, we could spend a day around Izmir (Not Izmir itself, as that is part of the guided tour) and fly to istanbul.

On one hand, we have seen negative comments about Troy ruins in this forum. On the other hand, this is our one and only trip to Turkey. Please help us make up our mind!

In case we do Troy, any recommendations about a travel agency that can help plan these 2 days beginning from Izmir and end at our hotel at istanbul airport. (we fly out of Istanbul on the May 28th morning)? We are two senior citizens and are viewing this trepidation.: bus travel, taxis, tour guide, etc.

Posted by
11902 posts

Troy is not much if any of a site. We wished we hadn’t bothered going there.Spend your time in Istanbul and a shorter amount of time in Izmir.

Posted by
5 posts

Thank you @suki for quick reply. We will spend 5 whole days in Istanbul at the beginning of our trip, so would prefer to spend extra 1-1/2 day in Izmir (If Troy is definitely a no-no). What would you recommend around Izmir? Thanks in advance.

Posted by
833 posts

You need a very good guide to make Troy come to life. I would not have been able to make much sense of the rubble had it not been for an excellent guide.

It's up to you. Personally, I would spend an extra day in either Izmir or Istanbul. On the other hand, Troy is as legendary as place as ever existed. If Homer and the Iliad are your thing and you want to stand in the footsteps of Priam and Paris, then there's a lot to be said for going. Just don't expect to see a lot.

Posted by
28 posts

If you don’t want to do Troy , Chek this 2 ancient sites ; Sardis,located east of Izmir. Pergamon ; at north of Izmir.

Posted by
5 posts

Thank you, Marie! Could you please share the contact details of your excellent guide?

Posted by
5 posts

Thank you, @Traveler-Hakan. We will definitely check out these two alternatives to Troy.

Posted by
833 posts

@vijay. Unfortunately, our guide had to move to the US shortly after the 2016 coup attempt.

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