I would like to get from:
We will be arriving August 21st and leaving August 31st....
This is a 2 part question:
1. Is it worthwhile to go to Ankara? (I can go but time will be tight and I will only have 1 day)
2. We can rent a car with a private tour guide or travel part with train or fly.... thoughts?
Thank you!
Michelle
You are brave wanting to drive in Istanbul and Ankara. You can fly (not to all of your destinations) or go by bus. By train only between Istanbul and Ankara. In August? If you are not used to heat you will suffer. Is it worthwhile to go to Ankara? it's individual. Somebody says yes, somebody no.
Flying in Turkey is relatively cheap so I would go with Pegasus/Turkish Air/AtlasJet and fly to your destination.
I went to Ankara for only one day, flying in and out, and had a very good day. I was only there to see a few things, and since it was a highly targeted day, it worked well.
Do look into flights - they're inexpensive, and domestic flights in Turkey are "old fashioned" in a good way. There's a bit of legroom, the flight attendants are pleasant, and even though the flights are short, we had a free choice of sandwich or cake on all of them.
I found the Turkey Travel Planner website very helpful: https://turkeytravelplanner.com/
I don't think you could fit Ankara in this 10 day trip.
Are you planning to spend any time in Istanbul? If this is your first trip, you'll want to spend at least 2-3 days there.
Now fly to Kayseri or Nevsehir, and then make your way to Urgup. Spend 2-3 nights there. I assume you're planning to take the hot air balloon ride and do some exploring? Instead of Urgup, we stayed Goreme, in the Kelebek Cave Hotel, and really enjoyed it. It has a lovely pool, which you will want this time of year. They offer an airport transfer for 10 euros per person from either Kayseri or Nevsehir.
Next, take a bus to Konya, and spend one night there. Fly from Konya to Izmir and spend one night.
That leaves 2-3 nights for the Seven Churches, and I think you'll need to find a tour or a private tour guide in order to see everything in this time frame. I found a tour, although I have not taken it and cannot vouch for it -- but it shows the general itinerary and what's possible. With research I'm sure you could find others. This one starts and ends in Izmir and includes an overnight in Pamukkale.
This would be a very ambitious trip but very interesting. Be prepared for extremely hot weather.
