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Turkey Trip/Itinerary/Guides

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Hello,

What is being a tourist in Istanbul like now? Are things open (restaurants/sites)? Curfews?

Also, here is a preliminary itinerary for the non-Istanbul part of my trip.
day 1) Antalya
day 2) Antalya
day 3) Antalya
day 4) Kusadasi
day 5) Kusadasi
day 6) Kusadasi
day 7) Pamukkale
day 8) Cappadocia
day 9) Cappadocia
day 10) Cappadocia
day 11) Cappadocia

I am particularly curious as to good day trips from Antalya. Nature, ruins, cute villages are high on my priority list.

Also, can anyone recommend guides that can meet you at sites in some of these places?

Are guides at these sites already (like Ephesus, Miletus, Dydima, Aphrodidias, Pergamon, sites in Cappadocia)?
Any hotel recommendations?

Thank you.

Best wishes,

Justin

Posted by
17918 posts

First, check out the State Department website to see ifwhat info they have..
 https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/COVID-19-Country-Specific-Information.html 
While not the final authority, it’s a good place to start.

Then take a look at the Turkish Tourism Board website. 

Finally, Google around for some Turkish tour guides ( I find them on LinkedIn) and ask them for first hand information.

Posted by
183 posts

When are you thinking of going to Turkey? At the moment Saturdays and Sundays are mandatory stay home days for locals. Only quick trips to a walkable grocery store allowed. I’m not sure if tourists have to abide by that.
If you want a fantastic tour guide, look up Metin Koca in Trip Advisor. Type in “Tour Guide Metin Koca”. He has excellent reviews. I am a frequent traveler to Turkey and when friends come with me we hire Metin to take us around. He will tell you everything about each place in perfect English. His sense of humor is awesome too.

Posted by
183 posts

If you stay in Kusadasi, you can take day tours to the sights you mentioned except Cappadocia (too far from Kusadasi for a day trip). If you ask Metin Koca to arrange these day trips, he will do an amazing job of arranging local tour guides for each sight. He arranged exactly the same itinerary for me and friends. It was the best week of day trips! Metin also booked our hotels in Kusadasi and Cappadocia. We were very happy.

Posted by
183 posts

One more thing, you only need three full days in Cappadocia. You could easily fill 5 full days with Ephesus, Didima, Pergamon, Miletus, Aphrodidias.
.

Posted by
11156 posts

We loved visiting the ancient sites above and near Antalya-Make sure you visit Perge, Aspendos, and Termessos. There is so much Ancient Greek history in Turkey.
From Kusadasi you can travel north to Pergamon too. We stayed in Izmir , a good central area for exploring Ephesus and Pergamon.

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