We had a fantastic 10 day trip to Turkey seeing the highlights in Istanbul, Cappadocia and Ephesus/Sirince. We loved our guide in Istanbul, Volkan, and the sights were amazing; Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, the Cistern, and the Bosphorous cruise. The hotel in Old Town was excellent! Cappadocia lived up to the hype with the amazing hot air balloon ride, cave frescoes, and exploring the valleys. Staying in a cave hotel was a unique experience! Our guide Hattice was excellent with our son!...
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We had a fantastic 10 day trip to Turkey seeing the highlights in Istanbul, Cappadocia and Ephesus/Sirince. We loved our guide in Istanbul, Volkan, and the sights were amazing; Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, the Cistern, and the Bosphorous cruise. The hotel in Old Town was excellent! Cappadocia lived up to the hype with the amazing hot air balloon ride, cave frescoes, and exploring the valleys. Staying in a cave hotel was a unique experience! Our guide Hattice was excellent with our son! Ephesus was amazing and we enjoyed exploring the town of Sirince. The boutique hotel on the hillside over Sirince was so traditional and the restaurant was amazing. We enjoyed the cooking class we did with the chef!
Hotel Reviews
Hagia Sofia Mansions Istanbul, Curio Collection by Hilton
Fatih Istanbul
Absolutely beautiful, great location, fantastic breakfast
Very unique boutique hotel obviously built with love and run by excellent staff. The terrace house was beautiful, and the tower house 3 room was fine, a little small for 3 people. There was a lot of work being done around the property given that it was the off season. Restaurant was amazing and the cooking class was a lot of fun! The hotel is not meant for people who don't like cobblestones or stairs.
Such a unique experience, staff did an excellent job mitigating some cleanliness concerns in one of the rooms, rooms are dark but that is to be expected, hotel facilities are very nice (Turkish bath, terrace). Some minor flaws, nail in the wood on the bed sticking out, dogs were somewhat agressive coming in late at night, dirt from the cave ceiling falling down).
Cleanliness & Comfort
Cleanliness issues caused by the cave environment
Activity Reviews
Eminönü Heritage Tour: Explore the Historical Bazaars and Ottoman Architectural Sites of Istanbul
İstanbul
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Whirling Dervish Ceremony at Saruhan Caravansarai
Turkey
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Hattice was wonderful to keep Connor during the experience.
Avanos: Discovering the Ceramic Tradition and Light hiking in the Love Valley
Cappadocia
We enjoyed the Ceramics experience; amazing work and it was fun that Connor got to try it. We did not do the hiking in the Love Valley due to timing and physical constraints.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul
İstanbul
Excellent overview of Istanbul and you hit the high points of the Old Town!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Volkan was an excellent guide!
Istanbul Archaeological Museum Tour
İstanbul
Surprisingly good for kids.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Hot Air Balloon Tour at Sunrise
Cappadocia
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Sightseeing Around Uçhisar and Discovering the Cappadocian Valleys
Cappadocia
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Explore Sinasos: The Pearl of the East
Cappadocia
I didn't really find this worthwhile. We only visited the church and it didn't seem particularly special.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Kaymaklı Underground City
Cappadocia
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Private Boat Tour on the Bosphorus
İstanbul
Very interesting experience and the boat was great!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Discovering the Ihlara Valley and Light Hiking Along the Melendiz River
Cappadocia
Beautiful and great speed for my in-laws. The stop for pancakes along the river was fun.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Food Tour in Istanbul
İstanbul
Would recommend doing this earlier in the trip.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Explore the Ancient City of Ephesus
Turkey
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Visiting Göreme Open Air Museum (UNESCO World Heritage)
Cappadocia
Amazing - recommend including visiting the Dark Church in the price
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Wine Pairing Dinner at Revithia Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Very nice, only snafu was over who was paying for it, but it was worked out.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Visit to Ephesus Archaeological Museum + House of Virgin Mary
Turkey
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Berat Ornek