11 days in Istanbul and Cappadocia
Turkey
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Oct 12 - Oct 22, 2023
Our trip to Turkey was the first time we used KimKim and we were not disappointed by this experience.
Our contact was Berat and she was very helpful both during planning stage of our trip, as well as during the time we were traveling in Turkey, when she was always on top of communicating details of all our transfers and changes in itinerary. All logistics was taken care of and everything went very smoothly.
In Istanbul our guide Erdem was very friendly and knowledgeable, he was very attentive to our interests and was able to navigate through crowded places in the most efficient way. Despite the crowds in some most touristy sites he made it possible for us to visit all of them. He gave us many good suggestions for our last "free" day in Istanbul and recommended some wonderful restaurants to eat which we will never found on our own.
Irfan, our guide in Cappadocia, was also knowledgeable and gave us a lot of information. We realized that our planned itinerary included less hikes than we hoped to have in Cappadocia, so we asked to add visit and hike in Ihlara valley to our itinerary. This was done after coordination with Berat and that experience was one of the best in our trip.
Hotel Reviews
Recital hotel is conveniently located in the center of the historical part of Istanbul. Room was somewhat dated, but had very nice view from the balcony. There is also a rooftop terrace with nice view but no service there. There were big groups staying in the hotel and it was rather noisy in the evening. Good breakfast. Friendly staff.
We really liked this small hotel. It has the best location in Uchishar and a lot of character. Wonderful breakfast and very friendly and helpful staff. Room was rather small, but there are many nice seating areas available in the hotel.
Activity Reviews
![Eminönü Heritage Tour: Explore the Historical Bazaars and Ottoman Architectural Sites of Istanbul](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/2bad7b18913960118b490504f699cdfb7f787b86/medium-66de2d5bf37d7adb02b737c7bc7fd553.jpg)
It was interesting to see this busy place.
![Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/e601ce7ccdd5f6bb41c40e6f4e96dbadc1965681/medium-33f130662397a77d96dab6139feb8348.jpg)
It was great to explore these amazing sites with our guide Erdem. He made it possible to see all the major places despite the crowds, he gave us a lot of historical facts and stories.
![Explore the historical + modern hub: Pera, Karaköy and Beyond](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/c4415a6af1813781a12fbf06ee55c6a6f9bc88d3/medium-ab90422326706ba5c1df309825cfaa0b.jpg)
Unfortunately several places we were supposed to visit were closed for different reasons. The views from Galata tour were worth standing in line.
![Crossing between Continents: Explore Kadıköy and Moda](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/2255c2af7527f117444c182786e7e667f52304fb/original-cb18fd711d9bf6892734165818fe3008.jpg)
It was beautiful day and crossing on a ferry boat was enjoyable.
![Hot Air Balloon Tour at Sunrise](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/acaff3a5b245be465f19eef47a10a86fe72c9fcc/medium-8f722c2de4b33f26c929e5b64a953091.jpg)
This is an amazing experience. It was one of the reasons we wanted to go to Cappadoccia and it did not disappointed.
![Visiting Göreme Open Air Museum (UNESCO World Heritage)](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/9da8023cf188f2a715dea8073b9bfe8e9a92c241/medium-1ac6646a7834968cfdd825b9ab5b1746.jpg)
It is very crowded but our guide Irfun was able to navigate us around crowds, gave us a lot of hiostorical information but also time to explore.
![Sightseeing Around Uçhisar and Discovering the Cappadocian Valleys](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/8133df0e7bb021a2a23a496f3834fbcd4240d166/medium-81be531b1d8ef5b0e8dac56af9482d3f.jpg)
![Kaymaklı Underground City](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/8746b3762f5e0b4ab0dc0ae949e92d292794b8ff/medium-6f57f2f6778ec4b2d737cec418feb934.jpg)
![Soğanlı Valley](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/32066e5d8f462c9527f6cc14749531e0508f84df/original-ff604bc90813d490c7c803f43e084ac8.jpg)
![Berat](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/users/profile_photos/79b6d617b57c9e2beb2f3d86769486bc30cb6541/original-088f2715239816ad4569c52f504cb824.jpg)
Dear Natalya,
Thanks so much for your review - we deeply appreciate it! We are happy to hear you had a great trip in Turkey. We look forward to hosting you again soon.
All best regards on behalf of Trail Travel team,
Berat