Istanbul & Cappadocia Advice

[TheMagnificentStanley]

Hi,
Have booked a bit of a last minute trip to the above. End of October.
Any recommendations for accommodation or must do's. 2 adults going.
Head full of other stuff right now and hoping will be a good break.
Thank you

Is it just those 2, or are you stopping along the way ?
I've recently returned from a tour that went from I. to C. & took 12 days, and was over 2,000k

@oncemoreuntothebeachdearfriends 11 days, half in Istanbul and half in Cappadocia, internal flight between. We may regret not making more of the journey but last minute and both just really tired and wanting to run away for a bit and see beautiful things

In Istanbul definitely do some walking tours. Topkapi Palace is fabulous.

I got back not long ago from Istanbul. Highly recommend Catch or Kalyon, or Radisson Sultahnamet or Seven Hills & Spa as they are right on the sea front and also very close for walks to the Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia. I occasionally work in Istanbul so have stayed at all of these and also the Movenpick and one or two other hotels in another part.

My favourite is the Seven Hills & Spa. Lovely terrace, pool, kind staff, clean & the food was good. Breakfast was amazing. They can help you with tour guides. The underground cisterns are fabulous but expensive (unless you are Turkish then it’s free entry). You will see many beautiful things and with a hotel near the seafront can have many restful and restorative walks. There are also various boat trips and cruises there.

I’ve been to Cappadocia several times but I can’t remember where I stayed, sorry! Maybe a chain like Radisson, but I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad trip to Turkey.

Thank you @Istanhelp & @Thehorticulturalhussie .

Hot air ballooning in Cappadocia is a must do! It’s an early start but that landscape from the air is magical

We stayed in the cave hotel in Cappadocia. I was young and remember feeling scared to go to the bathroom at night because it was creepy. But I think as an adult it would have been super cool! We also did the hot air balloon at dawn. That was lots of fun!

We stayed at Cappadocia Cave Suites, it was nice. We also did the hot air balloon, that's an absolute must do I think!

We went last month. Had 4 nights in the Ramada Wyndham in Pera which was dreadful. Then flew to Cappadocia for 2 nights and stayed at The Luna Cave hotel which was lovely. We only booked our balloon trip the day before and paid £110pp which we thought was cheap compared to GetYourGuide.
We then had to go back to the Ramada for 2 nights. The only redeeming feature of that hotel was the staff were lovely and we left our luggage there and only took backpacks to Cappadocia.

In Istanbul definitely go on a boat trip on the Bosphorus. Also highly recommend the Blue Mosque and Sulrymaniye Mosque with a guide.

Istanbul…use the trams. Remember to dress appropriately and take something to cover your head if you are going inside mosques. There are many, many beautiful, huge Mosques.

Try San Sebastián Cheesecake, it’s delicious.
Don’t just go to the Grand Bazaar, go on the rooftop walkway above it for an amazing walk above the city. Go to the Spice Bazaar. Buy saffron there.

In Cappadocia go on a red or green tour, takes all day and you’ll get lunch thrown in.
Cappadocia is a cultural region not a town. If you are staying in Goreme walk the 15mins to the pony trekking place for the amazing Turkish Breakfast. Divine!

Just did the same last month. Had a great time. We stayed in sultanahmet which was handy for the sights but pricy and mixed to eat out and very small rooms and very quiet at night. In retrospect the suggestions above would have been better. Staying in The public transport is very good and easy. We’d have saved a bit getting and Istanbul card…covers most but not all sights. Museums are expensive. Staying in Beyoğlu or around would be my choice next time.

(avoid anywhere to eat that is trying to drag you in)

do the balloon tour but chose a good operator and book early in your stay in cappadoce as they get cancelled and moved to next day. Getting up early to watch them take off is grea5 too. We stayed in Uchisar which is much quieter than Goreme but yo( can access same trips. Goreme is busier and more going on. But both fine. We liked uchisar.

the Göreme open village is great. We got a taxi out just as it opened to skip the crowds. Uber is easy.

I would ask ChatGPT to write you an itinerary then see what you want to take out and add in. I am the one who has done all the mental load of planning trips for years. This year I’ve used ChatGPT and it’s been a huge weight off my shoulder and saved so much time. I still look into things but it’s a great starting place.

Istanbul had really serious floods this week so there may be some disruption still - but I imagine they'll clear the main tourist areas quickly.

The public ferry up the Bosphorus is a very chilled thing to do and quite cheap - they drop you off for lunch and pick you up 2 hours later - you can do a tour instead but the ferry is great. https://www.istanbul-trip.com/guides/bosphorus-by-public-ferry/ You can just buy a ticket at the terminal.

The Dolmabahçe Palace is incredible - so blingy! A hamman is a great experience.

I loved the Topkapi palace but get there early, in fact get everywhwere early. We went to the Blue Mosque just as it opened and just walked in - went back later in the day and the queue was round the block so we didn't bother going in again.

Take a scarf to cover your hair for mosques.

There's a bit of hassle round the blue mosque - people asking where you are from to hook you into a carpet shop experience - but either politely say no or just ignore.