A truly wonderful trip, Turkey is a fascinating and truly complete country; every 2 days you visit spectacular and completely different places, the value for money is still very convenient, especially when you move away from Istanbul. Turkey extends over an enormous territory and even the classic tour involves considerable distances: for this reason we opted for air transfers and car rental to visit each individual region, such as Cappadocia and Pamukkale, also because with Pegasus the journeys are decidedly cheap and allow you to avoid costly one-way supplements, which increase in proportion to the distance between places. The convenient ferry between Bodrum and Kos allows you to extend the tour with a pleasant seaside stay in a place that is interesting anyway and with decidedly affordable hotel facilities.
Moreover the island is connected to Malpensa by Easyjet, with a low flight cost if you book well in advance.
My guide and travel diary on Turkey:
Day 116 Jun 2012
Thanks to getting up early we have the whole afternoon available and we throw ourselves into the engaging rhythm of Istanbul, one of the most fascinating cities in the world, a surprising fusion of East and West. We start from the nearby and gigantic New Mosque, located right in front of the Golden Horn. We sit among the external steps of the mosque where we enjoy a takeaway kebab in the company of local people, savoring the fresh air blowing from the Bosphorus that gives us a splendid clear day and a warm but very pleasant temperature, with a wonderful view that extends over the whole Taksim district and the Golden Horn, with its comings and goings of boats. We cross the spice bazaar (Egyptian) and visit the semi-hidden Rustem Mosque, then go up to the splendid Suleymaniye Mosque: sumptuous exterior and refined interiors.
We go back down toward the center and cross the Grand Bazaar: it may well be a tourist trap but the place remains truly fascinating, an endless labyrinth of alleys and shops with an almost surreal atmosphere.
Cappadocia
Day 217 Jun 2012
After a super-delicious breakfast at the Yasmak Sultan, we reach the nearby Hagia Sophia, without a doubt the monument that impressed me most in the city. When we arrive the line is minimal, in any case we go straight in thanks to our prepaid online ticket (lire 25)
We go to the nearby Basilica Cistern (lire 10), another place of great charm with its 336 columns that seem to float on the water. You certainly can't say that admissions in Istanbul are cheap, and moreover they are constantly rising year after year!
We end the morning at the Blue Mosque and surroundings: here for the first time I find a annoying crowd of tourists, you can barely grasp the beauty of the mosque, with the thousands of blue tiles decorating the walls and ceilings.
Another splendid day from a climatic point of view in Istanbul, clear sky and wind, an ideal day to set off to discover another city marvel: the Topkapi palace. We arrive early at the entrance and there's already a fair line, which we skip since we always have our prepaid tickets (lire 25 + 15 for the harem). For those traveling with children, I note that up to 12 years of age all admissions are free, although not specified anywhere (official sites, lonely planet, etc).
In the afternoon we reach Eminonu from where the boats for the Bosphorus cruises depart: we opt for a short panoramic tour that goes as far as the Europe Fortress (Sehir hatlari company - 2 hours - 10 lire). The tour offers beautiful views of the Asian side, the city bridges and the main attractions of the strait.
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