Istanbul, Turkey

[mameejhy]

Was it hard to get a visa? They require "proof of subsistence" - should it be 3mos, 6mos etc worth of bank statement?

Will it be better to do DYI tours rather than avail of the packaged tours?

[**My Sweet November**]

^^mameejhy if you want to visit Turkey, I have a friend (work colleague during 15th Asian Games) who arranges Turkey trip. If you like I'll introduce you to her 

[mameejhy]

^Arranges meaning nag wowork sya sa agency? May itinerary na kami (OC lang talaga ) ang worry ko visa pero fingers-crossed. Iniisip ko kasi yun sa proof of income, kailangan ba ilan month na bank statement saka kailangan ba proof of properties sa Pinas? Kasi baka mapansin ilan araw lang nagtatagal yun pera sa (Qatar) bank account... lol

[shegie_285]

Happy to see this thread although my hubby and I are not going to Istanbul, we're going to Kusadasi in May for our sun-holiday. We live in Dublin and Kusadasi is a popular holiday destination among Irish people. We're going to see Ephesus too.

We'll be there for 6 full days, excited to eat Turkish food. any recommendation?

Gusto ko sana pumunta sa Istanbul to cross the asia/europe bridge but we decided we'll leave it for next time.

A little bit hassle lang sa visa dahil walang information sa website with regard to process. I rang them but they told me to email so waiting for reply.
In your experience, mabilis ba magprocess ng visa? anxious to get one, we have paid na non-refundable deposit.

Thanks!

[little_princess]

sis she, don't forget to go to Cappadocia if you have time! Been to Ephesus and it's really nice and big, parang walang wala yung Greek ruin for me after seeing this.

are you flying direct to Kudasasi? Kasi from Manila, we flew in to Istanbul kaya we did the river cruise and crossed from Asia to Europe

Turkish food, if you like Middle Eastern like fare, you will like it there. Unfortunately for me, I don't so I lost weight hahaha

[shegie_285]

hi sis kim, we are flying to Izmir and then I think there's an hour land travel to Kusadasi.  We hope to do that river cruise someday.

I checked nga Cappadocia after reading this thread, kaya lang ang layo pala. It has very good reviews though... We'll check pa, gusto kase namin sana relaxing holiday rather than trying to see a lot places. First time namin magpackage sun holiday together. That's good to hear about Ephesus dahil gusto din namin may something kaming makita dahil baka ma-bore kami sa beach.

I like shawarma.. hehe.. only tried Turkish food ones, sa Malta. Okay naman so hopefully magustuhan ko dun.

[vanity fair]

I'm planning to go to Turkey.  Is it better to just get a package tour (all inclusive, hotel, tours, meals, etc...) or just DIY?  Is it easy to go around on your own? 

[little_princess]

we did package tour, our tour guide was really nice and had strict instructions sa amin not to venture out on our own at night. i guess they say that with good reason.

[mooncake and leaves]

how about DIY trips? we might go next year. plan is to hit istanbul first them pamukkale, then antalya. madali lang ba?

[mameejhy]

Hello sa inyo! We are now starting on our documents for the visa application...

Questions:
1. Tickets - should we purchase tickets now or should we just have a "reservation"?
2. Hotel - should we book this now or just "reserve?" Can we reserve through sites like booking.com or should we resreve directly from the hotel?


Thanks!

[shegie_285]

^ sis sa flights reservation is okay. For hotel not sure dahil booked na ako lahat before I applied for the visa. Check the website naka-specify naman ang requirements. Okay lang mag-book sa mga sites like booking.com.

^^ Turkey is big and places are far from each other so I suggest getting a tour. Plus they are not very good/do not speak English so mahirap magtanung-tanong.

Sis  vanity fair -are you just staying in one place in Turkey or going to other parts of Turkey? If one place lang I think it's okay na not all inclusive hotel and DIY. We stayed in Kusadasi, ang mga malapit na lugar kaya DIY. pupunta sana kami pamukkale, dahil malayo we thought joining a tour was easier. We didn't go at the end dahil sa layo.

[mooncake and leaves]

^^ yeah naisip ko din yun. prob is, i'm going with a friend who'd rather DIY. thanks anyway

[wifey]

When in Turkey, don't miss Cappadocia....amazed kame ng hubby ko and friend sa place. Been there during summer and winter...enchanting on both seasons Being a Christian, it moved me how the early Christians survived the cave living in Cappadocia hiding from Roman persecutors. A very unforgettable experience!



Visa application doesn't require paid flights and hotel, booking lang ok na

[diyosa]

we spent about 7-8 days in turkey and went to the following places -
Istanbul
Cannakale
Kusadasi + Pamukkale
Cappadocia
Ankara

Cappadocia is my favorite especially if you are doing the hot air balloon ride plus the ruins of Kusadasi are really pretty.

Sis how did you manage to squeeze all these places in 8 days of travel? Please share. I'm planning to do the same thing. Ok lang kahit paguran. hehe.

[mameejhy]

When in Turkey, don't miss Cappadocia....amazed kame ng hubby ko and friend sa place. Been there during summer and winter...enchanting on both seasons Being a Christian, it moved me how the early Christians survived the cave living in Cappadocia hiding from Roman persecutors. A very unforgettable experience!

Do you recommend it to kids 3-8yrs old?

[simplykristine08]

Isa to sa mga places na gusto kong makita. Ang mura ng packages ng Istanbul tour dito, for 3 days. sana makapunta ako dito next year

[MrsKolca]

My family visited Turkey again last year in summer. We went on a road trip from Istanbul to Edremit, Edremit  to Izmir, Izmir to Kusadasi and back. Maraming museums and landmarks to explore. Our tour to Ephesus was really nice and unforgettable. The only thing I didn't like is the beach travel. Overrated ang beaches nila at ang mamahal ng hotel samantalang wala namang panama ang beaches nila compared with Philippine beaches. Hehe.

We will back to Turkey anytime soon to visit my in-laws. Hopefully, makapunta na ako sa Cappadocia. I heard it is really nice.

[mameejhy]

Ok na, visa received after 2 days!

Para sa mga nakapunta na sa Turkey - enough o more than enough na ba ang 10days for Istanbul alone? We plan to go to Princes Island also. We'll be in Istanbul on July 23 - Aug 2, 2014.

Hindi naman ako masyadong excited!

[wifey]

Do you recommend it to kids 3-8yrs old?

Sensya sis late reply, in my opinion hindi comfortable for kids coz the road there is uphill and uneven tapos puro lakad yung tours sa mga caves etc...

[wifey]

Ok na, visa received after 2 days!

Para sa mga nakapunta na sa Turkey - enough o more than enough na ba ang 10days for Istanbul alone? We plan to go to Princes Island also. We'll be in Istanbul on July 23 - Aug 2, 2014.

Hindi naman ako masyadong excited!

For Istanbul alone, 10days is enough. Try nyo magpa-hamam/turkish bath