Hey everyone! Buhayin ko lang yung thread na 'to to share my experience in Turkey. Actually 1 month na since that trip kaso super busy so I never had the chance to share anything here. I hope this will help you plan your trip.
The most commonly asked question from people who are planning a trip to Turkey is this:
Is it Safe to Travel to Turkey? This is a legitimate question because of two years of political instability and well-publicized terrorist attacks in the country. My friends and family all thought that I was putting my life in danger by visiting Turkey. But is that really the case now?
While I postponed this trip for almost two years because of safety concerns, when I finally decided to go, I neither experienced problems nor felt unsafe at any time. Traveling in Turkey for almost two weeks from the cities to provinces was really an eye-opening experience for me. The only country that I haven't felt that I?m an outsider and even though I couldn't speak or understand their language, people were super kind and welcoming. I have no doubt I will make a return trip someday!
Our 11-day Itinerary:Day 0 - Manila to Abu Dhabi
Day 1 - Abu Dahbi to Istanbul then Istanbul to Izmir
Turkey would have been an affordable destination for us Filipinos if not for the expensive airfare from Manila to Istanbul. On our first day, I?ve only spent the following:
📌Domestic Flight (Istanbul to Izmir) - 86.43 TRY
📌Train (Izmir Airport to Selcuk) - 5.50 TRY
📌Selcuk Accommodation with free breakfast - 59 TRY (117 TRY good for 2-3 pax)
📌Food - 24.50 TRY
💰Total: 175.43 Turkish Lira (or 2,320.99 pesos)
Day 2 - Ephesus Whole Day Tour
We explored the ancient city of Ephesus on our second day in Turkey. In the late afternoon, we checked out from our hotel then travelled from Selcuk to Denizli by local train. No reservations required for this train, you just have to check the train schedule in the station and buy tickets there.
📌Taxi to Ephesus - 10 TRY
📌Water - 3 TRY
📌Ephesus Entrance Fee - 40 TRY
📌Lunch Mixed Kebab - 25 TRY
📌Train (Sel?uk to Denizli) - 17 TRY
📌Bus (Denizli to Pamukkale) - 4 TRY
📌Dinner - 29 TRY
📌Pamukkale Accomodation with free breakfast - 64.36 TRY (128.73 TRY good for 2-3 pax)
💰Total: 192.36 TRY (or 2,535 pesos)
Day 3 - Pamukkale Whole Day Tour
On day 3, we explored the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pamukkale (meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish) and Hierapolis, an ancient Roman spa city founded around 190 B.C. Our hotel,
Pamukkale Melrose Hotel, was located at the foot of the travertines so we never had problems exploring it on our own. In the late afternoon, we check out from the hotel and headed to Denizli Bus Terminal. We bought our overnight bus tickets then headed to Cappadocia at around 9 PM. No reservations required din for the overnight bus, just go to the station directly.
📌Pamukkale Hierapolis Entrance Fee - 35
📌Lunch - 33
📌Turkish Delight - 31.50 TRY
📌Water - 2 TRY
📌Bus (Pamukkale to Denizli) - 4 TRY
📌Sleeper Bus (Denizli to Cappadocia) - 70 TRY
📌Dinner - 22.50 TRY
💰Total: 198 TRY (or 2,611.80 pesos)
Day 4 - Cappdocia DIY Tour
My friend and I were so tired from the long journey from Pamukkale to Cappadocia that we chose to stay in and sleep right after checking in at Guven Cave Hotel. They allowed us to check in at 8 AM! Can you believe that?! Standard check in time there is at 11 AM. Since we woke up late, we were only able to visit the Love Valley and G?reme town proper, so as you can see we did not spend that much on this day.
📌 Goreme accommodation with free breakfast - 64.02 TRY
📌Water - 2.5 TRY
📌Lunch - 22 TRY
📌Tissue - 2 TRY
📌Dinner - 32 TRY
💰 Total: 122.52 TRY (or 1,613.88 pesos)
Day 5 - Cappadocia Green Tour
On day 5, we decided to join a small group tour of the Green Tour. The attractions on this tour are located far from each other so we cannot really DIY this. Thanks to
Gorgeous Travel for the amazing experience!
📍Derinkuyu Underground City - the biggest and deepest underground settelment so far
📍Selime Kathedral - the biggest rock-cut Monastry of the region
📍Ihlara Canyon - contains more than 100 churches and approximately 10,000 caves which are carved by early Christian Monks
📍Pigeon Valley in Uchisar town - one of the best panoramic view of the region. The site also features hundreds of pigeon houses which are built by the ancient inhabitants of the region.
📌 Goreme accommodation with free breakfast - 64.02 TRY
📌Green Tour - 170 TRY
📌Lunch - free
📌Dinner - 55 TRY
💰Total: 225 TRY (or 3,778 pesos)
Day 6 - Cappadocia DIY Tour
Day 6 was our last full day in Cappadocia so we decided to explore it on our own. In the morning, we went to the Sunset Point to witness the famed Cappadocia hot air balloons up in the air, which was definitely one of the highlights of this trip. After lunch, we went to Goreme Open Air Museum and explored it DIY. In the afternoon, we just ate and walked around town for some shopping. 🙂
📌 Goreme accommodation with free breakfast - 64.02 TRY
📌Ref Magnet - 20 TRY
📌Lunch - 26 18 5 49
📌G?reme Open air Museum Entrance Fee - 30 TRY
📌Dinner - 34 TRY
💰Total: 197.02 TRY (or 2,537.17 pesos)
Day 7 - Cappadocia to Istanbul
On day 7, we woke up at 2 AM to catch our early morning flight from Cappadocia's Kayseri Airport to Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport. We arrived in the city at around 9 AM and decided to explore the Old City of Istanbul or the Sultanahmet area. We were also just in time for the
Lale or Tulips Festival 🙂
📌Shuttle (Guven Cave Hotel to Kayseri Airport) - 30 TRY
📌Domestic Flight (Kayseri to Istanbul) - 103 TRY 1,328 pesos
📌Bus (Istanbul SAW to Taksim) - 15 TRY
📌Instanbul Accommodation (Taksim Green House Hostel) - 262.52 TRY
📌Instanbulkart and load - 20 TRY
📌Breakfast - 17 TRY
📌Lunch - 15 TRY
📌Snacks - 4.25 TRY
📌Dinner - 8 TRY
💰Total: 474.77 TRY (or 5,589.09 pesos)
Day 8 - Istanbul Spice Bazaar and Kadikoy Market Foodie Tour
📌Instanbulkart Reload - 10 TRY
📌Turkish Flavours Food Tour - 445 TRY (or 100 USD paid in cash)
📌Pasalubong - 155 TRY
📌Dinner - 24.50 TRY
💰Total: 634.50 TRY (or 7,471.53 pesos)
Day 9 - Istanbul Culinary Backstreets Food Tour
📌Food Tour - 556 TRY (or 125 USD paid in cash)
📌Instanbulkart Reload - 25 TRY
💰Total: 581 TRY (or 6,841.54 pesos)
Day 10 - Istanbul DIY Tour
📌Basilica Cistern - 20 TRY
📌Lunch - 20 TRY
📌Pasalubong - 85.84 TRY
💰Total: 125.84 TRY (or 1,481 pesos)
Day 11 - Istanbul to Airport
📌Bus to Airport - 12 TRY
💰Total: 12 TRY (or 141 pesos) - did not spend anything for food on this day because of free food from the airport lounge
The best thing ever happened to us on this day. While we were checking in for our flight to Abu Dhabi that afternoon, the staff of Etihad Airways advised us that the flight was full and they could not accommodate us. In short, we were off loaded. As a compensation, they provided us direct flight tickets from Istanbul to Manila c/o Turkish Airlines, priority immigration pass, airport lounge access and 600 euros each. I pretended to think for a moment but on my mind I was already calculating how much is 600 euros in pesos. Lol! 38,000 pesos sya! The flight was scheduled the next day at 2 AM and we arrived in Manila at 6:45 PM. Just 2 hour difference from our original flight schedule. Amazing talaga! I got my return tickets from Etihad for only 30,000 pesos then I received a compensation for 38K, sobrang bawi ang puhunan!
Travel Notes:
1.
DIY Tour vs Package Tour - Turkey is very easy to DIY. Plane, bus and train tickets are very cheap. Ephesus and Pamukkale are very easy to explore on your own. These cities have frequent bus and train connections. If you are exploring Cappadocia, where attractions are far from each other, it's best to rent a car or join a group tour instead. Istanbul is also very easy to explore using public transportation. Best to get the reloadable IstanbulKart.
2.
Internet - No free Internet in the airport (unless you have a Turkish sim card). Internet is widespread but free wifi zones are very limited. We rented a pocket wifi from ALLDAYWIFI, which really helped us a lot.
3.
Personal Safety - Although we did not experience any issues on our visit, it's still best to remain vigilant especially in big cities like Istanbul. Take extra care in crowded places and try not to ?advertise? the fact that you may be carrying valuables by having something like an expensive camera over your shoulder. Beware of scammers and pickpockets in Sultanahmet.
