I never thought I would say this, but Turkey has replaced Iceland’s number one spot on my list of favorite countries! *Insert Home Alone face here* The people, the food, the scenery, the cute community dogs and cats — everything was incredible! Below is my itinerary, photos, FAQ and additional tips!
The itinerary:
Day 1: Istanbul
Galata Tower
Umbrella Street In Han Karaköy
Lavanten Karaköy (drinks and shisha)
Dolmabahce Palace
Seven Hills restaurant for breakfast (view of Hagia Sophia)
Sultanahmet Mosque
Kubbe rooftop (Pro tip: You might wanna bring a change of clothes and wipes, because I definitely got crapped on by the birds!)
Balat neighborhood (Visit the colorful houses on Kiremit Caddesi and all of the cute cafes!)
Flight to Alacati
Wandered through the picturesque streets and pet all of the village animals
Stayed at Mai S’ema boutique hotel (highly recommend!!)
Day 4: Cappadocia
Flight to Cappadocia
Silk Road Cafe for lunch (order the sac tava!!)
Galerie Ikman Carpet Shop (80 Turkish Lira for pictures inside and 30 Turkish Lira for pics in the lamp store outside)
Dinner at Sultan Cave suites
Stay 3 nights at Sultan Cave Suites
Day 5
Sultan Cave Suites rooftop at sunrise for views and photos
Breakfast at Sultan Cave Suites
Fairy Chimneys of Love Valley
Uchisar castle
Day 6
Sunset Point is a popular spot for sunrise for hot air balloon views!
Shopping & lunch in Göreme
Day 7
Hot air balloon ride at sunrise
Flight back to Istanbul
Dinner at More Cafe in Balat – BEST MANTI ????
Fly home to US
FAQ/TIPS
Photos:
- Some of these photos were taken with a Canon M50 (24mm/2.8f lens) and some were taken with an iPhone! Photos were edited in Lightroom!
- Get up EARLY if you want photos with no people. We were up at 5:30 every single morning to get ready and get out the door by 7am. This way, we get photos without disturbing others and without fighting crowds. Also, we were done with photos 2-3 hours later and had the rest of the day to explore, eat/drink, shop, meet locals etc.
Transportation
- Taxis were widely available throughout Turkey. We tried to use Uber mostly (when the app would work) as we found it to be reasonably priced, especially for longer distance rides. It also reduces the chances of getting scammed. Although we had read about the taxi scams in Turkey, we did not experience any. We rented a car for Cappadocia and glad we did!
Safety:
- Turkey is SAFE. I never once got cat-called at or ever felt uncomfortable! The locals were SO NICE and welcoming!
- Something else I would like to note about the locals in Turkey is that they take care of their stray animals like nowhere I have EVER seen. There are so many stray dogs and cats to love on; they are all so friendly and sweet. The locals would walk past and pet them and feed them. I even saw one shop owner cleaning a dog’s eyes before giving her a little snack. Bless! The locals never ever shooed them away; the animals are like their family. Those actions really showed me that the people of Turkey have wonderful character.
Hot Air Balloons in Cappadocia
- The balloons fly everyday, year round if weather permits. We got incredibly lucky and the balloons flew all 3 mornings we were there. Sunset point is great for up close photos of the balloons, and Sultan Cave Suites has a great rooftop for photos. You do have to be a guest at the hotel to take pictures there.
Money
- Usually I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve when I travel, but I had problems using it in some places and in other places it worked fine. It would be safe to have cash on you at all times in case the card machines do not accept your card. ATMs and banks are widely available in Turkey!
I cannot stress to you enough – VISIT TURKEY! It highly exceeded my expectations and I’m counting down the days until I return!