Istanbul and Cappadocia Trip - 'A Türkish Affair'

About Istanbul: The largest and the most populous city in Turkey, located along the banks of the Bosphorus strait. It is a place where 2 continents Europe and Asia meet. Istanbul is not only rich in history but it is one of the most impressive places in Turkey and a hot spot destination for Tourists.

Experience: Total of 4 days in Istanbul from Day 1 and then Day 5 to 8. Our Turkey trip was in the mid of November with the weather playing a spoilsport most of the times than often we ended up missing to cover few important attractions, nevertheless we were still able to most of the stuff as per our itinerary.

Istanbul is filled with small cute coffee shops, bakery, do not miss Turkish coffee and Baklava and off course the Turkish shawarma. The famous 'Turkish Chai' is served for free in some of the local restaurants after meals. Although being a fast metro city Istanbul still keeps its rich culture and history intact, it was also fascinating to see trams passing by on the busy streets.

Places to Cover: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistren, Topkapi Place, Galata Tower, Bosphorus Cruise Golden Horn tour, 2 continents tour (Europe and Asia),Dolmabahce Palace, Grand Bazaar.

Note: Entrance to all the tourist attractions are chargeable except for the Blue Mosque & Grand Bazaar (which is free). Do research online Get Your Guide & Viator are trusted sites for booking tickets / tours online.

The major attractions like: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace was at a walkable distance from our hotel in Fatih, Sultanahmet district so we did enjoy some nice evening walks around Hagia Sophia & Blue Mosque.

Arrival at Istanbul: Mumbai --> Kuwait --> Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport.

Our trip to Turkey did not begin on a good note; upon arrival at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport our Checked-in Baggage was found missing; after confirming with the airport authorities we found out that our Baggage was mishandled and routed to another location (London) instead of Istanbul.

It was mid of November where the temperature in Istanbul drops below 10 °C with strong winds blowing getting colder which in turns was difficult to manage without proper winter wear. We frankly found ourselves out of the place and helpless in another country with limited resources and had no option but to purchase winter wear as an emergency to accommodate our stay for those 3-4 days without our Main Baggage.

A lot of our important stuff was in the Checked-In Baggage important garments like jackets, documents, etc. which was quite disappointing.

Our baggage was returned after 4 days & Sabiha Gökçen Airport staff who did a commendable job to help deliver the baggage at our hotel without charging us anything extra.

Tip: As a suggestion avoid travelling via Kuwait Airways. Kuwait Airways was extremely non co-operative; un-responsive when it comes to mishandling baggage. They will not entertain customers, we had a very bad experience flying with Kuwait Airways.

Built in AD 537 as a Church then served as a mosque after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Hagia Sophia serves as an important cultural and historical site in Istanbul.

Hagia Sophie is quite huge and is looks best during sunset.

We visited Hagia Sophia (priced at EUR 35 pp), to be honest there is nothing much to view inside the mosque the top floor is a Museum and the section below is for prayers and only people of Islamic beliefs are allowed there.

Another huge mosque and stands right across from Hagia Sophia. Blue Mosque is a masterpiece during the Ottoman era.

The Topkapi Palace is another stunning example of Ottoman architecture, unfortunately, we could not visit this palace due to time constraints but it is recommended not to skip.

A very well maintained market but quite over priced. The market is very huge and located within the heart of the city in Istanbul.

Located on the northern shore of the Golden Horn, Galata Tower, stands as an enduring symbol of the city's rich history and breath-taking views. The nine-story tower is 205 ft tall is mainly popular for the Golden Horn views from its observation deck.

Galata Tower is located at a walkable distance (20-30 mins) from Fatih. A good place to relax with some lovely coffee shops located around.

About Dolmabahçe Palace: The largest place in Turkey, constructed during the mid-19th century Abdulmejid I and was the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire. It was this palace where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, lived until his death.

Experience: It was our anniversary but a very dull rainy day. We had a group tour booked for Dolmabahce palace. Once you get into Dolmabahçe Palace, it is like walking in another world. Visit to Dolmabahçe Palace was absolutely worth it, the magnificent place is known for its European influenced layout and décor.

Highlights of the Dolmabahçe Palace:

Crystal Staircase: It’s a huge staircase made out of Baccarat crystals, brass and mahogany wood. Absolutely a must see!

Ceremonial Hall: This giant hall is really breath taking. It is one of the largest ballrooms in the globe with Bohemian crystal chandelier weighing up to 4.5 tons.

Harem: The private apartments of sultan’s family.

Tips for visit:

Wear comfortable shoes: Appropriate footwear is suggested because there’s a lot of walking involved.

Take the Guided Tour: The history of each room and artifact is amazing, and it really adds to your time there when you have a guide with you. If you like, audio guides can be made available for your convenience.

Photography Rules: Photography is not allowed inside Dolmabahçe Palace. The authorities keep a check if anyone is clicking pictures.

Check the Weather: During our visit it was raining quite heavily. Some parts of the palace grounds are outside; therefore, ensure that you know what weather conditions to expect before dressing up.

Cappadocia pronounced as 'Kappadokia' in Turkish, the name Cappadocia is believed to have originated from the Persian language, specifically the word “Katpatuka” which means “the land of beautiful horses”. This is due to the fact that the region was known for breeding horses and providing them to the Persian army.

Experience: We spent 3 nights (Day 2 to 4) in Goreme, Cappadocia. Cappadocia is a true fairy-tale destination. It looks like an imaginary world, a perfect romantic destination. The unique landscape created by the volcanic eruption (million years ago) would simply blow one's mind.

Our Guide Mehmit was extremely knowledgeable; friendly and humble. We were fortunate to get Mehmit as our guide on both days for the Red and Green tours. We had a great time at Cappadocia and also made some friends during our group tour.

The fairy chimneys, pigeon valley, imagination valley are few places to call out. The caves and underground cities built by human settlements as a protection from Arabs is astonishing.

The highlight of our trip was the 'Hot Air Balloon Ride'. What an experience, we were so fortunate to get one (as the rides were cancelled the prior day due to weather uncertainty) The view from Hot Air balloon was truly one of a kind and at least once-in-a-life-time experience. Just because the Hot Air balloon rides were cancelled the prior day, we experienced around 150-200 balloons flying around.

Note: Hot Air Balloon Ride cost varies and is not covered part of the package. It costed us EUR 80. Peak season charges would increase further. You will find local agents offering the Balloon ride closer to the hotels prices can be negotiated.

The 2nd last day we had a booked trip to Bursa from Istanbul, but bad weather conditions meant we had to tweak the itinerary and visited a hidden gem 'Sapanca'. Thanks to Make my trip who accommodated different destination in a short span of time. Sapanca for us turned out to a great 'offbeat' destination, serene, quite away from the hustle and bustle and can be added to the itinerary if you have an extra leisure day at Istanbul.

What to expect: The day trip to Sapanca includes - Amusement park, Sapanca lake, Gondola ride and Glass bridge. Sapanca falls in another province of Turkey but is a 2 hours drive from Istanbul (139 km) from the Asian side of Istanbul so the drive to Sapanca from Istanbul is great.