Turkey - a visit to the Ottoman empire
We were checking out interesting destinations to visit from UAE and came across Turkey. It was an impromptu trip and we explored more things than we had thought of.
Index:
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Our first stop was the obelisk of Theodosius. This monument was erected in 14th Century BC by the Egyptian dynasty.
We then saw the Blue mosque from outside. It is called so because of the blue tiles inside. It was a Friday and tourist entry is restricted until 4pm since it is a day of prayers. The official name is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.
After this we went to Hagia Sophia. It was built in 537 AD as a Greek Orthodox cathedral and later converted to an Ottoman mosque.
We spent about half an hour exploring it inside.
Later we went to the Grand Bazaar which is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world with 61 by-lanes and 4000 shops. This also has one of the famous Turkish restaurants Nusr-et popularised by salt bae although we didn't have time to check that out and the number of shops were overwhelming too.
We made a stop at a local restaurant for lunch.
Then we continued our tour and visited the Topkapi palace. This served as the main residence of the Ottoman Sultans in the 15th Century and is now converted into a museum. You can learn about the Sultans - their attire, their utensils, their weapons etc. At the far end of the palace you'll get a lovely view of the sea of Marmara and you can see the Asian side of Istanbul. The Topkapi palace involves quite a bit of walking.
Here, our tour was concluded. The above tour cost about TRY 285 per person.
At night, we explored the Karakoy area. We went there by tram. You need to buy the Istanbul Card which is used for most forms of public transportation in the city. The card itself costs TRY 6 and you can load the required amount in it as per what you need to use. Buses and trams cost about TRY 3 - 4 per ride. Also, one card can be used upto 5 people and can be purchased at the metro / tram stations. We didn't find Karakoy area to be as lively as expected though.
Then we took the ferry back to mainland Istanbul and went to kadikoy to experience the nostalgic tram. This tram has been around for a long time and until today is used by people to commute. It did get quite crowded on a Saturday afternoon.
After that we made a quick stop at the Camlica hill which has a public park and a good view of the city.
We wanted to ride the cable car so then proceeded to the cable car station. This was the cable car from Eyup to Pier Loti. There is another one too but the roads leading to that one were closed due to election rallies. There was a long queue of about 45 mins at the Teleferik (cable car). When we reached pier Loti, we did get an amazing view from there. There is also a restaurant / cafe located there in case you want to sit there for a long time and enjoy the view.
This was the end of our tour. The above tour cost about TRY 400 per person.
At night we explored the Taksim square and walked the Istiklal street which is one of the most happening areas in town. It is a walking street and was extremely crowded. After walking for a while, we went to one of the rooftop bars with a good view of the city and had some drinks.
The town is known for its cave hotels and stayed in one of them. The walls are made of stone and the hotel has a bit of a cave feel to it. The price was about AED 200 per night.
Cappadocia literally means "the land of the horses". Late afternoon, we took a horse riding tour. Galloping through the valleys of Cappadocia and experiencing the views of the country-side was just breathtaking and I can't describe the beauty in words. I highly recommend doing this. It was cold and a bit windy that day. Our cheeks were red and frozen by the end of the tour. I suggest checking the weather and carrying a scarf if needed.
At night we went for the Turkish night which a set of Traditional Turkish dances. This takes place in a cave restaurant and includes dinner with alcohol. The dancers have various attires for various dances. The package includes dinner with alcohol. The whole experience lasts for about 2 hours.
The horse riding and Turkish nigh cost about TRY 360 together.
Cappadocia is divided into North and South and has the red tour and green tour respectively which is provided by tourism companies. The Ilhara valley is a part of the green tour, so we took just the half green tour and the full red tour as a customized package.
The first stop we made on our tour was a brief one at Gizil bahce for the lovely panoramic views of the town.
Pottery has been a tradition in Cappadocia since olden days and we went to see some pottery being made the traditional way. We also saw some pots which glow in the dark, and some showpieces made of clay.
On our way to the next attraction, we made a quick stop in Uchisar to get a lovely view of the city and the caves that were carved out during the olden times.
We then proceeded to the Kaymakli undrground city. There are about 200 of these cities in Cappadocia. These were made hundreds of years ago for people to stay safe from attacks of the enemies, and were served as temporary residences (used for a few months). I was surprised to see that they're still intact today. The Kayamakli underground city was four stories underground. It has several rooms and tunnels. This particular one was made to house about 5000 people. This does involve some climbing up & down and has some narrow and low pathways. You need to be in good physical health to explore it.
After this, we went to a place called the pigeon valley. In the olden times, pigeon droppings were used as fertilizers here. Also, the egg white which was sticky was used to make various paintings on the walls. Large flocks of pigeons do come at this spot even today.
Cappadocia is known for the hoodoo (fairy shaped chimneys), and the most striking ones are located in Pasabag which is were we went next. These structures are naturally occurring due to a combination of sedimentary rock and volcanic rock formations. A chapel and a hermit shelter is built into one of the fairy chimneys.
Then we went to the Goreme open-air museum. This places too has caves, as well as paintings relating to Christianity made on the walls from the olden times. Involves a little bit of walking up/down-hill.
The various rock formations in this town are really interesting, and our next stop was the Deverent valley. Here you see rock formations that are shaped like various animals / structures, with the most famous one being that of a camel. The place is also called as imaginary valley since you imagine these shapes of these naturally occurring rock formations.
The above tour costs about TRY 300.
We had our most delicious dinner in Turkey that night, and then retired for the day.
The jeep safari is prices around TRY 250.
Lastly, that day we decided to go for a Mud bath. The mud here is good for the skin, and there are private places with these indoor mud pools. The whole package costs about TRY 150 . It starts with the fish spa (the fishes eat the dead skin from your feet), then you go and take a dip in the lukewarm pool for 10 minutes, and then finally go in the mud pool. The mud pool is about 2 feet deep and there is mud (clay) which is hot at the bottom of this pool. You can apply it all over your body and stay in the mud pool for half an hour. I don't know how good the mud actually is, but it was a good experience.
We then had some time to kill before our flight to Istanbul, so we decided to grab a bite at an Indian restaurant, and then took the flight and reached Istanbul just before midnight.
After this, we proceeded to the Dolmabahce palace which served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th Century which is fairly recent compared to the other historical places that we visited. We went inside, and had taken the audio guide headset (available free of charge) which explains you about each and every room in the palace as you pass through it. It is definitely worth seeing it from inside, and would take at least an hour or so. I took a picture inside, and then I was told that photography isn't allowed inside, so no more pictures in there.
We then briefly visited the Spice bazaar which is one of the two famous bazaars here. You can get spices, teas, fruits etc. in this market. We didn't spend much time here since we didn't want to buy anything, and continued to go and have lunch.
Post lunch around 3pm we took the Bosporous tour by ferry. It is the same ferry that we had taken to go to the Prince islands on 16th March, but the route is different and you also see some a few more attractions of the city on the way.
Once we got done with the ferry, we went to the old town to see the Sulemanye mosque. We didn't go right inside to the prayer area, but saw it in and around.
The above tour costs about TRY 300 (excluding entrance to Dolmabahce which is TRY 60)
We then went to our hotel and had a couple of hours to kill before our flight.
Turkey is famous for the hammam baths, and this is what I did next. There are public ones as well as private. There was a private one conveniently located opposite our hotel and I decided to check it out. It costs TRY 250 for the whole package. It started with a sauna, then steam, followed by the hammam bath (which includes scrubbing and a soap wash, face scrub / face pack), and finally an oil massage. Later you can take a sauna and steam again, and a shower once everything is done.
We then headed to the airport to catch our flight back to UAE.
In Cappadocia, we did our tours through Bridge of the World where Mr. Kengo arranged everything for us.
You can get in touch with them and show the above pictures to get a good price 👍
(P.S.: The prices mentioned in this post are an approximate indication and may change depending on the time of the year and peak / off-peak season.)
The tour guides speak English and also the hotel managers. Some officials like policeman might also speak English, but apart from that, not many people (like shopkeepers , taxi drivers etc.) converse in English. You might want to know basic Turkish phrases or carry a translation app to converse with locals throughout your visit.
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Hope you enjoyed reading this post about my visit to Turkey. Do let me know your feedback / suggestions about this post; you can even email me if you have any queries. If you found this helpful and / or informative do leave a word or two in the comments section below.
Know about great places and food around Dubai on my Instagram .
Index:
- Booking
- Visa
- Currency
- Food
- Itinerary
- Day 1 - Istanbul
- Day 2 - Istanbul
- Day 3 - Cappadocia
- Day 4 - Cappadocia
- Day 5 - Cappadocia
- Day 6 - Istanbul
- Local Guides
- Language
Booking:
We booked it through Holiday Factory; the price was around AED 1700 per person (on a twin sharing basis). This includes the flight and 6 nights accommodation in a 3 star hotel which was just average.Visa:
We applied for the visa ourselves and it took about 3-5 days and cost us around AED 800.Here's the detailed Visa Application process.
Currency:
We exchanged our currency in Dubai before travelling. We got a price of 5% less than the inter-bank rate. I did not check the rates at the exchanges in Turkey, but our tour agencies accepted Euros and U.S. Dollars at the current inter-bank rate which came as a pleasant surprise. Although, in one of the towns there, I withdrew cash from an ATM and that cost me 8% + AED 15 per transaction which was extremely high. Click here for current AED - TRY rate.Food:
There are so many interesting things to eat in Turkey, that I have written another post just about all the food that I ate. Click here to read it.Itinerary:
We covered two cities in Turkey, viz. Istanbul and Cappadocia. The weather in Istanbul in March was around 10 to 15°C and Cappadocia was 0 to 5° C. We took conducted tours for most of the trip. You can click on the names of the places throughout the post to see their exact location.14th March:
We landed in Istanbul late night and checked-in to our hotel. The first thing I usually do in a new country is buy a sim card at the airport, but for this trip I did not buy one; I had access to the internet only where there was Wi-Fi. The feeling of staying away from social media and instant messaging most of the day was amazing.
15th March:
We started in the morning for the tour of Old Istanbul. This tour involves a lot of walking since the attractions are located in the heart of the city and are cumbersome to commute by vehicle in that area.Our first stop was the obelisk of Theodosius. This monument was erected in 14th Century BC by the Egyptian dynasty.
We then saw the Blue mosque from outside. It is called so because of the blue tiles inside. It was a Friday and tourist entry is restricted until 4pm since it is a day of prayers. The official name is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.
After this we went to Hagia Sophia. It was built in 537 AD as a Greek Orthodox cathedral and later converted to an Ottoman mosque.
We spent about half an hour exploring it inside.
Later we went to the Grand Bazaar which is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world with 61 by-lanes and 4000 shops. This also has one of the famous Turkish restaurants Nusr-et popularised by salt bae although we didn't have time to check that out and the number of shops were overwhelming too.
We made a stop at a local restaurant for lunch.
Then we continued our tour and visited the Topkapi palace. This served as the main residence of the Ottoman Sultans in the 15th Century and is now converted into a museum. You can learn about the Sultans - their attire, their utensils, their weapons etc. At the far end of the palace you'll get a lovely view of the sea of Marmara and you can see the Asian side of Istanbul. The Topkapi palace involves quite a bit of walking.
Here, our tour was concluded. The above tour cost about TRY 285 per person.
At night, we explored the Karakoy area. We went there by tram. You need to buy the Istanbul Card which is used for most forms of public transportation in the city. The card itself costs TRY 6 and you can load the required amount in it as per what you need to use. Buses and trams cost about TRY 3 - 4 per ride. Also, one card can be used upto 5 people and can be purchased at the metro / tram stations. We didn't find Karakoy area to be as lively as expected though.
16th March:
We took a customized tour on this day. There is a group of 5 islands near Istanbul called the Prince islands. The largest of them is called Buyukada. We went there by ferry which takes about an hour and a half. The ride was scenic and the island was nice too. It is like a small town and no cars with fuel are allowed here. People commute mostly by either horse carts or bicycles; there are some small electric vehicles too. We explored the place by horse cart for about an hour, and then had lunch by the sea-side.
Then we took the ferry back to mainland Istanbul and went to kadikoy to experience the nostalgic tram. This tram has been around for a long time and until today is used by people to commute. It did get quite crowded on a Saturday afternoon.
After that we made a quick stop at the Camlica hill which has a public park and a good view of the city.
We wanted to ride the cable car so then proceeded to the cable car station. This was the cable car from Eyup to Pier Loti. There is another one too but the roads leading to that one were closed due to election rallies. There was a long queue of about 45 mins at the Teleferik (cable car). When we reached pier Loti, we did get an amazing view from there. There is also a restaurant / cafe located there in case you want to sit there for a long time and enjoy the view.
This was the end of our tour. The above tour cost about TRY 400 per person.
At night we explored the Taksim square and walked the Istiklal street which is one of the most happening areas in town. It is a walking street and was extremely crowded. After walking for a while, we went to one of the rooftop bars with a good view of the city and had some drinks.
17th March:
There is a town called Cappadocia which is really beautiful and we wanted to visit, so we took a flight from Istanbul which takes about an hour and reached there in the afternoon. The return flight from Istanbul cost about AED 250.The town is known for its cave hotels and stayed in one of them. The walls are made of stone and the hotel has a bit of a cave feel to it. The price was about AED 200 per night.
Cappadocia literally means "the land of the horses". Late afternoon, we took a horse riding tour. Galloping through the valleys of Cappadocia and experiencing the views of the country-side was just breathtaking and I can't describe the beauty in words. I highly recommend doing this. It was cold and a bit windy that day. Our cheeks were red and frozen by the end of the tour. I suggest checking the weather and carrying a scarf if needed.
At night we went for the Turkish night which a set of Traditional Turkish dances. This takes place in a cave restaurant and includes dinner with alcohol. The dancers have various attires for various dances. The package includes dinner with alcohol. The whole experience lasts for about 2 hours.
The horse riding and Turkish nigh cost about TRY 360 together.
18th March:
The hot air balloon is one of the specialities of Cappadocia. It takes place if weather permits. This particular day it wasn't taking place in the main city but only in Ilhara valley which is about an hour drive. Our pickup came at 5am and it was freezing cold. We reached there at about 6:15am, and we could see the balloon being set-up. It fits about 15-20 people. We took flight at around 7am and flew over Ilhara valley and saw the town and a canyon. The flight lasted for almost 2 hours and costs about TRY 900.
Cappadocia is divided into North and South and has the red tour and green tour respectively which is provided by tourism companies. The Ilhara valley is a part of the green tour, so we took just the half green tour and the full red tour as a customized package.
The first stop we made on our tour was a brief one at Gizil bahce for the lovely panoramic views of the town.
Pottery has been a tradition in Cappadocia since olden days and we went to see some pottery being made the traditional way. We also saw some pots which glow in the dark, and some showpieces made of clay.
On our way to the next attraction, we made a quick stop in Uchisar to get a lovely view of the city and the caves that were carved out during the olden times.
We then proceeded to the Kaymakli undrground city. There are about 200 of these cities in Cappadocia. These were made hundreds of years ago for people to stay safe from attacks of the enemies, and were served as temporary residences (used for a few months). I was surprised to see that they're still intact today. The Kayamakli underground city was four stories underground. It has several rooms and tunnels. This particular one was made to house about 5000 people. This does involve some climbing up & down and has some narrow and low pathways. You need to be in good physical health to explore it.
After this, we went to a place called the pigeon valley. In the olden times, pigeon droppings were used as fertilizers here. Also, the egg white which was sticky was used to make various paintings on the walls. Large flocks of pigeons do come at this spot even today.
Cappadocia is known for the hoodoo (fairy shaped chimneys), and the most striking ones are located in Pasabag which is were we went next. These structures are naturally occurring due to a combination of sedimentary rock and volcanic rock formations. A chapel and a hermit shelter is built into one of the fairy chimneys.
Then we went to the Goreme open-air museum. This places too has caves, as well as paintings relating to Christianity made on the walls from the olden times. Involves a little bit of walking up/down-hill.
The various rock formations in this town are really interesting, and our next stop was the Deverent valley. Here you see rock formations that are shaped like various animals / structures, with the most famous one being that of a camel. The place is also called as imaginary valley since you imagine these shapes of these naturally occurring rock formations.
The above tour costs about TRY 300.
We had our most delicious dinner in Turkey that night, and then retired for the day.
19th March:
This was our last day in Cappadocia and we decided to do the jeep safari. This is an off-roading safari experience. We had a crazy driver driving an old Land Rover defender. We stopped at a few scenic spots for pictures throughout the jeep safari. It was a great experience driving along the valleys and seeing the various rock formations in Cappadocia. We made a quick stop at Ortahisar and enjoyed the view while sipping on some Turkish tea.The jeep safari is prices around TRY 250.
Lastly, that day we decided to go for a Mud bath. The mud here is good for the skin, and there are private places with these indoor mud pools. The whole package costs about TRY 150 . It starts with the fish spa (the fishes eat the dead skin from your feet), then you go and take a dip in the lukewarm pool for 10 minutes, and then finally go in the mud pool. The mud pool is about 2 feet deep and there is mud (clay) which is hot at the bottom of this pool. You can apply it all over your body and stay in the mud pool for half an hour. I don't know how good the mud actually is, but it was a good experience.
We then had some time to kill before our flight to Istanbul, so we decided to grab a bite at an Indian restaurant, and then took the flight and reached Istanbul just before midnight.
20th March:
Around 8:30am we left to see the Galata tower which is a medieval stone tower built in 1348. It is near the point where the golden horn meet the Bosporus. The views from there are amazing, and you can see the bridges that connect the two sides of the golden horn. We loved the views so much that we sat there sipping on some coffee for a while.
After this, we proceeded to the Dolmabahce palace which served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th Century which is fairly recent compared to the other historical places that we visited. We went inside, and had taken the audio guide headset (available free of charge) which explains you about each and every room in the palace as you pass through it. It is definitely worth seeing it from inside, and would take at least an hour or so. I took a picture inside, and then I was told that photography isn't allowed inside, so no more pictures in there.
We then briefly visited the Spice bazaar which is one of the two famous bazaars here. You can get spices, teas, fruits etc. in this market. We didn't spend much time here since we didn't want to buy anything, and continued to go and have lunch.
Post lunch around 3pm we took the Bosporous tour by ferry. It is the same ferry that we had taken to go to the Prince islands on 16th March, but the route is different and you also see some a few more attractions of the city on the way.
Once we got done with the ferry, we went to the old town to see the Sulemanye mosque. We didn't go right inside to the prayer area, but saw it in and around.
The above tour costs about TRY 300 (excluding entrance to Dolmabahce which is TRY 60)
We then went to our hotel and had a couple of hours to kill before our flight.
Turkey is famous for the hammam baths, and this is what I did next. There are public ones as well as private. There was a private one conveniently located opposite our hotel and I decided to check it out. It costs TRY 250 for the whole package. It started with a sauna, then steam, followed by the hammam bath (which includes scrubbing and a soap wash, face scrub / face pack), and finally an oil massage. Later you can take a sauna and steam again, and a shower once everything is done.
We then headed to the airport to catch our flight back to UAE.
Local sightseeing in Turkey:
In Istanbul, we did all our tours through Indigo tours where Mr. Avni arranged everything for us, and often drove us himself on a few occasions.
In Cappadocia, we did our tours through Bridge of the World where Mr. Kengo arranged everything for us.
You can get in touch with them and show the above pictures to get a good price 👍
(P.S.: The prices mentioned in this post are an approximate indication and may change depending on the time of the year and peak / off-peak season.)
Language:
The tour guides speak English and also the hotel managers. Some officials like policeman might also speak English, but apart from that, not many people (like shopkeepers , taxi drivers etc.) converse in English. You might want to know basic Turkish phrases or carry a translation app to converse with locals throughout your visit.
---
Hope you enjoyed reading this post about my visit to Turkey. Do let me know your feedback / suggestions about this post; you can even email me if you have any queries. If you found this helpful and / or informative do leave a word or two in the comments section below.
Know about great places and food around Dubai on my Instagram .
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