Turkey's Gold Triangle Tour: Pamukkale, Ephesus, Cappadocia

Voyage Privé offered a very nice full board tour in 9 days 8 nights. Departing and returning from Istanbul. More than 2000 km by bus with WiFi. Very nice hotels. Great sites. The highlight not to be missed is the hot air balloon in Cappadocia. We were fortunate to have a great guide Mr Tamer, an in-depth knowledge of history, geography, customs with always appreciated humor. The transfers were made by Deluks Tourizm. I recommend

Things to be done better: Day 3 was a wasted day for us - we left at 0345 only to arrive in Cappadocia at midday with nothing else on our itinerary. Could have had another nice morning at our great hotel with a delightful breakfast, but instead felt rushed to leave and wasted a whole day of touring. However, our hosts/guides Rose and Mert made this tour sensational (see below)! Ephesus: Our private tour was nothing short of amazing. It happened to only be the two of us and our tour guide Rose (Gül) for the two days. On the first day, we were brought to Pamukkale, where Rose intricately described the history of the natural phenomenon while also showing us the best picture spots. We were also given plenty of time to explore on our own. The local lunch spot she brought us to gave us a great taste of culture, and delicious traditional dessert. The hotel we stayed at was AMAZING. Great breakfasts with lovely staff, plus good facilities. Our room was huge and super comfortable. On the second day, Epheus was sensational. Being a lover of ancient history, Roses knowledge on ancient history was impecable and was able to answer all our curious questions. Ephesus was Rose's favourite place in Turkey and her passion and love for her culture really showed in the tour We also got to experience the craft of pottery from a true master (one of few in the world) and witness an astounding display of art work. They even let us get our hands dirty in clay, with his guidance ofcourse. The leather factory was good; fashion is not my area, but if you are into high end clothing you'd be in love. Just not my thing. House of virgin mary was special, being catholics this was a very spirtual and surreal experience for us. The lunch on this day was a buffet - the food was pretty average compared to the day before. Overall wonderful and our tour guide Rose deserves all the praise in the world Capaddocia: 10/10 It was great to have a tour by not only a local but someone obsessed and passionate about his own culture and history. We got to see so many amazing places including Balloon rides: once in a lifetime experience of viewing cappadocia and all its beauty from the sky. Lovevalley: Now this wasnt part of the tour, but we wanted to go watch the sunrise with the baloons, Mert the tour guide went the extra mile to take us at 5am! I also got engaged here which was unforgetable and he helped us get amazing memories by capturing the whole thing! We were very grateful. Under ground cities: If you ask me, the ancient people of this civilisation were more talented then people of today. This was unforgettable and so cool to see how they managed to build this liveable underground city! They thought of everything: water, heating, air circulation and even animals for an alarm system! Illara valley: Beautiful hike next to a stream, extremely peaceful and serene. The rest point provided great traditional pancakes and resting by the river which waa great to rest our feet. St George's church was unique amongst the others in the valley, with the old artwork still preserved Jewellery store: I personally love jewellery and it was great to see and learn about the natural stone of zultanite. Imagination valley: a beautiful view where your imagination goes wild, sort of like watching the clouds but they are rocks. Open air museum: This was very special to us being of the catholic faith, we got to see some amazing ancient churches out in the caves and see where the ancient christians had to hide. Uchisar castle: a beautiful view with a taste of pistachio coffee, and also enjoyed a jam session with Mert who showed off his talented guitar skills while we sang along. Food: Both lunches were amazing with traditional flavours and cooking, was great to be served what the locals eat and all their great flavours. Overall: Cappadocia from every angle is beautiful, so many different layers to its unique landscape, this was a view that I had never seen before or even imagined Tour guide: Mert was sensational, he took his time to explain all the history, he answered all our questions, went the extra mile and made it such an enjoyable trip for us both. Speaks English very well, along with knowing Russian and hopefully Spanish by the end of this year The driver was very nice and kept us safe, never felt like we were in danger. Super professional and looks like a football player - lets see if you can guess which one :p Overall: Love love love, could not recomend this highly enough, BOOK THIS TOUR and these tour guides!

Not traveling with El Corte Inglés or with a world tour deceived us. The trip was on August 5 and we had booked an Istanbul and Cappadocia circuit. The only excursion we booked from Spain because we were in danger of running out was the balloon for €1,280 for 4 people, the day before leaving on the trip. Surprise 24 hours later at the Istanbul airport they offer us the same excursion, with the same wholesaler, for €720 for the four of us and they also confirm that pre-booking makes no sense because they make pre-bookings for the entire group. Anyway, we asked the Corte Inglés de Pozuelo in Madrid for explanations and they told us that they will consult the wholesaler who in turn says that this is what it takes to reserve it precisely. A nonsense that we will complain about but with little hope. The meals on the circuits left a lot to be desired and some of the hotels too, tablecloths not changed for several days. We didn't even talk about the bus because they had us traveling for many hours with very low air and heat to die for. Anyway, and as a final conclusion, if you have to book a trip, do not do it with El Corte Inglés or a world tour. We are very used to traveling and with this agency we have made several trips in the past but we believe that the quality standards have dropped a lot and the clarity and support that English clients had are currently non-existent.

Went Eastwards. Solo trip from IST to Cappodocia > Antalya > Pamukkale > Selcuk > Bursa > IST Cappadocia - did the balloon ride . It was OK . The view was spectacular but I think more fun than that was waiting in the dark and watching the balloons come to life! It was beautiful. Hot air balloon ride , ticked off my list Pamukkale - Cotton Castle - really touristy even though was there in Nov. Hotel was walking distance to one of the entrances and thank god I used this. The moment you enter , you take off your shoes and walk on the walk travestines , upwards. It was really fun. Water was cold at first almost numbing my feet but got warmer the higher I went. Only a family of 3 besides me doing this. It seems everyone else , busloads of tourists and those coming by car use the other entrance. Great , had the travestines all to myself till I hit the top. Skipped swimming in the pools. 130TRY and so many people in the pool! had time so arranged to go paragliding. Was fun! Spent a good amount of time in the air . Euphesus - Stayed in Selcuk and no regrets! Small , quiet town yet getting to Euphesus was breeze. Took a dolmus both ways. Euphesus was so worth it! Don't miss the terrace houses (extra 80TRY) but great way to get a glimpse into how people lived . managed to do Euphesus and Sirince on the same day.

Itinerary: Day 1- Hotel pick-up to airport. Upon arrival, was picked up then straight to visit Pamukkale which was awesome. Afterwards, we were driven to our hotel In Kusadasi. Day 2- visited ancient city of Ephesus and Temple of Artemis. Day 3- full day transfer to Cappadocia :( Day 4- Cappadocia Green Tour Day 5- Cappadocia Red Tour. Good points: -all the hotels book were really great. Clean, comfortable, and good locations -the coordination with pick-up, drop-offs were arranged really well -the emergency contact was very responsive and helpful -Breakfast at the hotels were great. The breakfast in The Cappadocia Hotel was phenomenal. Downside -there was just too many downtime especially in Day 1–2. We started the tours at around 9-9:30 and would finish at 2pm-2:30pm. This was including looking at the sites and random visits to cultural stores (i.e. Turkish Delight, ceramics, etc) and a LOT of car ride. -our first guide in Day 1-2 was informative but felt he was rushing the entire tour to finish early. We were given only 15-20mins to wander around, which was a shame because it wasn’t enough to take in the beauty of the sites. Also did not see the Necropolis. Hmm wish they added another site St. John’s Basilica which was right beside the Temple of Artemis. -for Day 3, our flight was at noon. Wish that we were booked an earlier flight so we can arrive in Cappadocia earlier. -Day 4-5 was really nice. Tour guide, Bush, paced it well. Only comment was probably not enough time to explore the Uchisar Castle. But this was understandable as I don’t think she expected my companion to want to hike up the steep slopes. I think the quality and pace of the tour is really dependent on the Tour Guide. Overall, this tour package would be good for those who want a very relaxed trip and who can spend more time in Turkey. The 5 days could probably be condensed to maybe 3-4days but this would have been a hectic and exhausting schedule. Was still a good experience and all the sites were mind blowing.

This was a 5 day trip broken into two very unequal parts. The first part was a 2 day trip in Kusadasi/Parmukkale and Ephesis with guide Ata. Ata was not good. He complained of being tired and yelled at me for asking to skip shopping to add another site--which was right next door to a site we were already visiting. We were upgraded to a private tour, without asking for it. In hindsight, this was a mistake, as Ata, or so the tour operator hypothesized, might have resented not having many people (fewer tips?). The Tour operator said he got good reviews from other clients; my search of travel sites don't show this. All in all--if you get Ata, make sure you stay on his good side, if you can find it. Specifics: the hieropolis buggies were "too expensive"; the Cleopatra Pool--waste of money; The far half of Hieropolis "a long walk" (ironically, not true on a buggy). All in all, he said--it is at our pace, suggested really short amounts of time and rushed us to the next place to sell us crafts. He even told us background information in the car for one attraction to save time, supposedly. He should seek employment in another field--9 years doing it with the last 4 a bit light (covid and some other reason unclear). In the middle of our 5 days, we had a free day. This was due to a flight change. We filled that on our own. This also changed our hotels from 2 days at the Illada Avantguard to one and Hotel Cappadocia from 2 to 3. This change could not have made us happier! The Illada was a nice hotel, but the city view when we could have had a sea view was vexing. We heard from the tour operator that their clients usually do not get even a city view--it was a nice view, but certainly not a city view--which we would have paid extra for if the tour operator had given the option--we booked MONTHS in advance and easily did so before the hotel filled. Hotel Cappadocia was a bit hot and had no pool. However, they provided a fan and the views and experience more than made up for the lack of pool. The three people who run the place and their staff were so friendly and helpful. The Turkish Breakfasts each morning were very similar each day but different enough to get us through 3 mornings without a feeling of monotony. THE VIEW!! WOW! The tours were led by Ozman. Very nice. Very helpful. Took photos. Had a dry and a bit warped sense of humor. It was clear that he knew he was going to try to get us to buy things in the arts and crafts places, but he did not insist on our participation and made sure we were hydrated from these places and brought water into the van (contrast this with ATA). We enjoyed the balloon ride. The tour operator upped the price 90 dollars each or demanded we cancel and rebook (at a new price). He claimed it was the operators refusing to honor the agreed price. This would not work in US contracts. However, the economic hardship and inflation in Turkey made us suck it up and pay. It is expensive anyway. Worth it? maybe. If you have the opportunity, why not. One last word on the arts and crafts places. While I am there for the history and sites, they do serve a purpose for the tourists in summer who need a break from the heat. The AC in the vans was meager. If anything, think of them as a safety precaution. DON'T BUY ANYTHING--way overpriced. We bought on ETSY for much less.

Holiday 2022-The tour of improvisation and discomfort: to forget! Because of an operation I underwent we were not able to plan our summer holidays, which, as every year, we organized three / four months before. Given the uncertainty of the timing of my operation on August 5th through Secret Escape, we saw the Offer of the tour in Turkey, organized according to the following stops Istanbul, Ankara, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and a week of sea in Bodrum. We then booked paying what, the agency “Yalla Yalla”, to which Secret Escape bounced, asked us, or the total of over 3,000 euros of the trip, also given the proximity of the departure or August 10. The first serious discrepancy, in our opinion, arose from the fact that a couple of days before departure, a representative of the Yalla Yalla agency called us, telling us that the hotel for the week at the beach in Bodrum was overbooked and that we would have to choose another hotel paying 600 euros more for the upgrade to a higher level, from four to five stars. The strange thing, however, was the fact that 98% of the members of our group were made the same proposal, otherwise the tour itself will be cancelled: you judge. Other really unusual thing to say the least, the cash claim of 100 euros per person for tips to restaurants and hotels and entrances to museums, which this is absolutely out of place and very dubious, as well as the 20 euros per person for the driver and guide, also asked in cash as an extra what we had paid in total for the trip, in addition to the 68 euros per person required the first two days of Istanbul without any reason, but only as an additional cost for the daily tour of the city. But let’s start from the beginning the description of this journey of despair, lived in a forced logic of cost savings in order to maximize the profits of the Tour operator Intra Tour and therefore, consequently, also of the agency Yalla Yalla. For example, when we arrived at restaurants, even the most decent ones, the two Aisham guides and the other, whose name I can’t remember, did their best to keep the menu to a minimum, so much so that, having asked for the costs, we rarely exceeded 5/6 euros per person, when with one or two euros more, as we did on several occasions, you could have eaten better and not the usual chicken, meatballs and vegetable skewers they forced us to eat for seven days. Anyway, when we arrived in Istanbul, at the airport, we were greeted by Aisham, a tour guide entrusted to us by the Turkish travel operator:” Intra Tour” instead of agreements between Yalla Yalla and the same. A guide who, except for a few moments, spent 80% of his time talking to the very good driver or on the phone on his own business. After picking us up at the predetermined point of the airport, Aisham, told us not to worry about the half-hour delay that our flight had been, because the destination hotel had prepared dinner anyway, as scheduled. We then left with our bus to the hotel arriving, after about an hour and discovering that that was not the hotel they had indicated in the program, and that, given the time, instead of the planned dinner they had prepared humble and desolate sandwiches. At this point part of the travelers, myself included, rebelled demanding what was planned, indicated in the program and reiterated by Aisham, namely dinner and, at about 11.30 pm, after Aisham had repeatedly contacted the Intra Tour agency, the staff reopened the restaurant, granting us a single harried waiter for 40 people and with food arranged to the good and better, almost from scraps for garbage. The next morning, with a bad breakfast, we wanted to go to the center of Istanbul, we found that the hotel where we resided was over 20 kilometers from the center and, despite being very cheap taxis, the round trip cost us over 100 euros in three days. We did not follow the route organized by the tour operator but, having been to Turkey for work dozens of times, I preferred to be my guide to my partner and another couple. In the evening we returned to the hotel where a minimal dinner was waiting for us, with food and preparations really impossible and poor. On the fourth day we left for Ankara, I state that almost every day the guide, Aisham, imposed us wake up at 6,30 / 7 really burdensome, but the distance of the hotel from the center and the traffic of Istanbul or other destinations forced, according to her, these wake up calls. Arrived in Ankara we went to a small restaurant where the usual food manphrine was replicated, or cheap pre-ordered food: chicken and vegetable skewer meatballs with inevitable, ubiquitous eggplant. I can tell you very little about the organized tours except to mention the dissatisfied faces of my fellow travelers. On the fifth day we went to Cappadocia and settled in a hotel that had reopened three days earlier absolutely disorganized., dirty with obsolete rooms and really mediocre eating: always the same vegetables meatballs or chicken. Our enthusiastic guide told us, as soon as we arrived, that we could have the pool, too bad that the pool was devoid of deck chairs, towels or towels, and anything else necessary. For the size then it should be pointed out that it had a size comparable to little more than a puddle. Moreover, as a constant throughout the tour the hotel staff, except for Ankara, did not speak English, spat here and the few words mixed with Turkish that made every conversation impossible and our guide, every time he arrived at a new location, suddenly disappeared to mind his own business. Even the visit to Cappadocia we did on our own enjoying every detail of the magnificent landscape, eating the good local food and fish in the restaurants where the driver we had taken us, thus avoiding, as our unfortunate traveling companions told us, rough visits and restaurants of the lowest level with the usual chicken and, meatballs. At dawn on the 7th day with a good 12 hours by bus, except for the usual stop at the usual low-level restaurant in Konya, where Aisham had planned to arrive at 4 pm for lunch, and where, thanks to my protests and those of the other travelers, we managed to have lunch 1:30 pm., we arrived in Pamukkale in the much-vaunted Terme Park Hotel Here again half an hour before the restaurant closed where, however, the food was not bad despite the very little time they gave us for a rush dinner. What was wrong were the rooms with air conditioning that did not work, without a safe and always with the impossibility of being able to dialogue with the reception due to the usual already mentioned linguistic deficiencies and the fact that Aisham just arrived disappeared without giving us any support. On the morning of the last day another wake-up call, with the description, while we were going to the terraces of Pamuikkale, of how the day would go, that is, that Aisham gave us two and a half hours free to visit the place but also recommending us not to swim in the pool of Herapolis because there was no time. Having said that, she sat at the bar and waited for us, alone, to go around the necropolis or the Roman theater, while all the other groups were followed by their guide because here there was so much to see and know, while we were left like loose dogs. Around 11am we left for Bodrum with a stop at a really shabby and dilapidated truckers restaurant. We arrived in Bodrum shortly after 4pm with our beautiful 10 hours of bus on our backs but waiting for us, contrary to expectations, there was no one. As was the case during the journey several times, Aisham began to make several excited phone calls inviting some of the passengers to get off the bus waiting in the street, in 40 degrees in the sun, because they would have to be associated with the other group because of the different hotel destinations. The fact is that in addition to the employees of the local corresponding agency, arrived on site and absolutely unable to handle the situation, there were no means of transport, and people, despite the agitated phone calls of our guide, had to wait in the street at the sides of the bus. A confidence of the head of the agency in Bodrum told me that we, thanks to the haste to arrive of our wise guide, had arrived an hour and a half earlier than expected, and that therefore the buses destined for the journeys would arrive much later. About 5:25 pm our bus left leaving the others, as mentioned above, in the middle of the road. As the icing on the cake of so much tribulation Aisham decided that they had to accompany themselves to the destination hotels first the most distant, so we who were only 15 minutes from the hotel had to take the 2.5 hours bus to accompany everyone, then go back and get to our hotel with aggravation of the already severe back pain. We arrived, from 6e30 in the morning departure time from the Pamukkale hotel at 19e30 to the Mirada hotel where we could do six days at sea with all the comforts, but this did not cancel the traversals, incompetence, and foolishness of the week of tour with a guide, Aisham, who should change profession and stop causing damage to customers. The two tour operators or agencies: Yalla Yalla, the first person in charge of this organization, should be deleted from the list of travel vendors and forgotten because she was first responsible for not having verified, or for having done so, the collaboration with Intra Tour which then managed trips and movements. Intra Tour then, as mentioned above, ultimately responsible for the inconvenience and various troubles, should be closed, which I will take charge of communicating to the Turkish Ministry of Tourism, so that they no longer contribute to damaging the image of a beautiful and welcoming country that they, for a week, made us wish we had never visited. Cav Dr. Franco Antonio Pinardi Journalist enrolled in the Rome/Milan Bar Secretary General Unitary Confederation Italian Tax Judges Confederation of Justices of the Peace Chairman of the Arbitration Tribunal for Enterprise Labour and Sport. #Turkey #Cappadocia #YallaYalla # Intratour # Disservices #Mismanagement #Incompetence #Discomfort #Pamukkale #amnbkara #Istanbul #Bad eating

So, first off, let me say that one of our days was spent entirely on moving from Cappadocia to Kusadasi. So, keep in mind that it is actually 4 days, not 5. Cappadocia is also a little boring and we had way too many car rides dropping off people we weren't with. However, for the price, I'd say it's pretty good. You can definitely do better if you get a private tour (not very pricey if contacting turkish travel agency directly), but for something available from Viator, it's not bad. Not going to bore you with the details, just the highlights: Cappadocia - a lot of landscapes and 4-hour per day tours or so. You will be dragged to many local stores, don't buy anything, it's horribly overpriced. Get the hot air balloon flight, it's the best. Underground city is also worth a visit, if you get the choice of underground city, ask for the biggest. Kusadasi - no tours happen here, but you will be in a hotel in the city. It's a resort city and it's absolutely charming. Plenty of good food and good drink. There's a number of relaxed shisha bars nearby. I am huge fan of the Leila cafe a couple blocks away for shisha and sunset views. And across, there is a shopping mall, check out the brand Avva for men there, absolutely the best. Ephesus - Wow! Just wow. If you're a history buff, especially. Blows Rome out of the water. Not even going to say more, just the best day. Pamukkale - Wow! Again, it's an amazing site. Our tour guide was kind enough to arrange an optional parachute ride, which flies right over the ruins and the flats. The best part of the trip for me. Tour guides change between destinations, but if you meet a Kusadasi native named Mehmet, please treat him well. He's the best!

all super organized the first guide super knowledgeable, the second a little less, hotels and transport super well

We had a blast on this 5 day tour and found the extra day in Cappadocia worth paying for. Three days out of 5 had early pick up times (Day 1 airport transfer 4:20, Day 3 airport transfer 03:00, Day 4 Hot Air Balloon, 04:20). Hassan was our tour guide for the first two days in Pamukkale and Ephesus and was very hands on, walking with us throughout the tour whilst giving us interesting information on the sites we passed through. Usman took us around for the last two days and he gave us plenty of free time to explore the sites in Cappadocia by ourselves. There were 6 of us in the tour group and 4 stayed in Ilayda Avantgarde whilst we stayed in Hotel Derici in Kusadasi. Our Hotel (Derici) was super old and definitely not the same value as Ilayda Avantgarde which was right next door. The sound proofing was also extremely poor and we couldn't sleep on the 2nd night until 12am as there was a live outdoor concert right outside the hotel (wakeup call set at 2:30am for airport transfer). Also, both hotels do not provide duvets and only a small blanket (towel like material) was provided on the bed. We found a wool blanket in the cupboard but it looked like it hadn't been laundered so we left it. Lunches at the restaurants were average, and always remember to check the prices of the drinks before ordering as the price list isn't always readily available at the table. Remember to ask the tour guides where the free toilets are as some of the historical sites will charge 2-3TL for entry per person.