We are looking at the "Turkey Land and Sea" trip as it includes places we want to go, plus 2 days on a gulet.
However we are worried about all the long bus rides.
Out of the 15 day trip, there are 6 days with bus rides of between 5 and 8 hours! And a couple more days with shorter rides. Seems like a big chunk of the trip is spent on the bus.
We like active trips (with some comforts) but we're afraid we might not enjoy being stuck on a bus.
Unfortunately it's a big country so dont believe there are any alternatives.
Has anyone done this trip recently, or any similar to it that can comment on the bus rides?
Thanks!
Long bus rides? Turkey Land and Sea
Hey LouiseC
Thanks for your post!
As you already seem to be aware Turkey is a huge country and it is difficult to see the excursions mentioned on the itinerary without some long travelling periods.
However I did the Vietnam Highlights tour last year which also has some long days of travel by minibus and we stopped very regularly at places of interest along the way and also went to nice places for lunch and generally this made the time fly by. A good book is also handy!!
Have a wonderful time.
Kate
Turkey East and West
My sister and I did the Turkey East and West in 2007 - (Turkey Land/Sea and Eastern Images). The Land/Sea portion sounds worse than it actually is as far as the long travel days go.
The landscape is spectacular (plains, lush valleys with lemon and orange groves-- not to mention Cappadocia). They stop every 2 hrs as there are actually places to stop (not like in Eastern Turkey where you go sometimes more than 3 hrs without a stop). In Cappadocia (near Avanos) you will be walking your socks off and well make up for the hours sitting on the bus. Don't worry, it will be active. On the gulet, you can swim, kayak (they carry kayaks with the boat), and hike the shoreline as they stay close to an area that has Lycian ruins. Lots of fun.
You will enjoy every minute as there certainly is something to see and do.
At Pamakkale, Ephesus, Bergama there is lots of walking as you not only see the major site but walk through huge necropolis. Enjoy Selcuk one of our favourite places as we walked into the small town several times for meals (were there 2 nights)-- check out the "Old House" restaurant. Drove up to the village of Sirice and did lots of walking there -- very steep.
The amount of activity you do on this tour is your choice and there is certainly lots to do. Enjoy!!