Does our Turkish Experience Look like it is a fit for you?
Travel Book: Rick Steves Istanbul
Tour: Thirteen Day Turkish Treasures with Gate1 (our official review below)
We recently returned from the thirteen day Gate1 TurkeyTreasures Tour. Food and accommodation exceeded our expectations. The trip was informative, well planned, and provided numerous opportunities for local experiences. Gate1 was flexible to work with allowing us to extend our returning flight one week in order to spend more time in Istanbul. The Gate1 flights were booked with Turkish Air which was a real treat. This is our second Gate1 trip and we have already booked again for Cambodia/Vietnam in January.
VRBO Stay: As of November 2014 #1015935ha (our official review below)
What an exceptional find! Conveniently located close to buses that go basically everywhere this well equipped apartment will provide an oasis for your time in Istanbul. Is the Balet District for you? Do you think happiness smells like bread sticks pulled straight from the wood stove? Do you think shopping at local markets is an adventure--especially when the vendor takes his time to teach you how to signal half a kilo? Are you up to trying local breakfast pastries from the carts that travel down your cobble stone street? Have you ever wanted to be the only one, alone with your camera, with incredible mosaics surrounding you? Would you climb up to the top of the ancient city walls to get an incredible view of Istanbul? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you would indeed reverence the moment you are caught in the rain with one of Balet's own (in conservative dress)...she smiles at you..reaches up toward the heavens as if to tell you rain is a blessing from God...now you know you belong in Balet. Many thanks to our incredible hosts.
General Hints:
Travel Book: Rick Steves Istanbul
Tour: Thirteen Day Turkish Treasures with Gate1 (our official review below)
We recently returned from the thirteen day Gate1 TurkeyTreasures Tour. Food and accommodation exceeded our expectations. The trip was informative, well planned, and provided numerous opportunities for local experiences. Gate1 was flexible to work with allowing us to extend our returning flight one week in order to spend more time in Istanbul. The Gate1 flights were booked with Turkish Air which was a real treat. This is our second Gate1 trip and we have already booked again for Cambodia/Vietnam in January.
VRBO Stay: As of November 2014 #1015935ha (our official review below)
What an exceptional find! Conveniently located close to buses that go basically everywhere this well equipped apartment will provide an oasis for your time in Istanbul. Is the Balet District for you? Do you think happiness smells like bread sticks pulled straight from the wood stove? Do you think shopping at local markets is an adventure--especially when the vendor takes his time to teach you how to signal half a kilo? Are you up to trying local breakfast pastries from the carts that travel down your cobble stone street? Have you ever wanted to be the only one, alone with your camera, with incredible mosaics surrounding you? Would you climb up to the top of the ancient city walls to get an incredible view of Istanbul? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you would indeed reverence the moment you are caught in the rain with one of Balet's own (in conservative dress)...she smiles at you..reaches up toward the heavens as if to tell you rain is a blessing from God...now you know you belong in Balet. Many thanks to our incredible hosts.
General Hints:
- Launch out from the organized tour and do some things on your own
- Use public transportation—buses, trams, funicular, ferries
- Shop at the local markets and try the local foods
- Hit the less traveled sites and local walking tours of Balet/Fener
- Spice Market over the Grand Bazaar
- Just spend time in the neighborhoods—go to Eyup!
- Do the long cheap ferry tour of the Bosphorus
- Our Balloon Ride was cancelled due to weather, but we totally think it would have been worth the $$
- Check out our pics…we don’t regret anything we did
