Istanbul + ??? in early April
September 28, 2015 10:01 AM Subscribe
Two adults looking for a somewhat-urban, deliciously-flavoured, culturally-delightful, reasonably-priced weekend getaway from Istanbul on the first weekend of April (31 Mar-3 Apr), ideally no more than a few hours' journey away. Where should we go?
This mini-break will be at the end of a whole week in Istanbul, so something non-Turkish would be an interesting change (though obviously staying in Turkey would be easiest, and Istanbul ≠ Turkey).
Some ideas we've had:
Inside Turkey
- Bursa and Iznik - Bursa seems quite bustling and historic while Iznik seems quiet and charming
- Ankara - does it have three/four days worth of things to see and do?
- Ephesus - this seems like the must-see non-Istanbul destination and is easy if we fly to Izmir, but will there be enough for four days if we don't have a lot of background knowledge in the classical world?
Outside Turkey
- Tbilisi - our current favourite; friends have raved about the food; good flight times
- Sarajevo - also seems perfect and also has convenient flight times
- Athens/Thessaloniki - Thessaloniki seems just urban enough with a good mix of contemporary and historic sites, but is giving Athens a miss wrong?
More about us
- Our budget is around USD 100 for accommodation/night. Round-trip travel to/from Istanbul should be under USD 200; this seems achievable with all of these places.
- We've been to most of western Europe, plus Poland, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. We don't need a beach but definitely wouldn't mind a seaside cafe and generally warmer weather. Longer days are better.
- We love strolling, cafes, art/architecture (especially folk art), truly excellent museums, and local food and wine.
- Cappadocia is too rural/quiet for us; I've been before and didn't love it. Also, we're not interested in Iran right now as we have a longer trip there planned in the future!
Thank you for your advice!
This mini-break will be at the end of a whole week in Istanbul, so something non-Turkish would be an interesting change (though obviously staying in Turkey would be easiest, and Istanbul ≠ Turkey).
Some ideas we've had:
Inside Turkey
- Bursa and Iznik - Bursa seems quite bustling and historic while Iznik seems quiet and charming
- Ankara - does it have three/four days worth of things to see and do?
- Ephesus - this seems like the must-see non-Istanbul destination and is easy if we fly to Izmir, but will there be enough for four days if we don't have a lot of background knowledge in the classical world?
Outside Turkey
- Tbilisi - our current favourite; friends have raved about the food; good flight times
- Sarajevo - also seems perfect and also has convenient flight times
- Athens/Thessaloniki - Thessaloniki seems just urban enough with a good mix of contemporary and historic sites, but is giving Athens a miss wrong?
More about us
- Our budget is around USD 100 for accommodation/night. Round-trip travel to/from Istanbul should be under USD 200; this seems achievable with all of these places.
- We've been to most of western Europe, plus Poland, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. We don't need a beach but definitely wouldn't mind a seaside cafe and generally warmer weather. Longer days are better.
- We love strolling, cafes, art/architecture (especially folk art), truly excellent museums, and local food and wine.
- Cappadocia is too rural/quiet for us; I've been before and didn't love it. Also, we're not interested in Iran right now as we have a longer trip there planned in the future!
Thank you for your advice!
Best answer: Athens is great! People bitch about it, but seriously, I was just there and loved it.
It feels pretty different from Istanbul, which I was not expecting as they are similar cities on paper (ancient center, tourism connected to classical sites, former Ottoman empire, similar cuisines, etc). Greek drinking culture is markedly different from that of Turkey (probably largely due to lack of Islamic influence?), which was pretty interesting. I drank more ouzo and raki than wine, but the wines I had were delicious.
Having traveled to both Italy and Turkey before, I was surprised at how interesting and affecting the classical Athenian sites were. It was pretty impressive to stand in an amphitheater and think "this is where drama was invented!" and the like. I also got to see the Antikythera mechanism, which, COOOOOLLLLLL. That was at the National Archaeological Museum, which is the typical old-style museum of the type you've probably visited before (similar to the one in Istanbul, and in the same genre as places like the Met, the British Museum, etc). The new Acropolis Museum is one of the most fascinating museums I've ever visited.
Athens is an easy city to travel and stay in, very affordable, and a long weekend is the perfect amount of time to spend. Can't speak for April, but I was there the first week in June and the weather was lovely if a bit on the hot side. April should be the perfect time to go.
I was there in the middle of this past spring/summer's installment of the big Greek financial drama, and none of that really impacted my stay at all.
posted by Sara C. at 11:37 AM on September 28, 2015
It feels pretty different from Istanbul, which I was not expecting as they are similar cities on paper (ancient center, tourism connected to classical sites, former Ottoman empire, similar cuisines, etc). Greek drinking culture is markedly different from that of Turkey (probably largely due to lack of Islamic influence?), which was pretty interesting. I drank more ouzo and raki than wine, but the wines I had were delicious.
Having traveled to both Italy and Turkey before, I was surprised at how interesting and affecting the classical Athenian sites were. It was pretty impressive to stand in an amphitheater and think "this is where drama was invented!" and the like. I also got to see the Antikythera mechanism, which, COOOOOLLLLLL. That was at the National Archaeological Museum, which is the typical old-style museum of the type you've probably visited before (similar to the one in Istanbul, and in the same genre as places like the Met, the British Museum, etc). The new Acropolis Museum is one of the most fascinating museums I've ever visited.
Athens is an easy city to travel and stay in, very affordable, and a long weekend is the perfect amount of time to spend. Can't speak for April, but I was there the first week in June and the weather was lovely if a bit on the hot side. April should be the perfect time to go.
I was there in the middle of this past spring/summer's installment of the big Greek financial drama, and none of that really impacted my stay at all.
posted by Sara C. at 11:37 AM on September 28, 2015
Best answer: I can't speak to the rest but I think 4 days is too many for Ephesus. We spent a day touring the ruins, which seemed adequate. You could certainly take other days trips from the Selcuk\Ephesus area though, like Pamukkale or the Basilica of St John for example.
posted by JaredSeth at 11:43 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by JaredSeth at 11:43 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Ankara is a government town with a university. The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is nice and does a long history of civilization in Turkey. It also has the impressive Anıtkabir which is worth a visit. I also spent one day just shopping and hanging out in bars by the university. I liked that on the end of my visit, I could take an overnight train back to Instanbul and be right back in the city without having to deal with airports or a long bus ride.
I agree that Ephesus is a bit small for 4 days, but Selcuk was one of my favorite stops in Turkey. The hotel was the best value for money, we walked to the Ephesus site, and we spent a day in Şirince which reminded me of Tuscany, beautiful hilly wine country. So relaxing. One regret is that we didn't check stay and check out Izmir. I assume it has something to offer-it's a big city.
posted by Gor-ella at 12:20 PM on September 28, 2015
I agree that Ephesus is a bit small for 4 days, but Selcuk was one of my favorite stops in Turkey. The hotel was the best value for money, we walked to the Ephesus site, and we spent a day in Şirince which reminded me of Tuscany, beautiful hilly wine country. So relaxing. One regret is that we didn't check stay and check out Izmir. I assume it has something to offer-it's a big city.
posted by Gor-ella at 12:20 PM on September 28, 2015
Best answer: Alaçatı. It's Turkish, but it's really a lovely place to spend a few days. You'll be right on the Aegean, with easy access to gorgeous water, amazing food, and if you felt like a drive to Ephesus, it's very doable.
I really recommend you stay at the Vintage Hotel Alaçatı if you do go. The owners (a young married couple with incredible design sense) are very friendly and make a mind-boggling breakfast every day.
posted by yellowcandy at 1:08 PM on September 28, 2015
I really recommend you stay at the Vintage Hotel Alaçatı if you do go. The owners (a young married couple with incredible design sense) are very friendly and make a mind-boggling breakfast every day.
posted by yellowcandy at 1:08 PM on September 28, 2015
Best answer: I only visited Bursa once, for a very short stay, but it left a really good impression: lots of historic sites in a compact centre, with a nice 'airy' feel for what is actually a quite a large city. It's a bit hard to describe why: partly because, being built on the lower slopes of Ulu Dağ, the historic centre is higher up than much of the conurbation, which spreads down across the plains below. There are other places nearby that get you out of the city without taking more than a morning for the trip. (I went to Cumalıkızık, for example.)
If I went there now, no longer on a grad student budget, I imagine I'd be able to find a pretty nice hotel and some very good food for the price range you've suggested.
posted by lapsangsouchong at 2:26 PM on September 28, 2015
If I went there now, no longer on a grad student budget, I imagine I'd be able to find a pretty nice hotel and some very good food for the price range you've suggested.
posted by lapsangsouchong at 2:26 PM on September 28, 2015
Best answer: Tbilisi is cool and pretty inexpensive. It's like a cross between Turkey and Russia. The Georgian countryside is spectacular. None of the museums piqued my interest.
Ephesus is great (I'm not really a ruins guy), but can easily be done in a day for a casual visitor.
Seconding Alaçatı (semi-rural). It's more summer oriented so when I went last year around the same time you're thinking it felt pretty empty. But that suited me just fine. Great food as yellowcandy mentioned (including seafood in nearby Cesme), and definitely different from Istanbul, more like being in Greece. Though I would suggest renting a car in and out of Izmir for this.
Athens is decidedly urban, but worth seeing for sure. Great walking city with many different neighborhoods. The Acropolis Museum is truly excellent.
posted by lowest east side at 10:53 PM on September 28, 2015
Ephesus is great (I'm not really a ruins guy), but can easily be done in a day for a casual visitor.
Seconding Alaçatı (semi-rural). It's more summer oriented so when I went last year around the same time you're thinking it felt pretty empty. But that suited me just fine. Great food as yellowcandy mentioned (including seafood in nearby Cesme), and definitely different from Istanbul, more like being in Greece. Though I would suggest renting a car in and out of Izmir for this.
Athens is decidedly urban, but worth seeing for sure. Great walking city with many different neighborhoods. The Acropolis Museum is truly excellent.
posted by lowest east side at 10:53 PM on September 28, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks all! We have decided on Tbilisi after checking flight prices and reading this great article in the Guardian yesterday!
posted by mdonley at 9:35 PM on October 4, 2015
posted by mdonley at 9:35 PM on October 4, 2015
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posted by PenDevil at 11:12 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]