Turkey

Turkey | Apr 21 - Apr 30, 2023

All of our guides were very knowledgeable and personable and really helped us get a much deeper understanding of the history and culture of Turkey. We had a lot of places we wanted to see in a short time (Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Cappadocia), but Berat and the team made it all run so smoothly (which was not easy because we took a lot of domestic flights) and helped take off a lot of the stress. All the places we saw were amazing, but we were blown away by Cappadocia! It was truly incredible to see the churches/monasteries and the underground city. And we were really lucky the weather held out so we could go on the hot air balloon ride. We enjoyed our hotel in Sirince the most (Nisanyan House) because it felt the most like a home and the setting in the mountains was so quiet and peaceful. The homemade breakfast was such a treat too! We are grateful Berat recommended this place! We would not recommend the hotel where we stayed at Hierapolis - one of us got bitten by a lot of bugs in the bed. Overall however, we were very pleased with our boutique hotel accommodations throughout the trip because they added a special touch to our trip. Turkey should definitely be on your bucket list, and we recommend experiencing it through Kimkim!

Hotel Reviews

Nisanyan Houses

Selçuk

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gül Konaklari Sinasos (Rose Mansions Sinasos)

Nevsehir

Authenticity & Character

Location

I think next time we would have stayed in one of the slightly bigger towns nearby

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pam Thermal Hotel

Pamukkale/Denizli

Authenticity & Character

Full of lots of other tourists

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

One of us got bit by bugs

Ansen Suites

Istanbul

Authenticity & Character

Location

Only thing is it was pretty loud into the night on a saturday night because it seems like a party district

Staff

Served us tea while we waited for our room

Cleanliness & Comfort

Recital Hotel

Istanbul

Authenticity & Character

Location

Could walk to the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque and Grand Bazaar!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Avanos: Discovering the Ceramic Tradition and Light hiking in the Love Valley

Cappadocia

We really enjoyed our lunch in a little hut over the river in the Love Valley! Beautiful place for a quiet stroll too. Might skip the Ceramic Tradition as everything they were selling was beautiful but too expensive.

Explore the Ancient City of Ephesus

Turkey

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide here was really funny and also really knowledgeable!

Visiting Göreme Open Air Museum (UNESCO World Heritage)

Cappadocia

Sightseeing Around Uçhisar and Discovering the Cappadocian Valleys

Cappadocia

Hot Air Balloon Tour at Sunrise

Cappadocia

There are two groups of hot air balloons that go up and I would try to ask for the earlier one if possible so you can actually see the sunrise from the balloon! We went up a bit later so we missed the sunrise by a bit.

Kaymaklı Underground City + Light Hiking at Ihlara Valley + Selime Monastery

Cappadocia

Visit to Ephesus Archaeological Museum + House of Virgin Mary

Turkey

Pamukkale and Hierapolis

Pamukkale

Discover Byzantine + Ottoman Istanbul

İstanbul

Eminönü Heritage Tour: Explore the Historical Bazaars and Ottoman Architectural Sites of Istanbul

İstanbul

Public Boat Tour on the Bosphorus

İstanbul

Whirling Dervish Ceremony at Saruhan Caravansarai

Turkey

Incredible setting! Interesting opportunity to understand more about this religious tradition, though some travelers might find the performance a bit long.