Would there be any reason to choose Ankara over Istanbul, as a destination? Istanbul seems the obvious choice to me, but maybe others can give pros and cons for each, in case there are advantages of Ankara I dont know about.
Reply to this I have bought the ticket now. Istanbul it is. But, feel free to comment on both cities. This wont be my last visit to Turkey. 😊
Reply to this Sorry Mel, did not see this - but Istanbul has far, far more to offer than Ankara. The main reason I visited Ankara was twofold - to see Ataturk's mausoleum and as a transit for heading to Cappadocia.
Reply to this Thanks Shane 😊 Glad I made the right choice. When I was buying the tickets, I discovered that if I want to fly to Ankara, I would need to stop over for a couple of hours in Istanbul anyway, and it would cost 40 Euros more to get to Ankara. That made the choice more clear for me.
Turkey is an exotic location, that is right on my door step, yet I have only spent a night and half a day there so far. As well as that, it only costs 150 Euros return to fly there, an the flight is less than 3 hours. It seems so much less expensive and less tiring that my usual long hauls to get to something exotic.
I was thinking about using Turkey as a stepping stone for overland travel to places like Syria, Iran... in the next few years, but maybe I should consider it to be a destination in itself.
This reminds me about the other exotic destination on my doorstep. I havent been in most of the former Yugoslavian countries, since they were the former Yugoslavia. About time I head in that direction too. 😊
Reply to this Ankara is mostly government. There is a good museum. However, I agree with Shane that you made the right choice going to Istanbul...vastly more to see and do there. Cappadocia is also fascinating, but don't ignore the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts which in addition to having great sailing and beaches also has the ruins of many ancient Greek and Roman cities.
Reply to this I think that Istanbul can not be compared to Ankara. Istanbul is much more tourist city and I think it is the best choice for you. There are a lot of things which you can do there for example sightseeing, Bosphorous tour, shopping and even visiting belly dance show program. If you need accommodation I can also recommend you <snip>. I usually use their services for my accommodation in Turkey. Wish you nice trip and don't forget to taste the delicious baklava and Turkish coffee 😊
[Edited: 2011 Aug 20 08:44 - Jabe:6222 - No URL drops on forums, please.]
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