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How to go from Istanbul to Ephesus: Tour, Backpack by Bus or Plane
To visit the archeological site ofEphesus, you have to go to the town of Selçuk, which is just belowEphesus, 2-3km away You have different options to go there On an organized tour This is the option that I do not recommend because it is so easy to move around on your own. All the agencies in downtown Istanbul will offer you organized tours (with transportation) from Istanbul to Ephesus (with tour, guide, transportation included) for one day Either you opt for night buses (cheaper) Either you opt for the (more expensive) plane: departure from the hotel at 5 am and return to Istanbul at 11 pm Please note that tour…
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Ephesus (Turkey) in a backpack – Travel Diary
This weekend we spend 4 days in the Lycos Valley visiting ancient cities and hot springs. Even if there is very little information for those who want to visit the area in a backpack, our experience in Cappadocia shows us that you can always get out of it. So it is only with two plane tickets and no other reservation that we left Istanbul Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary How to get there? We chose to do a large part of the trip by plane (istanbul – izmir) even if it forced us to get up at 5:15 am. We land with 15…
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[Travel Light] Our Tips for the World Tour
We went around the world with 8kg for me (Anh) and 16kg for JB. On the way, we gave up a lot of things to finish at 7-8kg for me, and 13kg for JB. How to travel light and not have back pain? Here are our tips! The backpack is so important The backpack decides everything. A quality backpack, with a reasonable capacity, here is the main key to travel light. Because psychologically, a half-empty bag = you want to fill it. So, a small bag = little stuff. If I opted for a 26L, JB opted for a 65L. If possible, avoid Decathlon bags, which are inexpensive but not…
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[Thoughts] #1: Living in the Present Moment
I decided to open a new category on the blog, which will gather all the thoughts I have during the trip. It’s very “personal development” oriented. One of my favorite topics. And these articles also answer the question I’m often asked: What do you get out of travelling around the world? Because if JB travels to escape the routine and discover new countries, I travel to discover myself. Background To give you a bit of context, before the world tour, despite an exciting job, a nice apartment, financial comfort and a lovely cat, I was completely stressed and unhappy. My body was letting me know, making me sick summer and…
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Istanbul (Turkey) #4: Turkish Breakfast, Blue Mosque, Basilica Tank
Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary New AirbnbCa is there, we changed Airbnb. The new Airbnb is much cheaper (24€/day thanks to a big discount linked to our stay) and much better located. So much the better because I’m starting to feel the need to be closer to fast transports like streetcar or subway (the bus is too slow). From our different windows (yes there are plenty of them, the apartment is ultra bright), we can see well the hills that surround us and the Galata tower which isn’t very far. I let you watch this video made by JB if you are interested…
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Cappadocia / Goreme (Turkey) by Car: Travel Guide, Itinerary, Budget, Google Maps, Tips, Tricks
I spent an impressive number of hours organizing my trip to Cappadocia. There is a serious lack of information about this region, especially about transportation, because (1) it isn’t a very well known region (2) most tourists opt for organized tours (3) the Routard/Lonely Planet type travel guides only list the points of interest city by city while Cappadocia can be visited by going from one city to another. So I took my courage in both hands, and after my recent weekend in Göreme, I wrote down, pinned down, and created Google Maps itineraries to make it easier for you. Visiting Cappadocia without a guide is quite possible, just read…
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3 days in Cappadocia (Turkey) from Paris: Budget, Itinerary, Car Rental
If after reading the travel diary in Göreme and our pictures of the 100 hot-air balloons in the sky, you also feel like doing the same thing, know that it is quite possible to do part of what we did in 3 days (from Friday to Sunday). From Paris. yes yes! Here is the detailed program, as well as the budget, to help you get organized. Recommended flights Round trip plane : Paris => Kayseri, 1 777 TL/person or 264€/person, only one hand luggage allowed (which is more than enough for a 3-day weekend) Exchange rate in October 2018: 1€ = 6.58 Turkish Lira Day 1 : Arrival in Kayseri…
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Travel Diary: 3 days in Göreme in Cappadocia (Turkey)
This weekend, we’re going to visit Cappadocia, following the photos that made us dream too much (a hundred hot-air balloons in the sky). We told you about hot-air balloons here. In this article, we will talk about the rest. Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Departure from IstanbulWe wake up at 4:30 am and order an Uber at 5 am. Because of our ignorance, we booked the flight from the farthest airport of Istanbul (code name SAW) which is 50mn – 1h away. In Istanbul, Uber allows us to call classic cabs so when we see a cab stop right in front of our…
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Hot Balloons in Cappadocia in Göreme (Turkey) – is this worth it?
Until then, we had never heard of Cappadocia in Turkey, but the pictures seen on a travel blog made us want it too much. The region is really super beautiful (I will talk about it here), but we also came to enjoy a unique show: a hundred hot-air balloons flying over the region EVERY MORNING (well, weather permitting). No no, it’s not a festival or a special occasion, we see it EVERY DAY! Note: this article will contain a lot of blah blah blah blah. We try to show you as many pictures as possible, but you know what we think about pictures: there will be more beautiful ones on…
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Istanbul (Turkey) #3: Grand Bazaar, Egyptian Bazaar & Galata Bridge
If you missed the previous episodes, here are the links Istanbul #1: Visit of Saint Sophia Istanbul #2 : Discovery of the Sisli district Today, I take you to the markets and I take you to see the famous Galata Bridge in Istanbul. This bridge, although it is very beautiful, does not connect Europe to Asia. No no no! Let’s say that it rather connects the old city (European side) to the more modern city (still on the European side). The Asian side is ultra modern 😀 Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary The Great Bazaar Shopping is my passion. And strolling in the…
