All About Republic of Turkey (Istanbul etc...) Part 3

tia1960

Asalam
Memandangkan thread Part 2 dah sampai 103 saya tolong bukakan Part 3 plak. Bercadang hendak pergi Turkey/Istanbul bln September ni in syaa Allah . Masih mencari-cari apa yg menarik disana.

azi1111

Waalaikumsalam,

Dah confirm tarikh ke bulan September ni?

owen81

BIla buka thread baru kena bubuh sekali info. Cuba copy info from previous thread or kalau you ada info sendiri lagi bagus.

owen81

Salam 1Malaysia kepada semua khususnya kepada warga forum Turkey (Istanbul etc). Seperti yang kita ketahui, thread Turkey kite  telah sampai ke hujung jalan. Oleh itu, untuk memudahkan kita semua untuk berforum dan berkongsi2 pengalaman, maka saya telah membuka thread yg baru... Untuk rujukan ke thread yang lama, sila klik

http://mforum.cari.com.my/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=171350&extra=page%3D3&page=1


http://mforum.cari.com.my/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=682727&extra=page%3D1

I try to gather info on interesting places of interests around Turkey (Istanbul especially) for our reference...Happy reading!



Map courtesy of Lonely Planet.com
Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Turkey  is on the Mediterranean, in the Anatolian region of West Asia, with a small section in Southeastern Europe separated by the Turkish Straits (Bosphorus, Sea of Marmara, and Dardanelles). With the Black Sea to the north and the Aegean Sea in the west and Mediterranean Sea to the southwest, Turkey is surrounded by Bulgaria and Greece to the west, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to the northeast, Syria, Iraq and Iran to the southeast.

Geography
Turkey occupies a landmass slightly larger than Texas, at just over 750,000 square kilometres, and is more than three times the size of the United Kingdom. In terms of the variety of terrain and particularly the diversity of its plant life, however, Turkey exhibits the characteristics of a small continent. There are, for example, some 10,000 plant species in the country (compared with some 13,000 in all of Europe) — one in three of which is endemic to Turkey. Indeed, there are more species in Istanbul Province (2,000) than in the whole of the United Kingdom. While many people know of Turkey's rich archaeological heritage, it possesses an equally valuable array of ecosystems — peat bogs, heathlands, steppes, and coastal plains. Turkey possesses much forest (about a quarter of the land) but, as importantly, some half of the country is semi-natural landscape that has not been entirely remodeled by man.


Cities
Ankara — the capital of Turkey and its second largest city
Antalya — the fastest growing city, hub to an array of beach resorts
Bodrum — a trendy coastal town in Southern Aegean which turns into a crowded city in season when it serves as a playground for Turkish and international holidaymakers alike, featuring a citadel, Roman ruins, trendy clubs and a number of villages surrounding the peninsula each with a different character from classy to rustic
Edirne — the second capital of the Ottoman Empire
Istanbul — Turkey's largest city, the former capital of both the Ottoman and Byzantine Empires, and the only major city in the world to straddle two continents
Izmir — Turkey's third largest city
Konya — a quite large city that is the heartland of mystic Sufi order, the site of Rumi's tomb, and with some elegant Seljuq architecture, all surrounded by vast steppes
Trabzon — the wonderful Sumela Monastery is just outside the city and it is a great gateway to exploring the Turkish Northeast
Urfa — magical city with beautiful architecture and extremely friendly locals at the gates of Eastern World; where Kurdish, Arabic, and Persian cultures mingle


Other Destinations
Ani — impressive ruins of medieval Armenian capital in the far east of the country
Cappadocia — an area in central highlands best known for its unique moon-like landscape (the "fairy chimneys"), underground cities, cave churches and houses carved in the rocks
Ephesus — well-preserved ruins of the Roman city on the west coast
Gallipoli — site of 1915 Anzac landing and many WWI memorials
Mount Nemrut — a UNESCO World Heritage site with head statues dedicated to ancient Gods on its summit
Ölüdeniz — imcomparable postcard beauty of "Blue Lagoon", perhaps the most famous beach of Turkey which you will see on any tourism brochure
Pamukkale — "the Cotton Castle", white world of travertines surrounding cascading shallow pools filled with thermal waters
Sümela — stunning monastery on the cliffs of a mountain, a must-see on any trip to the northeast coast
Uludağ — a national park featuring school textbook belts of different types of forests varying with altitude, and the major wintersports resort of the country

Get in

BY PLANE: For Malaysians, we do not need a visa to enter Turkey.  Turkey's primary international gateway by air is Istanbul's Atatürk International Airport. Meanwhile, Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) is a low-cost carriers airport (ala2 LCC), this airport is situated some 50km east of Istanbul's Taksim Square on the Asian side of Istanbul. Airlines servicing this airport include EasyJet, Germanwings, Pegasus Airline, Condor, THY (Turkish Airlines) and many more.

Malaysians can fly to Istanbul with airlines such as Malaysian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Egypt Air and many more.

FROM ATTARTUK AIRPORT: You can either catch a taxi, metro or hotel transfer straight to the hotel. If u're taking the metro, catch the underground in the direction of Zeytinburnu. Get off later and catch the train to Kabatas.  If your hotel is located at Sultanahamet, get off at the respective stop. if u are staying at Sirjkechi or Eminonu, the places are two more stops further.

Currency Conversion

1 turkish lira = rm1.7025 = usd0.5577 (as in 2nd of Nov 2012)

Climate

The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea have a temperate Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild to cool, wet winters. The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Black Sea have a temperate Oceanic climate with warm, wet summers and cool to cold, wet winters.
The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Sea of Marmara (including Istanbul), which connects the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea, have a transitional climate between a temperate Mediterranean climate and a temperate Oceanic climate with warm to hot, moderately dry summers and cool to cold, wet winters. Snow does occur on the coastal areas of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea almost every winter.  Snow on the other hand is rare in the coastal areas of the Aegean Sea and very rare in the coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea.
Winters on the plateau are especially severe. Temperatures of −30 °C to −40 °C (−22 °F to −40 °F) can occur in eastern Anatolia, and snow may lie on the ground at least 120 days of the year. In the west, winter temperatures average below 1 °C (34 °F). Summers are hot and dry, with temperatures generally above 30 °C (86 °F) in the day. Annual precipitation averages about 400 millimetres (15 in), with actual amounts determined by elevation. The driest regions are the Konya plain and the Malatya plain, where annual rainfall frequently is less than 300 millimetres (12 in). May is generally the wettest month, whereas July and August are the driest.

*The information is correct at the time of pasting and credits should be given to wikitravel.org.

owen81

ISTANBUL: The only city in the world on two continents

PRACTICAL INFO

• Istanbul is at GMT +2 hour zone.
• Turkey has no regulations concerning vaccinations.However there are swine flu controls at the airports. Basicly on body heat.
• Turkey Uses 220 V, 50 Hz electrical system.
• GSM (Non-North American) standard mobile cellular telephones functions. 900/1800.
• Weekdays are Monday to Friday, Banking hours are from 09:00 to 17:00.
• Official Holidays: Jan 1 - New years day, April23 - Children's day, May 19 - Youths day, August 30 - Independence day, Oct 29 - Republic day.
• Religious Holidays: There are also two long Religious Holidays, dates are changing according to Islamic Calendar. Islamic Holidays are Ramadan Break and Eid break.
  

Must see attractions in Istanbul

1. Hagia Sophia: Once a church, Istanbulthan became a Mosque and now a Museum. Probably one of the most interesting spots of Istanbul. It is called as St Sophia, Hagia Sophia or Ayasofya, the difference is only in the Languages. Ayasofya is one of the most extraordinary buildings in the history of architecture. Ayasofya is the forth biggest Cathedral in the world with its 56m high dome, after Saint Paul in London, Saint Peter in Rome and Duomo in Milan, However the main fact is, it was built more than 1000 years ago from the others.. The museum is open everyday, except Monday.And visiting hours are from 9:30 to 16:30. The entrance fee is 20 TL (~ 9 Euro) including visit to the upper gallery floor. (Before the upper gallery has got an extra fee.)

2. Blue Mosque, (Sultanahmet Cami): The Blue Mosque is one of the most prominent landmarks of Istanbul. It is very impressive with its beautiful domes and semi domes, nice courtyards and six slender minarets. Sultanahmed mosque is just in the middle of sultanahmed square, it is almost in the center of the touristy area. Entry into the mosque is free and it is open from 0900 to 1800. The North door of the Mosque is used for tourists where the west door of the mosque was reserved for Muslim prayers. It is required for ladies to bring a head scarves or you can borrow one from the entrance.

3. Topkapi Palace: Topkapi Palace is definitely the best looking palace in Turkey. Home for the Ottoman Sultans, is now a perfect place to be a Museum to reflect the glory of Ottoman Empire, Sultans and their way of living. The Museum is open between 9:00 am- 7:00 pm everyday except for Tuesdays. Tickets are  purchased in the gateway to the Second Court. The tickets cost 20,- TL (approx. to 13 USD or 9 EURO) per person. The Harem section needs a separate admission fee and costs another 15,- TL. There is a discounted fee for the students. The Harem Section can be visited with a separate ticket in the ticket office near the Harem entrance. The tours to Harem are operated every half hour from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm.  Topkapi palace has now an audio guide system which can be rented on the entrance for a cost of 15TL.  All important items on the palace was identified with numbers and if you dial the code number of the item or place, you can get a full description of it. Currently the system is available on following languages, English, Germain, French, Spanish and Italian.

4. Basilica Cistern: Basilica cistern or better known as Yerebatan sarayi is a very authentic place and a must see in Istanbul. The cistern is located at the Sultanahmet square, when you are about to reach the Sultanahmet Square on the right bank you will see the basilica cistern. There is a small building next to the tram line, there leads the stairs down to the Basilica cistern. Basilica is opened every day from 09:00 hrs to 18:30 and the entrance fee is 10 TL (~7 USD) for foreign visitors.

5. The Grand Bazaar  is one of the the largest covered markets in the world with its 4400 shops in 64 streets and with 22 gates .
There are thousands of things  you can find and purchase in the Grand Bazaar. You can find all kinds of stuff in the Bazaar, varying from Silk carpets to leather coats and from gold to fake brand T-shirts.
How to reach Covered Bazaar: Covered bazaar is very near to Beyazit square and also walking distance from Sultanahmet square. It is also on the route of Tram line. If you take a tram than you should get off at Beyazit square stop (1). Just walk a little backwards and you will see the road leading to the entrance of the Bazaar (2).. Walk along the shop and soon you will be in front of "Carsikapi" One of the main entrances of Covered bazaar. See map for detailed description.

6. Dolmabahce Palace:  It's a beautiful 19th Century palace right by the Bosphorus, on the waterfront. It's in baroque and rococo style and very French. Many people think that it is a small model of the palace of Versailles in Paris, France. It can be visited with a tour guide of the palace as a group. Open everyday from 9:00-15:00 except Monday and Thursday.
How to reach Dolmabahce Palace:  Get on the Tram to Sirkeci direction. The tram will go first to Sirkeci and eminonu district and later continues to Karakoy by passing the Galata bridge. Take the tram and do not get off untill the last stop. When you reach the last stop of Tram, you will be in Kabatas district and its only 200-300 meters to Dolmabahce palace. You will see a place where Sea buses and Ferries port (Kabatas), you need to get off from here. When you stopped at kabatas walk to the front and after 200 meters you will see the Dolmabahce palace on the Right side at the seaside.

7. Bosphorus tour by Boat: There are several excursion and small boats running a long the Bosporus. Istanbul  Ferries to the Bosphorus leaves from Eminonu, so take a tram and reach to Eminonu. There are many operators running the cruise, so choose the one that suits you best.

All information is adapted from: http://www.letsgoistanbul.com

owen81

SUGGESTED HOTELS TO STAY AT ISTANBUL

Sapa2 yg nak suggest hotel, just let me know, so that i can updated it here...These hotels i ambik dari trip advisor for bajet hotels sekitar Sultanahamet. Susunan mengikut ranking di Sultanahamet (tinggi ke rendah). Ranking yg sebelum harga tu adalah ranking di seluruh Istanbul.


1. Basileus Hotel
Kadirga Liman Cad. Sehit Mehmet Pasa Sok. No:1 Sultanahmet, Fatih, Istanbul 34122, Turkey (Old City, Sultanahmet) - ranked no 14 (harga dari usd62-usd119)

2. Best Point Hotel Cankurtaran Mah. Akbiyik Cad. No:71 Sultanahmet, Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey (Old City, Sultanahmet) - ranked no 41 (harga dari usd62-usd209)

3. Minel Hotel Alemdar Mah. Guzel Sanatlar Sok. No:11 Sultanahmet, Fatih, Istanbul 34121, Turkey (Old City, Sultanahmet) - ranked no 42 (harga dari usd51-usd89)


4. Hotel Sebnem
Akbiyik Cad. Adiye Sok. No:1 | Sultanahmet, Istanbul 34400, Turkey (Sultanahmet)-ranked no 53 (harga dari usd45-usd102)

5. Armada Hotel
Ahirkapi Sok. No 24 | Cankurtaran, Fatih, Istanbul 34122, Turkey (Old City, Sultanahmet)-ranked no 76 (harga dari usd61-usd257)

6. Angel's Home Hotel
Amiral Tafdil Sk. No 26 | Sultanahmet, Istanbul 34400, Turkey (Sultanahmet)-ranked no 78 (harga dari usd45-usd192)

7. Hotel Peninsula
Adliye Sokak 6, Istanbul 34122, Turkey (Sultanahmet) -ranked no 82 (harga dari usd32-usd83)



~UNDER CONSTRUCTION~

owen81

CAPPADOCIA

Cappadocia, Turkey is the historic area of central Anatolia bounded by the towns of Hacıbektaş, Aksaray, Niğde and Kayseri.

Cappadocia is Turkey's most visually striking region, especially the "moonscape" area around the towns of ürgüp, Göreme, Uçhisar, Avanos and Mustafapaşa (Sinasos), where erosion has formed caves, clefts, pinnacles, "fairy chimneys" and sensuous folds in the soft volcanic rock.

Here's how to get there from: Istanbul

By Plane
Fastest, though not easiest or cheapest, there are daily (morning and afternoon) nonstop flights from Istanbul to Kayseri's Erkilet Airport (ASR) on Turkish Airlines, Onur Airand Pegasus Airlines.

By Bus
A night bus from Istanbul to Cappadocia is usually the cheapest way to go (about TL50), but it's a long ride—730 km (454 miles, 10 to 12 hours). Still, if you can sleep on buses, this may be your favored way. Several companies run nightly buses, including Metro Turizm and Nevşehir Seyahat.

By Car
It's a long drive (730 km/454 miles, 11 or 12 hours), and it only makes economic sense if several people share the car and the fuel expense. Use the otoyol (expressway) between Istanbul and Ankara to save time (here's how to pay the tolls), then follow the E-90 highway south from Ankara to Aksaray, then go east along the ancient Silk Road to Nevşehir.

By Train
Because intercity train traffic between Istanbul and Arifiye has been suspended so the rail line can be upgraded for high-speed service, traveling by train from Istanbul to Cappadocia is no longer an option.


Prime activities here are visiting the historic painted cave churches of the many monastic valleys (especially the Göreme Valley and Zelve Valley), flying in a hot-air balloon at dawn above the incredible landscape, hiking the volcanic valleys (especially the Rose Valley [Güllüdere]), and spending the night in a comfortable cave room with all the modern comforts.

Here are the highlights of what to see and do in Cappadocia:
Göreme Open-Air Museum, Uçhisar Rock Castle, Underground Cities, Ihlara Valley, Hot-Air Balloon Flight, Hiking Cappadocia and many more.

The info has been taken from http://www.turkeytravelplanner.c ... ppadocia/index.html  
For more info, u can visit the webpage.

owen81

BURSA

Bursa can be visited as a day trip from Istanbul or even as a short overnight trip. It is located due south of Istanbul across the Sea of Marmara, for its beautiful mosques and other early Ottoman architecture, for its silk-filled bazaars, its thermal spa baths and hotels. Some people come for Iskender kebap, slices of grilled lamb dressed with savory tomato sauce and browned butter.
THINGS TO DO IN/NEAR BURSA:

1. You can see the medieval town of Iznik (Nicaea) on the way to Bursa  and you'll even have time for a quick cable car ride to the top of Uludağ (OO-loo-dah, 2543 meters, 8343 feet), the mountain behind the city.

2. Ottoman mosques of Edirne (second capital of the empire) and Istanbul (third and last imperial capital).

3. Muradiye-Hüdavendigar Mosque (1366) in Çekirge, the Seljuk-style Ulu Cami (Great Mosque, 1399), the early Ottoman transitional Yesil Cami (Green Mosque)

4.  Bursa's Covered Bazaar.

How to get to Bursa from Istanbul? U can turn to pg12 for info.

siti1108

http://mforum2.cari.com.my/forum ... amp;fromuid=2038781

debit kad tak sama dengan kad atm biasakan..huhuhu sayanya kad cimb merah tu yang kad atm biasa je..

ambok

tempat yg paling best di Turkey bagi saya, ialah Cappadocia , salah satu acara paling menarik adalah naik belon panas













untuk budak-budak yang tak cukup ketinggian, ada 'lubang' disediakan utk tengok kebawah

ambok

pada kedudukan yang lebih tinggi...

ambok

lagi gambar di Cappadocia , kali ini naik jep safari dari satu tempat ke satu tempat, bukan semua tempat ada jalan tar, banyak tempat yg bergunung ganang,berbukit-bukit...jadi salah satu kenderaan yg boleh digunakan adalah jep safari...satu pengalaman yg baru,bagi yg ada sakit jantung,tidak digalakkan naik jep safari,driver dia bawak gila2, melambung-lambung kita didalamnya...driver dia terpaksa bawak gila2, kalau tak,tak lepas pulak nak panjat bukit yang curam itu....











tempat ini dinamakan "love valley" , salah satu tempat di cappadocia yg terhasil dari lava gunung berapi ribuan tahun yg lalu






bukit berbentuk 'unta' ini sangat famous di cappadocia

ambok

setelah penat seharian berjalan-jalan, balik ke hotel batu untuk istirehat










ala rumah flintstone, malam mmg sejuk betoi

azz_azza

plan nk g nov ni... huhuhuhuhuu... rs cam nk back packers

owen81

ambok posted on 4-7-2014 01:55 AM
setelah penat seharian berjalan-jalan, balik ke hotel batu untuk istirehat

Nak Tanya, nie you ambik tour dari Istanbul. Berapa kos termasuk bermalam?

ambok

owen81 posted on 6-7-2014 11:20 AM
Nak Tanya, nie you ambik tour dari Istanbul. Berapa kos termasuk bermalam?

saya pergi dengan pakej dari company malaysia

kuncisaya

azz_azza posted on 5-7-2014 11:27 PM
plan nk g nov ni... huhuhuhuhuu... rs cam nk back packers

Pergi je sendiri. Sana semuanya mudah. Org2 kat sana pun suka tolong org. Public transport kat sana sgt efficient. Bkn shj bas ekspress tapi bas mini yg kecik tu pun mmg betul2 ikut time. Tak lewat atau cepat pun.

Saya pergi dari 29/4 - 12/5 baru ni.

Route saya:
Istanbul - Bursa - Canakkale - Troy - Selcuk - Pamukkale - Cappadocia - Istanbul.

Bila kita explore sendiri, kita dpt jumpa ramai pelancong dr negara2 lain. Boleh sembang2, tanya2 walaupun sekejap tapi seronok.

tsukushi

owen81 posted on 6-7-2014 11:20 AM
Nak Tanya, nie you ambik tour dari Istanbul. Berapa kos termasuk bermalam?

Di cappadocia ada few tour agen yang kita boleh ambil  daily tour. Saya bermalam di Goreme. Sampai di sana baru kami pilih tour mana nak pergi.Mcm sy pergi hari tu ambil pakej daily tour dari hotel disana tp sebenarnya pakej itu dari agensi di luar jugak. Saya ambil green tour jd antaranya pergi Iihara valleY. Red tour kami buat sendiri sebab most area boleh reach on foot saje. Booking hotel memang dari sini. Masa saya pergi peak season jd tak nak ambik risiko. Kalau low season mungkin boleh walk in.

siti1108

azz_azza posted on 5-7-2014 11:27 PM
plan nk g nov ni... huhuhuhuhuu... rs cam nk back packers

sayapun plan gi hujung nov.. gi backpackers dengan kawan..

azz_azza

kuncisaya posted on 9-7-2014 06:30 PM
Pergi je sendiri. Sana semuanya mudah. Org2 kat sana pun suka tolong org. Public transport kat san ...

okey roger... plan to go there on nov kot... srg tgh survey2... baca2... ape yg ptt... tq