Last big trip of the year! Been flying too much recently with a couple of work trips. This was fairly last minute as I had an exam in September and didn't have mindspace to plan anything until after the exam.
Since I booked tickets quite late, and due to some other conflicting schedules, we went with Turkish Airlines instead of SQ. Tickets were actually very affordable at less than $800 for a return trip to Istanbul. Also booked Turkish airlines for a return trip from Istanbul to Kayseri Airport, which is one of the airports to get to Cappadocia.
Day 1
Our flight was in the morning, and I had a lounge visit expiring so we decided to head to Plaza Premium at T1. Bad idea - the breakfast spread is pretty awful and the service was non-existent.
The flight was delayed too - which is apparently par the course for Turkish Airlines. The flight itself was fairly comfortable - food was decent, though they strangely served lunch then breakfast even though it was evening when we touched down. After what felt like an eternity, we finally landed in Istanbul airport about an hour late (since we also had to take a bus to the airport), took awhile to clear customs, before finally collecting our baggage. I read many horror stories about taxi scams, so I used Welcome Pickups for all my rides to/fro the airport. Our driver was in constant communication with me and we had a comfortable shuttle for the long ride into the city. Checked into Galata's Hotel, which I picked because of the gym and the two queen sized beds. But I wouldn't recommend it because its tiny, the layout of the bathroom is very odd and not space efficient (the toilet bowl and shower area are separate, with the wardrobe being linked to the shower...so no one can access clothes in the wardrobe while someone is showering -_-). Furthermore, the aircon is not available now cos its 'winter'. We were advised to open the windows for ventilation, but there's a bunch of eateries right below and all the cigarette smoke comes up. So you either die by suffocation or by second hand smoking.
Anyway, we quickly rushed to Karakoy Lokantasi just a short walk away for our first dinner! I made a reservation since it was a Friday night, and it's a popular place on the Michelin guide. We picked a few mezzes - hummus, zucchini pasta, and what I thought was eggplant but turned out to be more yoghurt than eggplant. Also had prawns for hot starters, and lamb for main. Yummy, but oh gosh Istanbul is EXPENSIVE. The prices are on par with Sg.
Walked around the Galata Port area to digest and admire the views of the bosphorus!
Then headed for dessert at Karakoy Gulloglu, which is THE place for baklava. Couldn't decide so we just got the mixed platter to try everything. Yummy but so damn sweet!
Day
2
Started early with a trek uphill for traditional Turkish breakfast at Kahve6. We had the breakfast platter and the menemen which is an omelette/egg and tomato dish. And this was when we found out that every meal comes with an insane amount of bread!
Finally time to start sightseeting! We got the Istanbul kards and took the tram to the other side of the European side to visit the Topkapi Palace. Sigh, it's really not a good time to visit because the prices of all tourist attractions rose significantly since last year. I think Topkapi palace was 50 EUR per pax, which is exorbitant!
But of course it doesn't make sense to NOT visit if you're already there. Anyway, we visited the harem first, then the other parts of the palace. The palace is absolutely humongous and around noon, the place was so packed that there was a line to enter to view certain exhibitions! And then it started raining so I decided that we viewed enough.
Next stop was the Grand Bazaar, which was a huge maze of shops. But worse, all the stall owners are smoking INSIDE this enclosed space. Walked around for a bit, getting overwhelmed by the number of shops and the smoke.
Decided to escape the smoke and head for lunch which was about a 20min walk away. It's a nondescript place famous for pide. In addition to the cheese pide (unfortunately, we don't eat beef so alot of the meat options were not suitable), we also ordered a chicken dish which was really good, and prices were super affordable! The whole spread came up to about 20 bucks, since bread and salad are complimentary.
Just a few steps away is Vefa Bozasici, famous for its fermented boza drink which was surprisingly good.
The next stop on this busy day was the Balat area for the colourful houses! Also stumbled upon one of the 3 umbrella streets, and went uphill to view this famous red school.
Dinner was at Agora 1890 which is a famous heritage restaurant but honestly I was quite disappointed because...it smelled like a chimney. I made a reservation but the place we were seated at was overwhelmingly smokey, so we were moved to a corner after my request but even then, the smell was permeating everywhere. Unintentionally ordered two yoghurt-based dips oops. The prawn stew was yummy, but the grilled seabream was the entire fish and had too many bones so it was a bit challenging to eat. While the food wasn't bad, I don't think it's a 'must visit' place by any means.
Day 3
Another hike up the hill for another traditional Turkish breakfast at Van Kahvalti Eti. This came highly recommended online so there's quite a few tourists, and this was an even larger spread. The food was good and prices reasonable, but oh god, the waiters just couldn't stop smoking right outside the restaurant!!
Decided to drop by Kronotrop to get some western-style coffee.
Today was a day fully around the Taksim side of Europe. First stop was Dolmabahce palace which I much preferred to Topkapi. Much less crowde, audio guide was informative, and it helped the weather was lovely so we got some really nice pics of the Bosphorus!
After spending almost 4h there, it was time to head to Taksim for shopping. Alas, it was sunday so it was extremely crowded. Maybe on par with NY Times Square! The entire Istiklal st was just an endless stream of people. I think there might have been a Galatasaray football match too so their fans were on the streets singing stuff. Also managed to catch the famous tram!
Before shopping, we stopped by a small store for a chicken kebab wrap (durum).
Then a famous cafe called Mandabamatz for coffee and desserts! Realised that basque cheesecake is known as San Sebastian cheesecake here and is extremely popular. This was drizzled with chocolate sauce and very sinful but yummy.
Our shopping was fairly productive and all of us bought stuff.
Then it was time for dinner at Aheste! Its a fine dining-ish place but offer ala carte style. We had complimentary chestnut soup, and some chickpea crackers. The starters we ordered were stuffed vine leaves with cashew cream and the artichoke puree. Next was our medium plates - prawns and grilled seabass with mussels. Legit best mussels I've ever eaten in my life. Large plate was a chicken confit with pilaf which was super yummy too. Couldn't leave without trying dessert so we got the rice pudding with ice cream. Very satisfying and definitely worth visiting for a different type of meal in Istanbul.
Walked back to our hotel from here, and got a night view of Galata tower.
Day 4
This was a busy day. Went over to Sultanahmet (other side of Europe) and had an early breakfast at Cigdem Patisserie - traditional Turkish pastries and bread!
I booked a small group tour through Get Your Guide which covers the Sultanahmet area, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Basilica Cistern to have some explanation of the significance of these places. We started with the Egyptian obelisk just outside the Blue Mosque.
Then joined the queue to enter the Blue Mosque.
Our guide from Tourmania was a young guy who did a good job. but the problem is that these places are just wayyyyy too crowded. And this was a Monday in October! Can't imagine the crowd during peak summer season. Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque a few years ago so now only the second level is open for visitors, PLUS there's an exorbitant entrance fee of 45 EUR.
Basilica cistern was very interesting to visit, but once again, entrance fees were very high.
After our tour of the sites, we headed for a dessert lunch at Hafiz Mustafa,
which was another exorbitant affair. We ordered a baklava slice with ice cream, some dubai choc dessert and a platter of 4 small pieces. Also tried the apple tea and Turkish coffee.
Next stop was the Istanbul archaeological museum, where the ticket counter lady tried to scam me by giving including headphones in the ticket price. Be careful! Thankfully managed to reverse the transaction and return these headphones. The museum was okay, best thing was that there were much fewer tourists haha.
Walked quickly to the Spice Bazaar to escape the rain. Did not get any spices, but decided to buy some chocs and 'Turkish delights'.
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Dinner at Pandeli, which is a famous Michelin-recommended restaurant at the top of Spice Bazaar. got the lamb stew and grilled seabass which were pretty decent, but service was really subpar. dessert was this pudding with chicken breast that was so interesting that I had to try it. We were early, but by dessert, the dinner crowd came and once again, I had to run from the smokers.
We just had to cross the Galata bridge to return to our hotel and managed to capture some nice views, but unfortunately, it started pouring midway and we got quite soaked by the time we returned.
Day 5
Last day on the European side of Istanbul. Another early morning hike up to Galata Tower area, because the early bird catches the worm (or the good views).
I wanted to head for breakfast at Federal Coffee but they don't serve breakfast until 10, so we went to Old Java instead. Wow this was an ordeal haha - the milk frother had some problems and couldn't start, the cat started climbing everywhere, andthe banana bread came cold. Luckily the crepe with fruits and scrambled eggs with avo we ordered were pretty decent and coffee was good!
Reached the Galata Tower ticket office around 9am, which was still not too bad. We had space to take pics of the 360 deg views, but by the time we headed down close to 10, there was a line to enter. And its 30 eur per pax to visit this tower! That's nearly the price i paid for Top of the Rock!!
Anyway, since Karakoy is famous for fish wraps, couldn't leave without trying it so we dropped by a supposedly famous place on the way back. Turns out the one i went to wasn't the famous one but anyhow, it was still delicious. Might be one of my favourite things I've eaten on this trip.
And then walked past another umbrella street near our hotel, before checking out and heading to the airport.
Where i found out....my hot air balloon ride scheduled for the next morning got cancelled due to bad weather. While the balloon company would reschedule us to the next morning, it would be a daylight flight as opposed to a sunrise flight which I didn't want, so I was super stressed trying to find another company with slots for sunrise flights. Eventually managed to find one with Voyagers Balloon, thankfully.
When we landed, it was another stressful ordeal as we had to find our driver, and it was a shared shuttle so we were waiting for other people and the waiting area was just full of smokers.
Finally made it to Goreme, and checked into our beautiful cave hotel - Peruna Cave Hotel! Service was impeccable and the staff sat us down and slowly explained the area and all the options for touring the area. We were also shown to our gorgeous cave hotel room, and was grateful to have a functional air conditioner!
We walked around Goreme town for awhile before heading for dinner at Tuma restaurant, the rooftop restaurant at our hotel, where we were once again intermittently assaulted by cigarette smoking from the terraces. SIGH. We started with a lentil soup and salad, then chicken pottery kebab and Turkish ravioli for mains, and pistachio pie with ice cream for dessert. Pottery kebab is a THING here where the food is served in a sealed claypot and they make a whole show out of cracking the claypot to pour out the contents. Food was really good and I loved having the restaurant so conveniently located.
Day 6
Our first full day in Cappadocia was a private green tour which I booked beforehand with Hereke Travel, one of the over 300 tour agencies in Cappadocia. There's 3 main tours in cappadocia - red, green and blue. After much research, Green tour seemed the one that most needed a guide. I initially planned to do this on our second day in Cappadocia, but shifted this forward since the morning for the hot air balloon ride shifted.
Started the day with breakfast at our hotel, where only the bread and yoghurt are buffet style and a full turkish breafast is provided for every table. Wayyy too much food, esp too much cheese. Really enjoyed the various jams and assortment of cooked veggies though.
Got picked up at 9.30am by our guide and driver, and off we were to the first stop - Goreme panoramic view for all the fairy chimneys.
Followed by Pigeon Valley where it's full of pigeon houses!
Right opposite this stop is a onyx center which is a tourist trap to sell jewellery. Luckily they werent very pushy and this was the only shop we stopped at.
Continued on to Kaymakli Underground City which was very fun for me. being short is good for going through these tight underground spaces. Definitely not as bad as cu chi tunnels in Vietnam.
Next stop was Selime Monastery which was also impressive, and it was useful to have a guide to explain the significance of the things we were seeing.
Lunch was at a restaurant with an amazing view. It's obviously catered for tourists and they have set menus to make it easy for people to pick. Food was surprisingly good for a touristy place!
Then continued on to Ilhara valley for our 1h hike/stroll. It's quite touristy, but still a nice walk.
And that was our last stop before a long drive back to Goreme. Managed to make it back in time to catch some sunset views.
I wanted to try Topdeck cave restaurant but we only got a reservation at 8.30pm, so went back to the hotel to chill and wash up before walking just 2 min for dinner. It's one of those places where you can sit on the carpeted floor and eat but unfortunately, I'm travelling with 2 old people haha.
We ordered the mezze platter, chicken roll and lamb stew. The food was decent, but I think I had higher expectations. The salad had a strange mint taste which I didn't like. For dessert, we tried the baklava which was okay, but not particularly memorable. And then we were given the wrong bill which I didn't realise until after payment haha.
Day 7
Second full day in Cappadocia started extremely early because it was hot air balloon day! Our pickup time was 5.10am and I was immediately assaulted by the cigarette smell in the pickup vehicle -_- I was also sorely underdressed - most people came in puffy jackets and beanies and scarves and gloves, and I wore 1 sweater and a thin jacket so was kinda freezing oops. Went around picking up more people, then headed to the Voyagers Balloon HQ at Avanos to have a crappy breakfast and make payment, before we were split into shuttles to head to the takeoff place.
I was so worried that we were gonna take off from Avanos, but no, we really drove from Goreme to Avanos just for the breakfast, then drove back to Goreme where all the balloons were waiting. Was freezing while waiting for the balloons to inflate and was mostly just excited to get into the basket and for the fire to start haha. The balloon itself is split into 4 compartments with 5 people each.
After quite awhile, with the sky getting brighter, we finally took off! Truly amazing views with all the balloons going up together. There were soooo many couples doing wedding photoshoots, and even horses riding across the landscape. It was 1h ride, where we went super high, then down into love valley. The pilot was also very experienced and made a lot of fun quips and comments so all in all, a fantastic experience. My parents enjoyed it, even the mum who is scared of heights. As predicted, this is a perfect activity for old people haha since the balloon moves so slowly. The only challenging part is climbing into the basket!
Our landing was smooth, and they had a whole champagne and cert presenting ceremony which added to the experience, before we got dropped off back at our hotels. Just in time for another huge breakfast spread!
Then it was off to our DIY tour - first to Goreme Open Air Museum which is just a 25min walk from Goreme town center. Luckily we already had a good idea of what the various rooms were for based on the green tour, so we didn't really need a tour guide here. Lots of climbing up and down though.
We took a taxi to Uchisar to visit the castle, which is the highest point in Cappadocia. A bit of a walk up but views were fantastic! Took way too long to take pictures as we had to wait for favouable wind conditions for the flag haha.
Stopped by a small cafe called Corner Coffee for drinks and tried mosaic cake which is a Turkish cake as well as a latte mono, to get some energy for our trek through Love Valley back to Goreme.
Well, this was a TRAP. Online reviews said it was an easy 2h hike. I was NOT prepared for how challenging this was. To begin with, there are no proper signs for the trail so we had to ask people along the way, and if there was no one to ask, we just randomly picked one of the forks. We spent a long time deciding whether to trust this suspicious looking arrow...
Luckily the GPS worked so I could tell we were going in the general correct direction. Some parts were SO steep and slippery. Right off the bat, to enter the valley, it was a super sleep downslope and I immediately fell on my butt. Also fell a few more times along the way as my shoes aren't the best for hiking and and suffered a few cuts and pricks along the way -_- But apart from that, it was very therapeutic casthe place was really devoid of people, and being in the depths of the valley with such marvellous scenery is just an indescribable feeling.
After nearly 2h of walking, managed to reach the other side of the trail just before sunset. Amazing sense of accomplishment! Was very proud of my parents for completing this haha. Might not have done it if I knew how challenging it was.
The trail head is some place in the middle of the road, but thank the heavens that the taxi driver that brought us to Uchisar left his number and warned us beforehand that we can't get taxis after completing the trail, so I managed to message him to pick us up. It was just a short 5min drive back to Goreme, but would take 45min to walk and we were all quite spent from the ordeal.
Time for dinner! Headed to wooden spoon, which is right next to Topdeck (and also 2min away from our hotel) for another mezze platter, chicken shish kebab and a tuna pizza, plus kunefe for dessert. So full, to make up for all the calories burnt during the hike.
Day 8
Final half day in Cappadocia! Woke up early to catch the balloons from our hotel! We were really quite lucky, as we heard that the balloons were cancelled for 4 mornings in a row (including our first morning), and would be cancelled again after we left. 2 out of 3 mornings we were there were balloon days, so we could spend one on the balloon and the other viewing the balloons.
We headed out after that to try a famous cafe called king's coffee shop - amazing pistachio latte! pistachio The pistachio cheesecake was not bad. Also ordered the kaymak with bread which seems to be a THING among korean tourists which was really yummy too.
Then headed for our usual hotel breakfast.
Checked out before we headed for our final activity in Cappadocia - horseriding! 30 EUR per pax for a 2h tour is a steal imo. We were driven to the horse ranch, fitted with helmets then assigned to horses. The hardest part is climbing up the horse, since after that, the horses just follow the guide in a single file, with minimal steering from the rider. Rode through Sword Valley to Rose Valley. I have to say crossing a road on horseback is certainly memorable though.
Then stopped for a tea and cake break at this random rickety cafe in the middle of nowhere, before heading back.
At one point, some photographer came zooming past to take pics which they developed and charged 200 TL per photo haha. Must squeeze the tourists for every cent!
Headed back to the hotel, and I went for a final zip around town to buy one last magnet (bought a total of 6 magnets this trip!), before taking the shuttle to Kayseri airport to fly back to Istanbul.
Second leg of Istanbul was spent mostly on the Asian side. Fairly smooth process to find our driver and we were on our way to Doubletree at Moda!
Dinner at Ciya Sofrasi, which is a place famous for traditional Ottoman cuisine and was featured on Netflix. We ordered from the menu but they also have a mezze counter charged by weight. Which is a little like caifan style. The food was very good, and reasonably priced!
I rushed back to the hotel to managed to squeeze in a run before the gym closes at 11pm, since there wasn't a gym at the Goreme hotel.
Day 9
Last full day in istanbul! Started with a trek to the other side of Kadikoy for a breakfast at Brekkie. Luckily we were early, as it's a very popular place and there was a queue by the time we came out. After many days of traditional Turkish breakfasts, we decided to try their western style breakfasts. Ordered the pistachio croissant, eggs royale and cubed french toast and it was so goood! Though Budapest's pistachio croissant still wins. For some reason, the pistachio pastes here remind me of kaya hahah.
Headed to the pier area to take the public ferry to Ortakoy! It was a gorgeous day with amazing views of the Bosphorus, and the public ferry is only 35 TL! Highly recommend this over those bosphorus cruises aimed at tourists. Its about a half hour ride from Kadikoy to Uskudar to Ortakoy which is the last stop on this line, and the ferry passes by Maiden Tower on the way as well.
Ortakoy is quite a small area - a mosque and a few rows of stalls. I was intending to head to a cafe to chill, but decided to try the waffles from one of the food stands instead. Its just a simple waffle with various spreads, fruits and toppings, but very satisfying for a sweet tooth. Another popular street food here is called kumpir which is a humongous baked potato, but we were way too full for it.
We walked several rounds around the shops and there wasn't much so we decided to take the earlier ferry back to Uskudar. Visited one of the mosque then walked along the coast to Kuzguncuk. Stopped by some colourful steps along the way for aesthetic shots and pretty views!
Kuzguncuk is a hip area full of cafes and restos and pretty coloured houses, and was really crowded since it was a Saturday. Walked around taking photos before stopping at an aesthetic cafe (Name Kuzguncuk) for some coffee and cake. Tried a flat white, cortado and this walnut medovik (honey cake) that was super yummy!
Decided to take the bus back to our hotel, and this was an ordeal as it was soooo crowded. After a long journey which included a transfer, we finally made it back to Kadikoy and were greeted with the most incredible sunset view at the pier!
Final stop was a supermarket to buy some snacks, then returned to our hotel to put down our barang before heading for our last dinner.
I took awhile to decide but finally picked this place called Irregular because the concept was interesting - open kitchen, small but customisable menu and more modern cuisine. I think we had enough traditional Turkish cuisine. It was indeed a super small space - just 3 tables inside and a couple outside (as always - for smokers). We ordered almost everything on the menu - cauliflower soup, potato croquettes, broccoli with pineapple chutney, cherry glazed salmon and chicken roll. So many interesting flavours, and everything was a hit. Definitely recommended for a unique dinner.
Opted to go for dessert at this popular ice cream place called Meshur Dondurmaci Ali Usta and got the popular almond flavour as well as the pistachio flavour. It comes with free toppings like nuts and chocolate sauce too! Pistachio flavour was not pronounced at all though.
Went back to the hotel to work off the food with a 10k run before getting chased out at 1101pm!
Day 10
Last day! I had a grand plan to hit 3 cafes in half a day, so we went out really early and caught a bus to Fenerbahce area. Pilgrimage to Kim Yeon Koung's long-time club haha.
First stop was William's Roaster. we were so early the kitchen hadn't opened, but luckily they had bakes available so we got a slice of banana bread with espresso cream (so good - much better than the one from Old Java), cortado and flat white which were all pretty good.
Walked around the Fenerbahce pier and park area, and saw the various sports club facilities. The remaining amount in our Istanbul card wasn't enough for another bus ride, so we decided to walk 1h back to the Moda/Kadikoy area haha. Was intending to reach around 10am, which is when Rafine (the next cafe on the itinerary) opens. Unfortunately, we were abit delayed, busy taking pictures of nice views!
So when we reached at 1020, the cafe was already full. Not to worry though since the area is full of cafes. My next choice was a place called Yumma, but this was a very small space and then a cat jumped on the table and I noped out. Headed to another cafe but they had no food, so finally decided to go to Lilbake. Thankfully, this place turned out to be a gem. Had the halloumi cheese croissant, salmon pan and blueberry bun, as well as cinnamon coffee, and everything was yummy!
Headed back to the hotel to check out at noon, before going out for one last cafe haha. Walked around the main Bahariye Street and saw this famous bull statue.
Last cafe of choice was Malavita, which is in a small lane off the main st. Ordered the beetroot latte, and the tiramisu and cheesecake each came with a drink (americano or cold brew). Very satisfying end to the trip.
Also managed to find the third umbrella street haha.
So it was a Sunday, and the bridges between the Asian and European sides were closed due to a marathon so the driver wanted to pick us up earlier. He kept telling us we would miss our flights and wanted to pick us up even earlier, but I fought back. And then he ended up using the third bridge which has a toll, but we ended up reaching the airport 3 hours before boarding which I thought was a little too early. Though the Istanbul airport does have many security checks.
After yet another delay, we finally boarded. The 10h flight back flew by since it was a night flight so I slept through. Unfortunately, my choice of meal was not available for both dinner and breakfast. Usually if there's two meals, they'll start from the opposite side for fairness but noooo, we were the last to receive our meals both times. So disappointing! Landed in Changi airport and was so pleased to be back in the best airport in the world :)
All in all, I would say Cappadocia is definitely worth visiting, and while I'm glad I visited Istanbul, it's not a place I would be dying to revisit.