Turkey Group Trip Highlights 2022

This summer, 17 amazing women joined me in Istanbul for a bucket list trip around Turkey. We sailed at sunset, dined on Turkish food, shopped in local bazaars and so much more.

Here is what we got up to over 9 days in June!

You can see a full recap of the trip here:

Day 1: Istanbul Arrivals

The group began arriving in Istanbul throughout the day. Once everyone got checked into the Haze Hotel, we had a welcome meeting on the rooftop to go over the week and get to know each other and our local guide.

Then we headed to our included welcome dinner at the beautiful Chez Moi.

After dinner, we went to Istanbul’s most well known baklava spot which is conveniently located right next to our hotel! This place is iconic. It’s super popular but serves some of the best balaclava you’ll ever have, a Turkish staple!

Then we were off to the beautiful Galata Tower .

I visited here in 2018 & couldn’t wait to bring the group back to this vibrant neighborhood.

We snagged a few photos with the photographers that hang out by the tower then went to our totally private and very cozy rooftop bar reservation I had set up for us.

We sipped on cocktails with a view of Galata Tower before calling it a night.

Day 2: Istanbul City Tour

We kicked off our big day in Istanbul early at the historic Hippodrome where the ancient chariots once raced around the towering Egyptian obelisk that still stands today. (Over 3,500 years old!)

We then hopped in line to enter one of Istanbul’s most famous sites, Haga Sophia.

This architectural masterpiece is truly marvelous. And at a whopping 1,485 years old, it is steeped in a fascinating and sometimes very bloody history.

We had to fully cover our hair, knees and shoulder before entering the mosque.

After our local guide gave us a very informative tour, we headed to lunch at a very special restaurant, Deraliye. This place serves 500 year old Ottoman cuisine.

I had the vegetarian manti and it was delicious! Post lunch, we saw a light show in an beautiful cistern where the ancient Turks once stored water.

Then we were off to a second mosque, Suleymaniye.

The courtyard here has beautiful views overlooking Istanbul and made for a lovely place to take some photos and soak in the view.

We took a whirlwind tour through the bustling spice markets and escaped the chaos of the vendors/busy shops/noisy markets in a tranquil historic tea house.

Feeling like we were on the Amazing Race all of a sudden, we hustled through the city to get to our sunset Bosphorus cruise which would take us right between the European and Asian continents.

We have 90 minutes of uninterrupted views of both sides of Istanbul while passengers tossed bread to the dozens of seagulls surrounding our boat.

We took some beautiful sunset pictures before arriving back on the European side of Istanbul and heading to dinner and drinks at the jaw-dropping rooftop restaurant, Tershane Karaköy.

This place is well known for its meat kebabs but they have a full menu of amazing Turkish options. But their rooftop views are the real star of this place! I highly recommend if you’re visiting Istanbul.

Day 3

We departed Haze Hotel and the European side of Istanbul to venture into the Asian side of the country and begin our road trip our Turkey. We weren’t on the road 10 minutes when we had a bus breakdown.

But our expert local guide and driver immediately got a new bus sorted for us and we went to the nearby mall for coffee and the Sky View deck. Soon we were back on the road (wahooo!) with a shiny new bus and heading to Ayvalik, a beautiful coastal town on the Aegean Sea.

We dropped off our things at our hotel before continuing to one of the best meals on the trip, a seaside restaurant serving fresh caught fish. Not only were the views amazing but the entire experience of picking out our fish & selecting our food from the giant display case was very memorable.

We ate far too much seafood, wine and tasted Raki, a Turkish alcoholic drink. At night we wandered the cute shops and the coastal town before turning in.

Day 4

In the morning we departed for the charming little village of Şirince. We stopped for a delicious (and insanely cheap!!) sandwich along the way at Emir Pamuk Büfe. My massive grilled sandwich was just a $1.75 and SO good!!

When we arrived in the village of Şirince, no one could get over how cute this town was!! It felt like we had been transported to the Tuscan countryside.

And the blue and white colorful little buildings reminded us of the Morocco’s famed Chefchaouen or somewhere in Greece like Mykonos.

Our first stop was a free wine tasting at the beautiful (and so generous/accommodating!!) Şirince Hera Şarapevi.

We tried glass after glass of their local wine paired with cheese and other goodies.

We took plenty of photos and shopped in the quaint little village.

Although we easily could have spent several more hours in Şirince, our next stop was calling. So we headed to a really special and uniquely Turkish spot, a carpet weaving village is called Sultanköy.

Here they showed us the process of creating Turkish rugs from start to finish. We met the weavers who were in the middle of making one of many beautiful and intricate hand woven rugs on the property. Then one of the artisans on-site showed us the process of dying the silk and wool. And finally we ended with the extraction process of silk from the silk worm cocoons. It was fascinating.

We then had the opportunity to shop for the Turkish rugs and while they weren’t an inexpensive souvenir, they were truly one of a kind. And several of the ladies purchased one to bring home.

Rounding out our busy day, we went to Ephesus the famous Ancient City shown on all the Turkey tourism marketing.

As we wandered the incredible ruins, our guide explained the history of this magnificent city. Visiting later in the day allowed us to avoid the heat and the crowds from the cruise ships which was ideal!!

And how beautiful do the ladies look here in this golden hour lighting?!

At night, we a lovely dinner (with so many friendly adorable strays!) at this lovely terrace restaurant, Agora. We crashed at our hotel that night after such a long, fun day.

Day 5

The next morning we hit the road for a 3 hour drive to Pummakale. Most of the girls slept during the bus ride and we arrived around 11:30am.

We began with a golf cart tour of the ancient city, Hierapolis. This was an ancient Greek city located on hot springs and the ruins are adjacent to modern-day Pamukkale, one of Turkey’s top touristic sites!

It’s a long walk and the heat was pretty intense so it made for a great way to see the city quickly and made the heat a lot more manageable.

Then we grabbed lunch onsite next to the ancient pools where it is said Cleopatra once swam.

After lunch we headed to the famed traverstines, the “cotton castle.” Slipping off our shoes, we enter the blueish pools.

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We had fun wading in the water in this naturally occurring wonder, soaking in the views and taking photos in the beautiful landscapes.

For a late lunch/early dinner, we headed to a restaurant with great views of the famed “cotton castle.” We then boarded the bus and headed back to our hotel.

That night we hung out by the pool, drinking the wine we had purchased from our wine tasting event.

Day 6

We woke early to depart for the airport, it was time to fly to Cappadocia!! Flying this summer has been rough with airlines being short staffed post Covid but we were fortune to have a smooth journey.

We had a layover Istanbul but arrived in Cappadocia just in time for sunset.

I surprised the girls with several bottles of wine which we took up to the best sunset spot in Cappadocia, perfectly overlooking the Red Valley.

It was a spectacular sunset. Full of colors and as it slowly faded into night, the twinkling fairy lights of the town flicked on for an equally spectacular view.

Day 7

The next morning we had alarms set for a 4am wake up call. We were scheduled to fly over Cappadocia in a hot air balloon the first morning and take photos with them from the ground at sunrise on the second morning.

Unfortunately, due to high winds & bad weather, not a single ballon from any tour company was able to fly both days.

Although we were bummed about missing this bucket list experience, we still went and watched sunrise over the valley while I took photos for everyone. Here’s how they turned out!!

Afterwards, some of the girls went for a nap while others went for a coffee.

We had breakfast at the hotel before departing for the ancient underground city. Like a human ant farm, we wound through the underground tunnels where people used to live in ancient times. There are actually a whopping 200+ underground cities in the Cappadocia region.

Crouching through the tunnels and caves, we saw where the livestock lived, the kitchens, even the underground graves. It was fascinating!

After some shopping in the nearby tourist shops and a very funny situation with our pictures unknowingly being printed on memorabilia decorative plates, we headed to a pottery demonstration.

Here we watched first hand as a local artisan whose family had been crafting pottery here for 7 centuries created a beautiful piece of pottery right before our eyes.

One of the girls, Mia, then got the chance to try her hand at pottery and she did so well!

We then wandered the shop appreciating the hundreds of hand-crafted pieces.

Once we had done our shopping, we headed to the open air museum. This historic site is full of ancient churches built into the classic fairy domes of Cappadocia.

By the time we finished up here we were starving and ready for lunch!

We went to a great little steak house with idyllic views overlooking Cappadocia. We then had some downtown at the hotel while a few of the girls had a hammam, a traditional Turkish bath!

Others napped before heading to see the religious ceremony famous in the area, a Whirling Dervish.

While the ritual wasn’t what any of us were expecting, it was interesting to learn about a different type of prayer.

And since the weather didn’t hold out for a hot air balloon photo shoot, we did a photo shoot with the beautiful Turkish lamps instead. Here’s how the shots turned out!

After our photoshoot, we headed to a Turkish dance show with all our food and unlimited alcohol included. This was a real highlight of the trip for many!!

As the servers kept coming by and topping up our glasses of wine or bringing us refills of spirits, we were getting pulled up onstage to dance with the Turkish traditional dancers. Our favorite was the belly dancer!! And our local guide Ayse even got up and danced with the belly dancer onstage as the crowded theater whooped and cheered!

By the end of the night, everyone was out of their seats and dancing. It nearly turned into a nightclub.

We were all sweaty from dancing and our cheeks hurt from smiling. We got back to the hotel around midnight and crashed.

Day 8

In the morning, we headed to the airport, time to fly back to Istanbul for our last flight! With a direct flight there, we arrived back at Haze Hotel around 1pm. We hopped on the tram (traffic in Istanbul is crazy on a Saturday and the tram is the fastest way to get across town!) and headed to the Grand Bazaar. For two hours, we wandered the 4,000+ shops in this famous, historic bazaar.

The girls shopped for everything from spices to tea to jewelry to knock-off bags. It’s a maze of place with winding hallways, many dead ends and on busy days, up to 400,000 people visit the bazaar. When we were done shopping, we headed back to the hotel and got refreshed before our farewell dinner.

During the free time, some wandered and took shots with the iconic tower or at my favorite lamp store. We all met for our last meal at an adorable rooftop restaurant with a very Grecian vibe.

Laughing, we reminisced about the past week. Our favorite memories included the Turkish dance show, sunset in Cappadocia, the Bosporus cruise and the seafood dinner in the costal town of Avyalik.

That night, some of us went out to celebrate our final night! We went bar hopping in Istanbul with our local guide. There was a lot of dancing, a live band and tequila shots, it was a blast!

Day 9

The next morning we had one last Turkish breakfast then said our goodbyes.

Transfers took everyone to Istanbul airport. Thank you the amazing ladies who made this week so special! Truly the highlight was getting to know each one of you.

I hope all our paths cross again soon.

To join a group trip, check out the “Travel With Me” section!
Past group trips include: dog sledding in Minnesota, Southwest USA, Sail Croatia, backpacking the Superior Hiking Trail, Christmas in NYC, Iceland, Morocco, Turkey, Ireland, and more!

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The post Turkey Group Trip Highlights 2022 appeared first on The Wanderlust Rose.

One of the greatest joys of travel is being able to connect with others and realizing while we may share a very different upbringing, we are fundamentally the same.

One of my favorite ways to ensure I get to meet local people while traveling is by logging onto CouchSurfing.com and seeing who is available to hang out the days I am in town! I especially love to do this if I am traveling solo in a destination I have never been to before. It can be an awesome way to connect with a local who is excited to show you their hometown. It’s exciting for both people involved because not only do you have someone to help show you around a foreign city- they get to share their favorite places with someone for the first time! Many hosts love being able to give back to other travelers and have the chance to meet people from around the world.

It’s free and easy to make an account on Couchsurfing!

It’s super simple to create an account. You can do it on the mobile app or website. It’s free but you can pay to have your account verified. That being said, I used Couchsurfing for months before I paid for official verification. Either works but you are more likely to have your requests accepted if you are verified via your ID, phone or payment!

My Profile On Couchsurfing:

Couchsurfing Isn’t Just For Overnight Stays

Most people think of couchsurfing and only assume it means sleeping in a stranger’s living room while on vacation- that’s definitely not the case!

While I have stayed overnight with hosts in Sweden, Paris, Germany, London, South Carolina and Texas – I have also just met friends for an afternoon to go on an adventure while I’m traveling solo. That’s one of the awesome things about Couchsurfing- you can use it to have dinner with a local or meet up for an excursion with a fellow traveler. It doesn’t have to be used for accommodation if that makes you uncomfortable!

Read my full post about overnight stays:
COUCHSURFING: IS IT SAFE?

Completely Fill Out Your Profile

Keep in mind- you want to make sure hosts feel confident meeting up with you. So having an empty profile looks sketchy at best or like you just don’t care very much. Either way- not great! So fill it out and give it a little bit of thought. And be sure to upload some pictures. Nothing makes an account seem fake or spammy faster than having zero images uploaded!

Reach out to hosts by sending a friendly, personalized message

After you’ve made an account and uploaded pictures, time to contact some hosts! First, address them by name. Don’t send one mass message to a bunch of people, it’s obvious. Maybe mention something off their profile that stood out. (“Oh you like beer?! Me too! I’ll bring some over!”) And be sure to share what you can offer! (Excellent company, help preparing a meal etc.) Be friendly and hopefully you’ll find a host you connect with easily!

Optional: Make Your Trip Public On The Group Board

Couchsurfing has the option to list your upcoming trips publicly. I have found this both helpful and extremely irritating. Sometimes, it will help connect you with a host more quickly. Beste, my host in Istanbul, reached out after I publicly shared I would be coming to Turkey and would “love to explore the area with someone local.” And I’m so thankful she saw my public trip!

But ladies, be prepared for A LOT of overwhelming messages from guys if you make your trip public in certain countries where couchsurfing seems to be used more as a dating app. After making my trip public in Egypt- I received hundreds of friend requests and messages. My inbox was completely overwhelmed. Although I did end up meeting up with someone who reached out to me this way (he is now a dear friend of mine, thank you Joe!) there were a lot of “hey beautiful ur sexy” messages to wade through. That disclaimer being said, it’s still an opportunity to make some unforgettable connections with those genuinely looking to host! Don’t let that discourage you- perhaps just avoid the public boards.

Swap Social Media or WhatsApp

After connecting with a host and chatting back and forth briefly, you’ll be able to get a good sense if it’s going to work out. I also add people on social media just to double check they are who they say. I’ve never had any issues!

Agree where and when to meet

Always agree to meet someone in a public place that’s easy to find. When I landed in Istanbul I was without cell service so I had to make my way from the airport into the city to meet with my host. Fortunately she had chosen an easy to spot landmark and was waiting there with a huge smile when I arrived!

A friendly face in a foreign city

Meeting with my host Beste was the best possible way I could have spent a 10 hour layover in Istanbul. As a regular couchsurfing host, she knew how to make me feel comfortable and at ease immediately. She had arrived early to wait for me at the meeting point. And despite my train being delayed- she patiently waited for me. I was feeling stressed and slightly overwhelmed at the thought of navigating the Istanbul metro but Beste guided me all around the city, taking me to the best spots for dinner, Turkish coffee and baklava.

Riding the metro to go see Istanbul’s famous mosques, Beste told me all about her life in Turkey. Dating, culture, arranged marriages, religious practices, school… it was refreshing and eye opening. I had never talked about romance and future goals with a girl from Turkey. In fact I had never talked about ANYTHING with a girl from Turkey before. I couldn’t believe what kindred spirits we were! Growing up on opposite sides of the world yet here we were, wandering the cobble stone streets of Istanbul at night-eating ice cream and gushing in agreement on everything.

Exploring Istanbul With A New Friend

We ate until I couldn’t fit one more piece of Turkish Delight in my belly. Beste had me sampling enough food to last me the week! And when I finally insisted I could eat no more, she took me for Turkish coffee.

Heartfelt Goodbyes

Genuinely wishing the day would never end, we said a heartfelt goodbye in the Istanbul metro station. Vowing our travel paths would cross again! Ahh, the temporary nature of travel. People come and go as you pass through countries- wandering on your own journey. But I am certainly thankful for this day in Istanbul with Beste!

Read more: Lessons Learned After 365 Days Abroad: Goodbyes and What They Teach Us

After Your Meet Up, You Have The Option To Leave A Review!

The review Beste wrote me after our day together will be something I treasure forever. Her kind words following our fantastic day will always remain a favorite travel memory of mine! Thank you again Beste for welcoming me in your country.

Would you consider Couchsurfing to connect with locals? Let me know if you have any questions about the process!

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More on Turkey? 10 PHOTOS TO INSPIRE YOU TO VISIT ÇEŞME, TURKEY

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Çeşme, Turkey

Çeşme, Turkey is a unlike other Turkish towns with it’s strong European influence and incredible views over the Aegean Sea.

This city is home to great food, museums and shops- all very inexpensive. Overall it feels slightly more modern- like a lush coastal town and less of the ancient Middle Eastern feeling found in other Turkish cities. Plus it is so close to Greece, you can actually see Chios while standing in Çeşme. You can take a short ferry ride over to Greece for just 20€!

Unlike some historical towns, Çeşme was not over crowded, especially when traveling in the off season!

The lack of tourists made our time here all the more special. We visited at the end of October so we missed the peak busy season by not traveling in the summer!

In fact, the day we explored the Çeşme Castle (built all the way back in 1508!) we had the entire place to ourselves, minus a few stray cats

Two Days Then A Ferry Crossing To Greece

Two days was plenty of time to explore before we left for Greece. I recommend buying gelato (they take euros so you don’t even have to convert your money to Turkish liras) and sitting by the sea. It’s so quiet and peaceful to sit there feeling the breeze from the sea and looking out at all the boats.

What to do in Çeşme:

• Fill up on Turkish street food
• Tour the Çeşme Castle
• Ilica Plaji beach
• Eat gelato by the sea
• Delikli Koyu beach
• Smoke Turkish hookah at a local hookah bar
• Take a trip to Chios, Greece – just a short ferry ride away!

Çeşme, Turkey exceed our expectations and
I’m sure it will exceed yours as well!

A visa into Turkey is free or very inexpensive depending on your country. Being from the USA, I paid 20€ and it’s good for a year. I applied just the day before and was approved immediately. The visa is emailed to you and you simply show it at border control- so easy! You can apply here.

More on Turkey: ISTANBUL- HOW I USE COUCHSURFING TO MEET LOCALS

Follow Along On The Adventure…

The post 10 Photos to Inspire You to Visit Çeşme, Turkey appeared first on The Wanderlust Rose.