Everything you need to know about booking your own trip to turkey with cost saving hacks
Know about the Visa -
If you have a UK/ US or Schengen visa, then you can get a e visa in less than 3 mins and the cost is approx 35-40$. But in case u don't have, the documentation is elaborate and it costs about 17k. I would suggest you apply for a UK or Schengen visa and then apply for Turkey visa, so u get 2 country visa for cost of 1 and you travel to Turkey and UK or any other Schengen country.
Flights 🛫 from India
The most economical flight option would be Air Arabia, followed closely by Indigo with direct flights from Delhi or Mumbai but considering the potential delays , I would avoid this. Etihad or Emirates would be the next best offering reliable alternatives. IST airport in Istanbul has plenty of flights and would be the optimal choice to land in Istanbul.
Where to Stay ?
We debated a lot, whether to stay in the old city or the Bosphorous side but eventually ended up at the old city side and regretted our decision. I would recommend to stay around the Galata tower as the surroundings are fantastic offering a blend of the typical modern city vibes with charming European aesthetics. With quaint cafes, English pubs with live music to small boutiques for shopping, the area excludes a vibe that we thoroughly enjoyed. In Cappadocia, i would recommend staying in Gerome as you would get close up views of the balloons, restaurants and nightlife. This is great for visitors without a car as everything would be at a walkable distance. Must visit around this vicinity is the Umbrella street and rainbow street.
How to commute in Turkey ?
We organized our airport transfers through this website. It was the most economical option, given our big group size of 8 with 2 big suitcases each. It costed about 35 euros/40$ for one way transfers(for 4 people) . Despite our flight getting delayed for over 3 hours, the transport service folks were still waiting for us. You can also use Uber app or Taksi app for local taxis. But please be mindful that you need to pay through the local currency (Turkish Lira) for this option.
We were fortunate enough to find a remarkable cab driver there by name Engin (+90 5315661672)during our time in Istanbul. He went above and beyond to ensure we had the best experience possible in Istanbul. He even arranged taxis for us in Cappadocia and helped us with all our transfers. We highly recommend his services to anyone visiting Istanbul.
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