Cappadocia & Istanbul 

From April 23rd to April 28th, 2023

Day 1

• We landed in Istanbul from Tel Aviv and took another flight to Kayseri. From Kayseri, we drove about an hour to reach Cappadocia. 

• After an hour drive through a rainstorm with lightening all around, we arrived in Uchisar and checked into the Argos Hotel. 

• We settled into our rooms before having dinner at the Turkish restaurant at the hotel called Nahita. This was probably one of our favorite meals of all time. The cocktails were unique and perfectly balanced. The food was equally as unique and flavorful. The people were so nice and proud to host us.

Day 2

• We started our tour of Cappadocia off with a walk through the underground city on Ozkonak. The underground cities were to protect the locals from crusaders and other militants who traveled the silk road for the exchange of goods.

• We stopped at a ceramics store Aldag Ceramic to learn how some of the traditional Turkish pottery is made and even bough some souvenirs for ourselves.

• We stopped at a delicious lunch spot right next door that was recommended by our guide, called Dayinin Yeri. It was right on the river and had a healthy flow of locals coming in and out the door. We ate, what felt like, everything they offered: massive plates of hummus, sautéed onions and garlic, fresh chopped lemons and parskley, cheesey garlic mushrooms, beef, lamb, and chicken. We polished the meal off with three different versions of baklava.

• With bellies full, we stopped at Pasabaglari Oren Yeri rock monuments where we got out of the car and walked around for a bit. People come to this location to see the naturally occuring ‘chimney ferries’. We took all the pictures one could want, climbed up a few, and marveled at mother nature.

• We headed back to the hotel to rest up for a bit before catching sunset up at Uchisar Castle.

Day 3

• We woke up at 5am to catch a hot air balloon ride, which is the main attraction that brings people to Cappadocia. Our balloon was being prepared for us near Tekelli and we landed within 20 miles from where we took off. We drove through Goreme on the way back to the hotel.

• Shortly after returning, we left for the airport around midday and flew Turkish Airlines to Istanbul.

• After checking in at the Four Seasons Istanbul, which was an old prison converted into a luxury hotel, we went for dinner at the top of a high sky scraper at a place called Mikla. By the time we were finishing dinner the place was packed with people drinking loud and proud.

Day 4

• This was our first full day in Istanbul and our tour guide made sure we saw all of the highlights. We walked from the hotel and started off at the Blue Mosque. Right across from it is the famed Hagia Sophia, which is equally as impressive and also a mosque. What blew us away was the Cistern underground water reserve that none of us had seen anything like it before. These three spots are a must when visiting Istabul.

• We stopped for some ice cream from a local vendor and had him play the ice cream prank on my dad. If you haven’t seen it before, you can look up Turkish ice cream tricks.

• We got in line and walked through the Tokapi Palace Museum, which had beautiful gardens and exhibits that showed the strength of the Ottoman and Byzantine Empire. The exhibit had clothing that the sultans would wear, the weapons they used to fight, and showed rooms where they used to entertain.

• After what felt like a full day, we had lunch at a rooftop terrace called Deraliye Terrace Sultanahmet Terrace. The food was incredible and the views of the city were exactly what you could ask for.

• We shopped around the Grand Bazaar for an hour, saw anything you could imagine, then headed back to the hotel to rest up for dinner.

• We took a boat ride across the Bosphorus Channel to dinner at Park Fora which was definitely the right place to be. The locals were taking their seats in their spots they’ve been going to for years, and this was the kind of place that feels like ‘anything goes’.

Day 5

• Because of our late night the night before we stayed in most of the day and enjoyed a Hammam treatment at the spa. It rained all day so it was pretty much the right thing to do.

• We had dinner at Turk Faith Tutak, a very contemporary restaurant and the only two Michelin star restaurant in Turkey.

Day 6

• Traffic in Istanbul is so bad! Perhaps the worst in the world (just search it). We almost missed our flight because of how bad traffic was, but we made it within a 30 second window. We flew out of Istanbul on Turkish Airlines to Malta.