After I moved to London, in 2014, I did my first big solo trip in Europe, by bus. I travelled from London to Amsterdam to Berlin to Prague to Vienna to Bratislava and finally to Budapest. In Budapest, during a walking tour, I met the two loveliest girls and spent two days with them. They were Turkish, and we kept in touch. They always said I would be welcome in Turkey. The thing is that I had a lot of destinations in mind, and time passed by. At some point, there were also some attacks in Ankara (where one of my friend lives), and she suggested I would not come at that time.

Then, eight years later, in 2018, I finally decided to go. One of the girls had moved to Berlin, but the one in Ankara was happy to host and suggested to accompany me to Cappadocia. She said the situation in Turkey was perfectly safe, so I planned my trip and booked my flights.

I had planned an itinerary that included Istanbul by myself (sooo many things to see!), Pamukkale, Ankara with my friend, and Cappadocia with my friend and also by myself (because she was working and could only stay the weekend).

I really liked Turkey, and it was interesting to see different cities with different atmospheres. Most people asked me why I was going to Ankara, because, according to them, there was nothing to do there. But I disagree, there are beautiful places to discover, the pace is somehow calmer than Istanbul’s, and thanks to my friend, I got to experience it as a local. It’s the modern Turkey, very active, full of life and bars and restaurants. I definitely think it’s worth discovering a city that is less touristy.

Istanbul was a bit too busy for me. I loved the monuments and the parks, but I got tired of getting accosted by men. I actually preferred its less touristy areas where I could take my time and enjoy the beauty of the places.

Pamukkale was a nice discovery, there’s not much to see, but I absolutely recommend visiting the Travertines and Hierapolis (at least a full day).

Cappadocia was as fantastic as I had hoped. The view of the balloons in the morning sky is a must-see. If you don’t have the money to fly on a balloon, wake up early and go on the roof of your hostel/hotel (or like me, the roof of your’ friend’s hostel that has a better view than yours) to see the balloons. It’s an incredible experience. I had never seen so many ballooons at once. It’s an industry, but it’s still stunning.
And there are also other things to do in Cappadocia (tours by feet or on a jeep), even just chilling in a café is worth it.

I want to go back to Turkey, to see more of Istanbul and visit Adana.

👉🏻 To read the articles about Turkey

And now, here are some photos of Turkey: