Turkey without all inclusive (part one)
Today's reality is that Turkey for our compatriots has become not only a place of rest and tourism, but also a meeting place for relatives separated by war and living abroad. Faced with a similar situation, it was quite logical to think that organizing a meeting and rest of relatives who are going to Turkey from different countries in the framework of a single package tour would not work or would not be rational, especially as I wanted to visit several places on the coast of Antalya as part of such a trip.
It so happened that after visiting Turkey more than once, Antalya was terra incognita for most of the team. There was Marmaris, there was Bodrum, twice Istanbul, and there were no Antalya and Alanya, it was precisely the last two resort cities that were chosen when drawing up the route.
Antalya for the majority of tourists vacationing on the Turkish coast is exclusively a transit place, where they fly in or arrive on package tours, and then go to their hotels in resort towns. But Antalya deserves the most, it is a huge city in a region with more than a million locals, where you can combine a beach holiday with sightseeing and historical sites, a variety of sightseeing and shopping, as well as a large logistics center, with the possibility of traveling around Turkey, as well as beyond it. However, Antalya does not complain about the lack of tourists, especially in recent years, when Turkey has become not only a place for beach holidays, but also a country of emigrants who rent and buy real estate in huge quantities.
The scale of housing construction in Antalya is impressive, entire districts with dozens of houses, decorated in residential complexes, with fenced territory, sports grounds, swimming pools and other infrastructure are being built at the same time. Hearing Russian, much less often Ukrainian, on the streets of the city, especially on beaches and restaurants, is a common practice that reaches the curious. So I had to ask the girl at the bus stop in English which bus we can use to get to the place marked on the map. To my surprise, the answer was in Russian.
Any tourist who goes abroad without a package tour needs to prepare well for the trip, carefully study the logistics, choosing the best transfer option for reasonable money, and Turkey is no exception. Today, the options to get to Antalya from Ukraine are as follows.
Relatively budget-friendly is a trip by bus from different cities of Ukraine, both with non-stop flights and with a transfer in Istanbul. Although the amount of 140 - 150 dollars is difficult to call very budget, but it is assumed that it should compensate for the "satisfaction" of the trip for two days. The advantages of bus transportation are also reduced to their organizational calmness and the ability to transport a large amount of luggage. There is a large amount of information on such transports on the Internet, there is no point in highlighting them in particular. Another way to get to Antalya is by air, and before the war it was the main one, but now the situation is complicated by the fact that it is necessary to reach the departure airports of neighboring countries, which are Moldova, Poland, and Romania.
Since the main passenger flow to Turkey from Ukraine and back goes through Chisinau, we were no exception on this route either, we had to choose a flight from Chisinau and a carrier to its airport. But it only seems simple, because the study of logistics and its implementation in practice for reasonable money require knowledge of the issue, time, organizational and analytical skills, and even luck, since the prices of air tickets can change unpredictably from day to day, and even differ in different search aggregators. Everything is done so that an uneducated person buys tickets at the maximum price. What "pitfalls" are waiting for a tourist when searching for airline tickets and booking them?
First, most charter flights are created specifically for package tourists, they are carried out mainly at night, which is not beneficial for an independent tourist, their departures may change, their booking is problematic or impossible, so it is advisable to choose a regular flight. For us, it became so from the Turkish company Pegasus at 3.40 in the morning and with the scheduled two hours of flight, but actually a little less. Another important point is to buy tickets at a reasonable price, especially for the return trip. The demand for Turkey is huge, the passenger flow is adequate, the prices are skyrocketing despite October, so booking tickets in advance is very important. So, for example, surprised by the price for a return trip in the region of UAH 10.000 for one ticket, I monitored the price for the next dates for a convenient flight. It turned out that tickets for this flight were no longer sold for the next five days, after that the price started at 28.000 gr.
Comments, as they say, are redundant. If there is no transfer waiting for you in Antalya at the airport, as in the case of a package tour, then I do not advise you to arrive before 6 in the morning either, because public transport is not yet open, and a hotel booked earlier than 2 p. m. will not be waiting for you. Next, an essential moment during the flight is the transportation of luggage and hand luggage. When ordering tickets, the carrier Pegasus persistently limited hand luggage to 3 kg, and back luggage to 12 kg, which sharply limited our requests. In fact, everything turned out to be much more liberal than expected, no one controlled the hand luggage at all, and for the luggage they asked with surprise - "Do you have one for two? ". Therefore, I liked Pegasus as a carrier.
For departure from Chisinau and arrival, you need to order a transfer at the right time.
Many different transfers from Odesa, but since we needed to go from Kyiv, we used the services of the Moldovan carrier Gal Trans, which has many flights on large buses. The price of the ticket is 1200 gr. , I strongly recommend that if you are sure about your trip, pay it in advance, not limited to a reservation, this will speed up registration and boarding the bus, and guarantee a trip on shared seats with your loved ones. In our case, the trip to Chisinau took 12.5 hours, home 13. The trip there was standard, when crossing the border of Moldova, you need to fill out a declaration (drivers help), when returning, there were "nerves" both when boarding and a little at customs. Buses are not equipped with toilets, there are enough sanitary stops.
On the way to Chisinau
Night flight to Antalya
Difficulties of the journey behindAll the difficulties of the trip have been overcome and we are finally in Antalya. By the way, after your arrival, you can use the free Wi-Fi at the airport for a short time with the help of your passport. The capital of Turkish resort life traditionally welcomes Welcome to Antalya, but unlike a package tourist who is waiting for a transfer to the hotel, no one met us and was not going to take us. Therefore, an "independent" tourist should make a travel plan in a new place well before arrival, study the features of municipal transport, perhaps the airport plan, in order to get more pleasant experiences from his trip. Real help in getting to know city transport can be provided by the Antalya kart application, where you can view bus and tram routes, their stops, when the next flight will be.
However, the presence of the application does not compensate for the absolute ignorance of Turkish transport drivers in English and, accordingly, the inability to communicate productively. So, for example, after waiting for the 800 bus we needed, we couldn't understand why the driver wouldn't let us on the bus, as it turned out later, he arrived on schedule, but according to the same departure schedule, only after half an hour. After that, the bus made complex movements between the airport terminals for about 15-20 minutes, and only then went towards the city. It is no less of a quest if your plane lands in the second terminal, because the high-speed tram that goes to the center and the bus station does not reach there. You can pay in any city transport in Antalya in two ways, either by buying an Antalya kart card, or with your bank card, but it is a little more expensive.
We were waiting for the 800 bus for a reason, it was the only transport that takes us from the airport to the Lara district, where the Duden Waterfall is located, one of the hallmarks of Antalya, there we decided to start getting to know this wonderful city. The place is truly unique, the Duden River falls from a rocky bank, about 40 meters high, into the Mediterranean Sea. The flow of water and the column of steam are impressive. At night, the lights are on, there is a park area around. The impression is enhanced by the fact that almost all landing planes are approaching, a rare combination of nature and technology. A great place for photos and videos. After enjoying the waterfall, waiting for the settlement time, we went on the 08 bus connecting the districts of Lara and Konyalta, to get acquainted with the Konyalta beach of the same name, while observing the streets of the city adjacent to the coastline. The mischievous driving of local drivers was amusing.
So the Konyalta beach is a credit, especially it is beautiful at its beginning, where the old Nostalji tram ends its route, which is a pleasant ride from the city center along the coastline and coastal squares. There is also a green arch with the inscription Antalya and an observation deck for the beach and the Taurus Mountains. There is another long beach in Antalya and an area of the same name called Lara with a sandy shore, but it is less orderly and dirty.
Duden Waterfall - one of Antalya's business cards
Observation platform near the beginning of Konyalta beach
Konyalta long beach and Taurus Mountains But the icing on the cake that is Antalya is definitely its old city, called Kaleici, which means "inside the fortress", located above the marina, at the very top of the Antalya harbor, where tourist excursion boats depart. Kaleichi and the marina have everything that will please the eye and aesthetic senses of the tourist. These are ancient houses with narrow streets and tiled roofs, fortress walls, towers, ancient minarets, museums, and the visiting card of the old city is Hadrian's Gate, an architectural and historical monument dating back to the Roman era. And this is not counting market traders with antique goods and souvenirs, original restaurants, expensive hotels. We were lucky enough to rent an apartment for two nights in Kaleici, right under the observation deck on Republic Square, a three-minute walk from the marina.
Staying in these apartments, in the atmosphere of the old town, among orange and pomegranate trees, left an unforgettable impression. And the morning walk and the meeting of the dawn in the ancient harbor, which was close at hand, where I wanted to take pictures and shoot videos every ten meters, caused the soul to be delighted. And what are the Taurus Mountains worth in the morning pink haze. And all this without crowds of tourists, only in the company of seagulls and rare fishermen. No package tour will offer you such experiences.
Shopping was not a priority for us on this trip, so Antalya shopping centers and stores were visited more for familiarization purposes, and the famous Turkish brand LC Waikiki was even disappointing because the prices exceeded the quality. I did not see the expected seasonal sales.
Instead, we had to actively use the products of the Migros grocery supermarket, since we had to organize breakfast and dinner ourselves, eat in cafes and restaurants three times a day, it immediately became clear that we cannot afford it. Prices in Turkey are a separate topic for conversation, let experts discuss what their significant growth over the past two years is connected with, but I can say one thing - prices in Turkey, as well as rest in this country in general, have ceased to be budget-friendly. Olives and some medicines remain the priority for economical purchases. Prices in cafes and restaurants are aimed at European tourists, of whom there are many in Turkey, therefore, when planning an independent trip to this country, you should budget at least $20 per day per person based on modest calculations.
Kaleichi and recreation area near our aparthotel
Dawn in the old city
Dawn in the marina
Private beach near Kaleici
It is possible to go down to the marina by a free elevator
Hadrian's Gate
Kaleichi
Kaleichi
Kaleichi at night
The harbor at night
View of Tava Mountains at dawnContinuation in the second part.
