# 3 Months In Turkey



## eltobosolo (Nov 4, 2012)

Hello All,

My family and I would like to spend 3 months in Turkey, perhaps more if things go well, but we don't know too much about the country so I'm looking for advice on which cities we should think about for a base. About us:

- I work part time online so I need a good internet and phone service.
- We will be there from October to December (and maybe a bit longer), so weather is a consideration.
- We'd like a spot that is convenient for making day or weeklong trips to see historical places, museums, natural wonders, etc.
- On one hand we don't want to live in a touristy place, but on the other hand we don't know Turkish.

Any advice you could give us would be great!

Tobias


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## belgarath (Jul 15, 2011)

From your description, i'd recommend Izmir or Antalya.

Short term rentals is your best possibility, but having internet connectivity in short time will be a challenge. Ask the landlord if they can have ADSL installed in their name, and you can pay the bills.


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## Uzume (Aug 5, 2013)

I suggest izmir. weather is nice here, people are really nice, and decent amount of people know english. there are some places tourist like to visit, but usually i do not see many. nice ocean view if your in karseyka also has decent amount of historical value, but i do suggest you do more research


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## eltobosolo (Nov 4, 2012)

*Izmir or Antalya?*

Thanks for the advice! Interestingly Izmir and Antalya were our first choices based on our research as well, but I didn't want to anchor on those.

So, now how how to chooser? Here's what I've read on the web:

- Izmir is less convenient as a base for getting to historical sites.
- Antalya will have more rain but will be warmer from Oct-Dec (from Wikipedia).
- Izmir is bigger and so more likely to have modern conveniences.
- Antalya is more tourist oriented and so it may be easier to get by with English.
- Looks like Antalya is significantly cheaper based on Numbeo.

I have to say I'm really torn!

Does anyone out there have any advice on finding an apartment in either city? I'd like to rent month to month, and the first month will probably be partial as we look around for the first week or two. Any neighbourhood suggestions in either city would be much appreciated - I'd like to spend <$2000 USD/month which from my research seems more than ample.


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## AlexDhabi (Aug 23, 2012)

Izmir is a fantastic base for the historic sites including Ephesus. Just a couple of hours south by road (for example) and you can get to Bodrum and there are dozens of other historic sites between Izmir and Bodrum. 
Izmir is also probably best as a transport hub. It is also closer to Istanbul where you can easily reach it by coach more cheaply than by air (it's long but do-able - approx. 10 hours unlike from Antalya which would be too long by coach).


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## Uzume (Aug 5, 2013)

when I travelled to ankara to go to the american em. , my husband and I spent so much money and the hotels were located far out then being more into the city. Also some people would be more likely to speak more english in ankara.

In izmir, we dont spend that much money, hotels arent located so far off, and as the person about stated, we do have some historical sites around.

for example the house of latife hanim "memory house". they give you a little booklet to describe the story about the house and also have life like wax sculptures of Latife hanim, zubeyde hanim, and Ataturk.
Also your able to take the ships to the other side of izmir (10-15min ride) to explore more historical areas and thats where most tourist go to if they visit izmir I just cant think of the name which side thats located at.


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## eltobosolo (Nov 4, 2012)

Ok, Izmir sounds promising! Any suggestions on which neighbourhoods we should look for an apartment, or any agents or websites we should check out? Our priorities are:

- proximity to restaurants and transportation
- proximity to a nice beach
- feeling like we're in a "real" neighbourhood rather than a touristy one

We'd be willing to spend a bit more for that rather than save money and feel isolated.


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## belgarath (Jul 15, 2011)

I suggest you look at Karsiyaka/Bostanli area, but there are no beaches in the city.

With that being said, nice beaches are within 1 hr driving range.

Can you make a recon trip - fly to Antalya, rent a car, drive all the way to Izmir following the coast road.


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