Anonymous wrote:i saw the title of this post and thought you had a turkey coming to visit and the turkey had kids.

And that the government is encouraging women not to laugh in public because it arouses men. That's a little worrisome for a secular Islamic country.

I have always wanted to go there but now I am worried that the borders aren't secure and that nut-job Islamists will start to target Americans.

We enjoyed our time in Istanbul and Ankara, but the place we really loved was Cappadochia!!! We stayed in a beautiful cave hotel, hiked around weird rock formations, explored the little town, at delicious food, and felt like we were in a very different and wonderful place (I think parts of Star Wars were filmed here). Our kids were 4 and 6 at the time and they had a blast. Hope to return when they are older so we can do more exploring and take a balloon trip over the area. http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/cappadocia/

My friend thought a trip to Rome with her young kids would be fun. At one point her son sat down on the curb and cried "Rome is just walking from one old building to another." He was DONE.

krokodil wrote:Turkey is fantastic, but aren't you a little concerned about the situation there right now?

? You mean the hostages in Iraq? Or something else?

Love Turkey- and Turks love kids! I was there with my blonde blue eyed one year old and couldn't walk a block without someone wanting to see him we love the areas around Bodrum when warm. I will also say that if you can afford it the 4 Seasons in Sultanahmet was stellar and welcoming. With the direct flights from Dulles- go for it!

We did Istanbul with a daytrip to Ephesus with 4 adults, a teenager, and a 3.5 yo. It was an AWESOME trip. For the Ephesus portion, we flew in and out of Izmir and had arranged a tour in advance (including a car seat for our son). For the rest (Istanbul), we just toured on our own, which was not hard at all. I suggest staying in the old (Sultanahmet) part of town, where you can walk or easily tram to Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia (incredible to experience), Topkapi, archeological museum, Basillica Cistern (cool & my son loved it), etc. I also suggest the Chora Church if you like mosaics. A cruise on the Bosphorus to castle ruins on the Asian side was really fun, too, but will take most of a day. We liked the Spice Market better than the Grand Bazaar, but both are worth a visit. We ate some meals out and bought picnic materials to eat in the hotel from local stores sometimes. Have fun!

OPhere. Thanks for your advice. I'll wait until the kids are a little older. I'll save your suggestions for later. Thanks again!

I went with my kids aged 9, 11 and 13. Istanbul is amazing but is a lot to take in for smaller kids We also did cappadoci a and Ephesus. I would suggest looking at a beach vacation or blue cruise. Or waiting until kids are older. It is full of history.

i saw the title of this post and thought you had a turkey coming to visit and the turkey had kids.

Turkey is fantastic, but aren't you a little concerned about the situation there right now?

What do you want to do? There are tons of beach resorts where Brits, Germans and other Europeans vacation with their families for spring and summer breaks, so very kid friendly. I'm not sure your kids are old enough to get much out of seeing the ruins, or the sites in Istanbul, and it might not be very relaxing to have them on a boat trip.

Could anyone post tips on vacationing in Turkey with kids about 4 and 6)? I'm flexible on time of year and place. How can I best find lodging? Do people recommend tours or independent travel? I prefer independent travel, so any resources would be great. Thanks!