Turkey had been our list for a while and we knew we were going to love the mix of East meets West. From beautiful beaches and dreamy deserts to ancient ruins and charming towns, it’s an amazing country! Did I mention the Turkish breakfast? Put Turkey on your bucket list now!
East Meets West in Istanbul
We instantly fell in love with this dynamic city! From cruising the Bosphorus to trying every food we could, we loved Istanbul. Read all of our Istanbul recommendations here.
Dreamy desert life in Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a real life fairyland. It’s iconic fairy chimneys dot the landscape and between the hot air balloons and the desert caves it is definitely magical. Grant rode a hot air balloon at sunrise, we explored ancient underground cities, and even took a cooking class! Check out our guide to Cappadocia here.
Relaxing in Kas: The Turkish Riviera
Kas is often referred to as the Turquiose Coast and it’s easy to see why. There is bright blue water and beautiful bougainvillea blooming everywhere! This was my favorite spot of our entire trip. It is absolutely stunning. Click here to read why I love it so much!
Exploring Ölüdeniz
On our drive up to Fethiye from Kas we had some great pit stops. A road trip travel day doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun! We had a delicious lowkey and beautifully scenic lunch at Ada Island Fish Restaurant. We then stopped in Ölüdeniz because I had read that it was one of the best places in the world to paraglide. I chose to stay in Kas instead of Ölüdeniz (and totally recommend everyone doing this) because Ölüdeniz seemed super saturated with tourism (spoiler alert: it is). But don’t let that stop you from doing a day trip. We loved it!
Grant paraglided (I considered then reconsidered when I saw the height and the price!) and he said it was adrenaline fueled and breathtaking. Me and the boys hung on the beach and watched the paragliders roll in.(But beware, they come in hot! We even saw one of the kites land on a stroller!)
We then rode the gondola up to Babadağ Teleferik which is an amazing viewpoint with a great restaurant. Sunset from this vantage point was unreal. Plus the boys loved seeing wild boars from the cable car! An unexpected road trip stop turned out to be a highlight of the trip!
That evening we spent one night at a cute tiny house in Fethiye before boarding our boat! If in the area don’t miss brunch at Gaya Eat and More.
Sailing the Göcek Islands
We love to sail as a family and had recently chartered a boat in Panama so we decided to do it again! It is popular to rent a traditional gulet boat in Göcek but to be old school boats they are incredibly expensive! We booked this beautiful more modern monohull instead using Click and Boat (it’s like Airbnb for boats!). The captain was incredible and so great with the kids (way better than our experience in the San Blas Islands).
We went swimming in the gorgeous bays and the surrounding nature was more forest than beachy which was surprising and beautiful. We paddle boarded, snorkeled, and baby Hobie took the best boat naps! This was such an awesome experience! We had dinner at Sarsala Restaurant alongside Russian millionaires. (I think they owned their yachts and weren’t renting like us!) Needless to say, the vibe and sailing culture wasn’t as great as in BVI but we got to see such unique things like ancient rock tombs! Sailing with kiddos isn’t exactly relaxing but there’s nothing like waking up on the water and laying on the bow stargazing.
Kid Tip: If you decide to rent a boat with kids bring an inflatable kiddy pool. We picked one up in Kas and used it as a bathtub when we didn’t have one in hotels and as a little play pool for baby Hobie on the boat. The kids took a bath in it on the boat too!
Our sailboat tour was cut short due to a horrifying rope swing accident landing toddler Marin in the hospital. Thank God he is totally fine but it was scary! But rest assured, the healthcare in Turkey was excellent and incredibly inexpensive compared to the US. They acted swiftly and were able to get us a speed boat to an ambulance to the hospital. We spent our last night that was supposed to be on the boat watching movies in Ece Suites. We walked up to book in a panic and they were more than accommodating.
Beach Days in Bodrum
Move over Greece! Bodrum is less crowded, cheaper, and stunning!! We had a great time lounging at beach clubs and eating delicious food in this resort peninsula! Read all about our time in Bodrum here.
History Rich Ephesus and Kusadasi
We wrapped up our Turkey trip in Kusadasi. We had the best donor of the trip at 4 Brothers restaurant, played all afternoon at Ladies Beach, and got to visit the ruins of Ephesus and The Virgin Mary House. Check out our guide to Ephesus and Kusadasi with kids here.
What we didn’t do in Turkey: Pamukklae
I kept seeing the cerulean blue waters of Pamukklae when researching our Turkey trip but it seemed like more of an Instagram hype thing that wasn’t worth visiting. It appeared the only way to enjoy it is to get there at sunrise before the swarms of tourists, but with two babies that seemed like a pipe dream! If Pamukklae was closer to one of our destinations I would have probably visited, but I didn’t think it warranted its own flight.
Is Turkey easy to travel with kids?
We visited Turkey with our newly 3 year old son Marin and our 10 month old baby, Hobie. I found Turkey extremely accommodating for kids, especially the airports! There were playgrounds everywhere and Turkish Airlines even had it’s own kids check-in counter! We visited many playgrounds in Turkey and the kids tagged along no problem to everything we would have done typically. (Except we took turns getting massages!)
Turkey is an amazing country with a history as rich as its beauty. Don’t miss this gem.
Truly a Turkish Delight,
-Ray