I was getting ready for the overnight Egyptian train from Cairo to Aswan. 12 hours. No sleeper car. The lights are always on. I can do it. I know it.
After a good report from some friends who had taken an Egypt tour with Expat Explore, I decided to book one for myself. It was only the third time I had taken a tour like this. I chose the Best of Egypt tour (no longer available as of January 2017).
Kütahya is not on the tourist trail but it’s an interesting city nonetheless. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It’s a pleasant city, the people are friendly, and there are plenty of things to see. I had busy day visiting restored Ottoman homes, historic mosques, museums, and a ruined castle.
Sharm el-Sheikh is an Egyptian resort town on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. It’s very modern and has tons of restaurants and entertainment, several possibilities for tours and adventures, decent beaches, and all-inclusive resorts on the crystal clear Red Sea if you just want to relax.
Bozcaada is a magical island in the northern Aegean Sea known for its natural beauty and its wine. The island, still commonly known by its Greek name, Tenedos (Τένεδος), was off limits to foreign tourists until the 1990s.
Çanakkale is often overlooked by visitors to the Gallipoli battlefields and the ancient city of Troy. People usually pass through and don’t bother to take a look around.
Samsun for me was a lot of wasted time. For a large city with such a long history, the sites were mostly uninteresting and uninspiring. I felt my full day there was too much, and a half day would have served it well enough.
Often overlooked, Kastamonu is a small bustling city split in half by a river. It’s got a long history and has several historical monuments. The same Ottoman architecture that made Safranbolu famous is found in Kastamonu, although in a much more urban setting and with much less restoration.
In a country of magnificent scenery and history, the old town of Safranbolu is one of Turkey’s finest. This small Black Sea Region town is situated in a ravine and is a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its fine 17th and 18th century Ottoman architecture.