From there to here by kayak

Bebek, Istanbul

We are SO excited to hear that some of you are actually considering the trip for the wedding! It will certainly be good times. After I get an idea of who is definitely coming I'll have more information as far as what type of stuff we can do (sightseeing, eating, lodging, etc.). I would love to spend some time to show everyone around the city and make it a memorable time. One night to mention that is already in the works is the Henna Night (Kına Gecesi), which will be the Saturday before the wedding and hosted by Celal's mom. More details about that will be posted soon.


For flights, I have found that Kayak.com is usually the best. The main airport here is Istanbul Ataturk International Airport (IST). From NY, both Delta and Turkish Airlines have direct flights (about 10 hours), which are listed at $1368 right now (however, just last week I checked and there was a direct Turkish Airlines flight for $760!). There are a few cheaper 1-stop flights as well, starting at about $1200. From FL, flights are about $1400, though there are no direct flights. A few one-stop options are British Airways and Alitalia, but Alitalia sucks. From CA, I haven't done too much research, but I believe the tickets are about the same, and there is also a one-stop flight through British Airways and probably others from LAX.


Unfortunately, the summer months are the most popular and most expensive, and it costs about half as much in the winter time, as is generally the case with travel to any European country. Unfortunately, I'm just not a winter wedding kind of gal. For those that are going crazy about oil prices, the ticket prices haven't changed too much in the past few weeks, surprisingly enough. (In addition, gas here is about $10/gallon. Cars are also 2.5x more expensive than the States. And traffic is still worse than LA.)

That's all for now folks! Hasta luego!

Iznik tiles, Topkapı Palace