Episode 97 – Train Travel in Türkiye: A 12-Day Family Trip on a Budget

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• How to plan a Türkiye itinerary when your must-see destinations are spread far apart, and how to decide what makes the cut
• A clever reverse flight search strategy using Skyscanner that saved around £600 on this trip
• How to book Turkish trains using the TCDD website and app, including why sleeper trains need to be booked well in advance
• What train travel in Türkiye is really like, from a £25 overnight sleeper cabin to a £6.50 seven-hour scenic journey and first class for £22
• When buses work better than trains, and the practical differences between the two for getting around Türkiye
• A last-minute accommodation strategy that kept costs low, including what to look for and what to watch out for
• What Ephesus is really like and why the scale of it surprises even well-travelled visitors
• Hiking in Cappadocia beyond the balloon flights, including the Red and Rose Valley and discovering 9th century painted cave churches
• How to enjoy Cappadocia on a budget, including a mosaic lamp-making workshop that turned out to be one of the trip highlights Istanbul on a budget, including why the Blue Mosque, the Süleymaniye Mosque, and a local ferry to the Princess Islands can be just as rewarding as the big-ticket options
• Eating well without overspending, including where to find pide (a traditional Turkish flatbread) and how to spot the places locals actually eat
• Practical tips on eSIMs, using Revolut or Wise, and when to pay in lira
• A bonus look at Bucharest and the Romanian countryside, added as a clever stopover to reduce flight costs