Ataturk hill - kusadasi

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone has ventured and cilmbed Ataturk hill in Kusadasi, the views near the statue up there look incredible. Is it do-able if we are in port for the day (time and distance to climb), tks-

Joanne

Friends of ours just did it (in April) while we on the Prinsendam. They said it was a nice "hike" and they got some excellent pictures.

Hank

Friends of ours just did it (in April) while we on the Prinsendam. They said it was a nice "hike" and they got some excellent pictures.

 

Hank

Hi Hank,

Had a feeling you would be my hero. Do you know how far it is to walk from the port. I tried mapquest but to no avail. Also I here it can be unsafe up their with gypsies being agressive towards tourists?

Tks

Joanne

Hi Hank,

 

Had a feeling you would be my hero. Do you know how far it is to walk from the port. I tried mapquest but to no avail. Also I here it can be unsafe up their with gypsies being agressive towards tourists?

Tks

Joanne

Have no idea on the total distance since it appears to be a pretty windy (and steep) walk. But, you would certainly have no problem getting an answer from the tourist kiosk inside the cruise terminal. If it seems a bit too far you might want to simply get a taxi to take you to the top and then walk down. As to safety, we have always felt very safe in both Istanbul and Kusadasi (DW and I are always out and about by ourselves). The Turks are wonderful entreprenaurs (they are not Gypsies who actually come from Romania) and do tend to be somewhat pushy with tourists. Although this makes some Americans a bit uncomfortable, just keep in mind its part of their culture and easily delt with by simply ignoring the person or giving them a nice smile and moving on. If you show any interest (even with a simple glance) in merchandise you have to be prepared to play this silly game. We have actually gotten into some intresting conversations with some Turkish merchants (without buying anything) when they were not too busy. Sure, they want to make a sale but they are also pretty friendly and curious about tourists.

I should add that Turks have a great sense of humor and an understanding of how they are viewed by tourists. The famous sign in Kusadasi (now copied in several places) that says, "Geniune Fake Watches" is one of the best examples of this humor.

Hank

P.S. I did try to find the e-mail address of the couple that did the walk (Larry and Cheryl) but have misplaced that info :(

Hi Hank,

 

Had a feeling you would be my hero. Do you know how far it is to walk from the port. I tried mapquest but to no avail. Also I here it can be unsafe up their with gypsies being agressive towards tourists?

Tks

Joanne

It's not far as the crow flies, but I'm sure the pathway probably winds back and forth a few times. Here's a picture of it from our ship.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/O7JuI8hnfnNyID1215m1ONMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

I can't imagine gypsies up the top of the mountain...if you do come across any it will be in urban areas / markets, and you are more likely to come across them in Greece than Turkey, you probably wouldn't even know they were gypsies unless they were playing the cultural card.

Have no idea on the total distance since it appears to be a pretty windy (and steep) walk. But, you would certainly have no problem getting an answer from the tourist kiosk inside the cruise terminal. If it seems a bit too far you might want to simply get a taxi to take you to the top and then walk down. As to safety, we have always felt very safe in both Istanbul and Kusadasi (DW and I are always out and about by ourselves). The Turks are wonderful entreprenaurs (they are not Gypsies who actually come from Romania) and do tend to be somewhat pushy with tourists. Although this makes some Americans a bit uncomfortable, just keep in mind its part of their culture and easily delt with by simply ignoring the person or giving them a nice smile and moving on. If you show any interest (even with a simple glance) in merchandise you have to be prepared to play this silly game. We have actually gotten into some intresting conversations with some Turkish merchants (without buying anything) when they were not too busy. Sure, they want to make a sale but they are also pretty friendly and curious about tourists.

 

I should add that Turks have a great sense of humor and an understanding of how they are viewed by tourists. The famous sign in Kusadasi (now copied in several places) that says, "Geniune Fake Watches" is one of the best examples of this humor.

 

Hank

P.S. I did try to find the e-mail address of the couple that did the walk (Larry and Cheryl) but have misplaced that info :(

Tks so much for the info Hank, you are an incredible resource of info. I will attempt the walk, the view from above seems wonderful, be there in 2 weeks tks Joanne

Tks so much for the info Hank, you are an incredible resource of info. I will attempt the walk, the view from above seems wonderful, be there in 2 weeks tks Joanne

Hello Joanne, I'm following up on this old note i found on CC while researching Ataturk Hill in Kusadasi. We've been to Kusadai three times, of which twice we went to Ephesus. We are going to be in Kusadai two more time in Oct during two back-to-back cruises we have. We are interested in the ''walk'' up Ataturk Hill. Did you do it? How was the view? How long did it take? - Thanks, John