hi,

i am wondering if anyone has travel from istanbul to kocaeli for vaction?

how far is istanbul from kocaeli? and is there any good sites there?

also what hotel would you recommand in kocaeli and istanbul?

thank you. 

Merhaba,

Honestly I´ve never been there, but I have a small idea about the region.

Here are some links related to kocaeli and its hotels. Hope it may help you...

http://www.bookturkeytours.com/travel-guide/Kocaeli.html

http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Review-g298012-d1148431-Reviews-Seka_Park_Otel-Izmit_Kocaeli_Province.html

http://www.hostelsclub.com/city-en-1854-Kocaeli.html

http://www.allaboutturkey.com/kocaeli.htm

I recommend you Sapanca lake, it´s very nice and not very far from the region...

http://www.google.com/images?q=sapanca+g%C3%B6l%C3%BC&oe=utf-8&rls=com.yahoo:fr:official&client=firefox&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=YtkITZnjOIqb8QP0r5k0&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CDkQsAQwAg&biw=1280&bih=557

Kocaeli is not far away from İstanbul. İstanbul has 2 bus stations which both side of bosphorus. From Anatolian side to Kocaeli 1 hour 15 mins, from European side to Kocaeli 1 hour 50 mins by bus. You can prefer EFE TUR or IZMIT SEYAHAT to go to there. They are travel company by bus. There are many hotels in here;

http://www.icemtour.com/izmit_hotels_daily_tours_flight_tickets_car_rental_turkey.asp

http://www.turkiyeotellerirehberi.com/izmit_otelleri.htm

http://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?error_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.booking.com%2Findex.html%3Fsid%3D88da7797518609e746de2c687edf1de6%3B&sid=88da7797518609e746de2c687edf1de6&si=ai%2Cco%2Cci%2Cre%2Cdi&ss=izmit&checkin_monthday=23&checkin_year_month=2010-12&checkout_monthday=24&checkout_year_month=2010-12&group_adults=1&group_children=0&clear_group=1 

Have a nice time in İzmit.

Here you can see video from Seka Park, a nice park at sea side

http://www.kocaeli.bel.tr/images/Content/3dSanaltur/kocaeli360SanalTur/seka/index.html

 İts an industrial area near İstanbul you can imagine how it is . You must have a strong reason to go there 

thank you everyone 

I went from Istanbul to the Koceali region with a bus. I don´t know the exact time it took, but it was more than 1 hour. I think it was closer to 3 hours. I went close to Kandira, and it was lovely. I think people visit that area for holidays too, because it has beaches and a relaxed vibe.

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Middle_East/Turkey/Kocaeli_Ili/Kocaeli-1837606/TravelGuide-Kocaeli.html

http://www.bookturkeytours.com/travel-guide/Kocaeli.html