This is a huge
country scattered with stunning ancient
artifacts and populated by some of the
friendliest people on earth. Flowers seem to
burst from every crevice, the sun shines
endlessly [other than in winter!], transport
systems are efficient and the beer's good and
readily available.
Scenery ranges from dull to mind-boggling,
beaches are fair, prices are low and shopping is
excellent, especially leather ware in Istanbul.
Driving is surprisingly safe, apart from mad
Istanbul taxi drivers and night driving.
Downside:
- There have been a few Islamic fundamentalist
incidents though they are rare and not [yet]
targeting tourists.
- The language is a difficult Asiatic tongue and
many Turks don't speak a lingua franca like
English so communication is not easy outside
resort areas.
- The ubiquitous pine trees and profuse flowers
are not going to be enjoyed by hay fever
sufferers.
- The lovely local people can be 'economical'
with the truth.
- Small sites of big interest, i.e. most of
them, cannot contain the seething herds of
package tourists. And it's not going to get any
better...
- Distances between major sights are
considerable.
- Turkish wine is a disaster.
Climate:
Best: April- June, Sept - Nov. For water
sports June - Sept. For the eastern part June -
Sept.
Worst: Dec - March [cool and damp],
Ramadan [Muslim fasting month, Sept 1 - Sept 29
2008; August 22 - September 21, 2009; August 11-
September 10, 2010. There's always a lively
feast day, Idd al- Fitr, at the end of Ramadan]
Turkey's main attractions:
- Istanbul. A lovely, relaxed, interesting,
comfortable city encircled by water. See Online
Ephesus Travel Guide.
- Cappadocia. A seriously weird and wonderful
area of fairy chimneys. Calm, pastoral,
inexpensive and spectacular, but a distance from
anywhere.
- Nemrut Dagi. A superb mountain top scattered
with huge decapitated heads [in stone, need I
say.], but a long way to travel. Cold, so best
July/Aug and self drive.
- Bursa. A 2,000 year old city - still in use,
housing many fine buildings and a famous natural
mineral bath.
- Pergamum. Also over 2,000 years old, but only
ruins now, in the usual Greco-Roman style. Nice
and less crowded than Ephesus, but miscible
unless you're that way inclined. The same goes
for Aphrodisias, Didyma and Priene.
- Pamukkale is a bit of a hike from anywhere,
and is a shadow of its former glory but steadily
being improved.
- Ephesus is an extensive, very well-preserved
typically Roman ruin complex about 3km from the
agreeable little town of Seljuk (Selcuk), but
small and overcrowded.
- The Aegean/Mediterranean coast. Lots of
beaches and ruins between Izmir and Alanya, the
package tours are spreading like the
plague.
- Bodrum is crowded but still attractive,
especially the Kumbahce Bay side. Lots of
pedestrian streets and good restaurants. Good
base for boat trips. Small beach, big discos.
- Dalyan, by the river, is small, relaxed and
quiet, with great views over the water to some
Lycian tombs and pleasant boat trips to Turtle
beach or the nearby mud baths. Too many bugs but
the birdlife is terrific.
- Olu Deniz. Great [shingle] beach, lively town,
beautiful setting.
- Patara. Small town, superb sandy beach, dunes,
some old ruins.
- Kalkan. Hill/harbour town, quaint but
unfocussed, unlike Kas, further down the road.
Small beach and marina.
- Kas. Uncrowded, pretty and tranquil, with nice
little beaches nearby. The coastal road there is
gorgeous and it's also a good base for boat
trips. Something of a traveler hangout.
- Antalya. On the central Mediterranean coast
with pebble beaches, Antalya is large and
historic and not far from the dedicated beach
towns of Side and Alanya.
- Ankara. Turkey's capital has nothing much to
recommend it, except perhaps the Museum of
Anatolian Civilization.
- Fethiye. Good access to surrounding beaches
and ancient sites but the town is very short of
character.
- Marmaris, Kusadasi and Alanya. Beach resorts
of the package kind that are mainly good for bad
tattoos, good chip butties and cafees showing
soccer replays, but if that's your travel scene
then this will do you fine.
Activities:
- Walking/hiking: particularly good in
Cappadocia and the Kackar Mountains near the
Black Sea. A long distance walk, The Lycian Way,
is signposted from Olu Deniz to near Antalya,
takes up to a month.
- Mountain biking: bikes are widely for rent,
and are especially sensational in Cappadocia.
- Motorcycling: scooters often for rent, but
don't hesitate to bring your own bike. There are
lovely coast and Cappadocia roads in reasonable
condition, with acceptably safe drivers - though
not at night. Petrol is expensive.
- Boat trips: long and short trips with varying
qualities of guide. particularly famous are the
'Blue Voyages' traveling from ports like Bodrum,
Marmaris, Alanya.
- Water sports: skiing, scuba diving from Marmaris, Bodrum, Cesme.
- Han gliding / Paragliding: especially at Olu
Deniz.
Turkish Festivals:
- Ramadan: a religious month of daytime fasting
when people and services can be erratic.
- Kurban Bayrami: a four day religious festival
during which many facilities will be closed and
resorts crowded. Sometime between February and
April.
Kirkpinar Oiled Wrestling, mid-June, Edirne.
Istanbul International Festival of Arts, late
June - mid July, world class music, dance++
Republic Day, Oct, speeches and parades.
- Insurance
Do not travel without comprehensive medical
insurance (including cover for medical
repatriation), as private medical treatment is
very expensive. You should check any exclusions,
and that your policy covers you for the
activities you want to undertake. The European
Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which concerns
free medical treatment in EU countries, is not
valid in Turkey.
- Money
ATMs are widely available in major cities and
tourist areas. Local currency can also be
obtained from banks and exchange bureaus, known
as DOVIZ in Turkish.
- Visas
If you stay in Turkey longer than your visa
allows, you will be liable to pay a substantial
fine upon departure. This varies according to
how long you have overstayed. From the moment
you have overstayed your visa the minimum fine
is 98.40 TL, rising incrementally each day to
193.20 TL for an overstay of one month. If you
stay longer than one month the fine increases
substantially.
- Passport validity
Your passport should be valid for at least six
months on entry into Turkey and have at least
three months' validity on the date you are
exiting Turkey. If you hold a Travel Document it
must be valid for at least one year on entry
into Turkey.
- Traveling with children
If a parent travels on his/her own with a dual
national Turkish child, written permission from
the Turkish parent, certified by a notary, must
be shown to the immigration authorities if
requested upon departure, otherwise the child
will not be permitted to leave Turkey.
To learn more about Turkey tours and Turkey
Hotels:
Here you can look at all the Turkey hotels and
tour programs and get informed about our daily
trips in the different areas of Turkey. Besides
we offer to our guests interesting in package
tours different Turkey tours with the duration
from 5 till 20 days. Also we propose to you
worth recommending hotels In Turkey for you to
have the most relax and comfortable holiday. We
always say: let us surprise you!
See below our hotels and Tours in Turkey! Enjoy
it !
