Turkey - Guide

With its important geographical position as a link between Europe and Asia, Turkey has, over the centuries, developed a unique blend of east and west. Dating back to the 7 th Century, Turkey has a rich cultural heritage equal to that of ancient Egypt. Through the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, Turkey has absorbed the very best of the histories of these great empires. This can still be seen today in its food, dance and architecture, and its many ancient monuments.

It’s no surprise that Turkey has become such a popular destination as it has it all. The country is steeped in History, and there are literally hundreds of ancient cities and classical ruins. Turkey is the heartland of classical Hellenic culture and the ruins of Pergamum and Ephesus are testimony to this.

In the central Anatolian region, Nevsehir is the gateway to Cappadocia, a region of soft stone where wind and rain have created a spectacular surrealist landscape of rock cones, pinnacles and ravines. During Byzantine times, homes, chapels and underground cities were carved into this soft rock. These troglodyte dwellings of volcanic tufa are one of Turkeys main attractions today.

Turkey has many natural attractions, tucked away waiting to be discovered. Another popular national, natural attraction is Pamukkale, the calcified, scallop shaped basins and frozen waterfalls beneath the Hieropolis ruins, that are said to have been a resting place of Alexander the Great, and his army, between battles.

To the East is a vast mountainous region, rich with impressive forts and medieval castles. Horse riding and Skiing are popular in these areas, though tourism as a whole is far less developed.

The Black Sea coast is home to beautifully atmospheric villages and densely forested areas, and though not as warm as the Mediterranean climate, attracts a lot of foreign visitors interested in Turkish culture.

Turkey has a coastline of over 6,000kms, with almost 1,000kms following the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. The hot Mediterranean climate provides the perfect setting, with many idyllic beaches to choose from. Olu-Deniz was voted Europe’s most beautiful beach of 1995.

The Turkish people are very proud of their heritage and have an incredibly strong bond with each other. They customarily call each other ‘Abi’ (brother) and ‘Abla’ (sister). The Turks are very warm, relaxed hospitable people and are extremely friendly to foreign visitors.

When to go

Being such a large country, Turkey has a wide range of climates, though spring and autumn are generally regarded as the best seasons to visit Turkey.

The summer months can be very warm with temperatures in the southwest of the country often exceeding 30°c, which may make sightseeing difficult for some. The summer months are also very popular times to visit Turkeys Mediterranean and Aegean Coasts and sightseeing during the summer can be much busier than at other times of the year too.

Spring and autumn are ideal times to visit Turkey as many of the charter flights haven’t started or have finished for the year (Charter services only tend to operate during the summer months) and because of this many popular tourist sites will be much less crowded. Weather in the spring tends to be pleasant and warm with long bright days. Autumn has slightly shorter days but the days are still very mild.

Winter is very changeable in Turkey and the climate varies dramatically throughout the country. Much of the Mediterranean and Turquoise coast remains fairly pleasant through the winter months with brief periods of rain expected in January and February. In the East of Turkey where attitude increases dramatically, temperatures are often much colder in the winter and deep snow often causes many roads to close; this can make travelling in this part of Turkey particularly difficult. Late Spring and Summer are generally the best times to visit this part of Turkey.

Highlights

• Istanbul – Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, the Byzantine built Aya Sofya, the Suleymaniye Mosque and the Grand Bazaar.
• Gallipolli – This unforgettable peninsula has many memorable war graves, memorials and monuments.
• Ephesus – Hadrian’s Temple, Celsius Library and the nearby Virgin Mary’s house.
• Pergamum – Ruins at this ancient city of Arts and Culture.
• Selcuk – Temple of Artemis (one of the ancient wonders of the world).
• Bodrum – Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (one of the ancient wonders of the world).
• Cappadocia – A unique moonscape of troglodyte habitations, underground cities and fairy chimneys (also one of the seven wonders of the natural world).
• Mt Nemrut – Colossal stone monuments of the Gods (Named the eighth wonder by UNESCO).
• Beaches – Fethiye, Ephesus, Bodrum and Antalya.