Turkey

Turkey is a country with one foot in Europe, the other in Asia, which makes for a rich culture all of its own. The historic capital of Istanbul, previously Constantinople, is the only city divided between two continents. Here are some of the world’s most famous antiquities such as Topkapi Palace and the Sultanahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque), but alongside is a dynamic new Istanbul with its Museum of Modern Art and trendy shops, cafes and hotels. And then there’s the Turkish Riviera to explore with superb resorts such as Antalya, Belek and Bodrum. Whether you want bazaars and hammams or dynamic hotels like the Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay Bodrum with its Six Senses Spa, Turkey has it covered.

Top Accommodation

No Accomodation has been rated yet.

Top Restaurants

No Restaurants have been rated yet.

Istanbul summers are hot and humid and despite its southerly position, winters can be cold, wet and often snowy. Rain can occur year round. Coastal resorts are milder in winter and reliably hot and sunny in summer.

Transport

Getting there and away

There are plenty of ways to get into and out of Turkey by air, sea, rail and bus. There are international airports at İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir and some of the Mediterranean resorts. Turkish Airlines has direct flights from İstanbul to three dozen European cities and New York, as well as the Middle East, North Africa, Bangkok, Karachi, Singapore and Tokyo. By train, the daily Bosfor Ekspresi links Budapest, Bucharest, Belgrade and Sofia to İstanbul. Major European cities such as Frankfurt and Vienna are also well serviced by Turkish bus lines. The overnight Dostluk Ekspresi links İstanbul to Thessaloniki and is becoming a popular option with travellers.You can travel by train and bus to Syria and Iran, and by bus to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Marmara Lines runs car ferries from Çeşme to Ancona and Brindisi from late March to late October. Private ferries run between Turkey's Aegean coast and the Greek islands.

Getting around

Turkish Airlines links all major cities, including the busy İstanbul-Ankara corridor. Buses go everywhere in Turkey frequently, cheaply and usually comfortably. Trains have a hard time competing with long-distance buses for speed, but the sleeping-car trains linking İstanbul, İzmir and Ankara are good value. If you're driving around Turkey, you'll find mechanical services easy to find and relatively cheap but dealing with impatient drivers may be more of a problem.

Driving in cities should be avoided - traffic is terrible and parking difficult. Dolmuşes (shared taxis) are a good option for short trips. Car ferries can save you lots of driving - there's a useful hydrofoil from İstanbul to Yalova, for Bursa.

Health & Legal Requirements

Dangers and annoyances

Forget safety first - in Turkey, safety is the last consideration if it gets a look in at all. Holes in pavements go unmended and unlit at night; precipitous drops go unguarded; safety belts are worn only as long as it takes to drive past a police officer before being released; lifeguards are conspicuous by their absence. Don't even ask yourself how safe it is for a dolmuş driver to be negotiating a bend while simultaneously counting out change! Things are changing slowly in the west, but parents of young children in particular will need to be on their guard at all times.

Wear a money-belt under your clothing and be wary of pickpockets in buses, markets and other crowded places. Keep an eye out for anyone suspicious lurking near ATM machines. The laws against insulting, defaming or making light of Atatürk, the Turkish flag, the Turkish people, the Turkish Republic etc are taken seriously. Be warned that even if such remarks were never made, Turks have been known in the heat of a quarrel to claim that they were, which is enough to get the foreigner carted off to jail.

Unfortunately Turkey has a terrible record when it comes to road safety, which means that you must drive defensively at all times. It's particularly unwise to drive in the dark on country roads where tractors may be ambling along with unlit trailers. When travelling long distances, it's worth paying slightly more to use a company with relief drivers, rather than risk being driven by someone who has been at the wheel for a straight 18 hours.

In high summer mosquitoes can make a stay along the coast a nightmare. Some hotel rooms come equipped with nets and/or plug-in bugbusters but it's a good idea to bring your own mosquito coils to burn as well.