About Turkey
Surrounded by seas on three sides, Turkey is known to be friendly, beautiful, and cultural - it also offers the holidaymaker great value for money. Turkey is more modern than many of us would think, but still traditionally very interesting. The best time to visit Turkey is between April and October when the weather is warm, sunny and dry. With over 20 million tourists a year, Turkey has recently become one of the top-ten travel destinations around the world.
Offering beautiful and mountainous landscapes, interesting ancient and historical monuments, the South and West regions are also attracting increasing visitor numbers for holiday-property investors.
Places to stay: Summer resorts of Altinkum, Bodrum, Marmaris, Olu Deniz, Kalkan and Alanya are just a few of the most popular family holiday destinations.
Visas: British passport holders visiting Turkey require a visa. Visas can be obtained at the port of entry in Turkey or from the Turkish Consulate General in London.
Religion: Mainly Muslim. Before entering a mosque, Muslims wash themselves and remove their shoes. Foreign visitors should also remove their shoes and show the respect they would to any other place of worship and avoid visiting the mosque during prayer time. Women must cover their heads and arms, and not wear miniskirts. Men should not wear shorts.
Driving: Holidaymakers wishing to drive in Turkey will need a current International Driving Licence.
Activities
Activity holidays in Turkey attract avid skiers in winter and water-sports enthusiasts in summer.
Windsurfing conditions are ideal and well catered for in many resorts.
Mountain bikers choose early summer of Autumn breaks when conditions are cooler for biking.
Golf is very popular and there are some excellent Championship courses for you to test your abilities.
Driving: Holidaymakers wishing to drive in Turkey will need a current International Driving Licence.
City Life
The Capital city of Turkey is Ankara, located in central Cappadocia.
Istanbul is also a major city for business visitors and tourism.
Local Time: GMT+2hours (In summer).
Electricity: 220 volts AC all over Turkey (A European adaptor is acceptable).
Drinking Water: Tap water has been chlorinated in major cities and is safe to drink, but if you have doubts then drink bottled water for your daily consumption.
Currency
Turkey's currency is the New Turkish Lira (YTL). Check the exchange rates before you travel. Generally better exchange rates are available once you arrive in Turkey.
Many shops and restaurants in tourist resorts and large towns will accept payment in foreign currency.
Credit cards are widely used and accepted in most hotels, restaurants and shops. Traveller’s cheques and cash can be exchanged for Turkish Lira at banks and currency exchange outlets.
Entertainment
Entertainment is big in Turkey. There are nightclubs in most main centres, either Western or Oriental, with music and dancing.
There are theatres with concerts in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir. Most regional towns and resorts now have a cinema. Turkish residents love to dine in a taverna, where traditional food is often accompanied by music and dancing.
Food / Eating Out
Turkish food combines culinary traditions from the people's nomadic past in Central Asia with influences of the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. Visitors and tourists are sometimes able to enter a kitchen and choose from the foods being cooked, if they cannot understand the names of the dishes.
Popular dishes include:
Meze (starters)
Shish kebab (skewer & grilled pieces of meat)
Doner kebab (pieces of lamb on a spit)
Dolma (stuffed vine leaves, vegetables, pine nuts and dried fruits)
Turkish Delight (made from dates, honey, roses and jasmine)
Alcohol: Turkey is a secular state where most alcohol is permitted and enjoyed. The legal drinking age is 18 years. National drinks are: Raki, Tea, Turkish coffee and Turkish beer.
During Ramadan visitors should avoid drinking alcohol in public.
Getting around
Getting around in Turkey is easy.
Turkey is a country with a most efficient public transport system. The simplest form of travel whilst on holiday is to use the humble dolmus. This is a publicly-run network of mini-buses or jeeps that cover most of the coastal areas of Turkey, and some inland towns.
As the routes often circle a peninsula like Bodrum, it can also be a cheap way to take in some of the most beautiful scenery around the Turkish towns and villages en-route. The Turquoise Coast scenery is spectacular, and not to be missed. Turkey also has a well organised and reliable coach network which serves the routes to larger towns and cities.
Language
The language being spoken in Turkey is accepted as the standard Turkish and is the descendant of Ottoman Turkish and its predecessor, known locally as 'Old Anatolian Turkish', which was introduced into Anatolia by the Seljuk Turks in the late 11th century AD.
English is widely used and spoken in holiday resort areas, along with some German and French.
Legal Requirements
Turkey has just as many legal requirements as in most other countries. If you have any special needs, check with the Foreign office before you arrive in Turkey.
Shopping
Shopping
Istanbul's Bazaars offer jewellery, carpets and antiques for sale at good prices.
Turkish handmade items include textiles, embroideries, articles made from onyx, leather and suede, jewellery and many fine carpets. Most of the other cities and larger resorts have a market area where visitors can buy souvenirs and handicrafts.
Tipping: Service charges are included in hotel and restaurant bills. It is customary to leave a small tip (10 to 12%) for hairdressers and waiters.
Sights
Formerly Constantinople, the city of Istanbul boasts a wealth of architectural treasures, monuments and ancient ruins across the city for you to visit.
The Blue Mosque: is a wonderful creation of Turkish architecture. It stands majestically with 6 towering minarets and 260 windows illuminating its huge chamber.
Topkapi Palace: Is considered to be one of the most unique buildings in the world, as well as being the world's oldest and largest Palace. It is known as the ‘crown jewel’ from the Ottoman Empire.
The Grand Bazzar of Istanbul, is Turkey’s largest covered market. It has nearly 60 streets and around 4000 shops that are famous for spices, hand-woven carpets, pottery, and a variety of souvenirs crafted from leather and jewellery.
Ephesus: No visit to Turkey would seem complete without a trip to visit the Christian ruins at Ephesus. The mythological stories surrounding the spectacular ruins assist you to create a picture of life in ancient Ephesus. Visit the Fountains of Trojan, Polio and the Temples of Hadrian and private Baths. You will be amazed at the size of the Great Theatre, and its capacity of 25,000 spectators.
Pamukkale: A superb holiday tour is to visit the hot springs of Pamukkale, a natural site located in Denizli Province. The hot water contains large amounts of hydrogen carbonate and calcium, which leads to the precipitation of calcium bi-carbonate. The effect of this natural phenomenon leaves thick white layers of limestone and travertine cascading down the mountains which resembles a frozen waterfall.
Weather
The Weather in Turkey can vary greatly from the cities, vast central interior plains to the calmer Mediteranean and Aegean coastal regions.
April-October is generally the best time for tourists to visit for summer holidays. The South and West coast regions can experience very high temperatures, often reaching 40 degrees in July and August, but early and late summer months are ideal with a more comfortable climate around the mid 70's.
A dry summer wind called the Meltemi occurs, mainly during June – September but can occur also in May and October. The Meltemi often starts in the early afternoon and dies out at sun set. Evenings in coastal resorts are mild enough for outdoor dining May to October, and when the visitor numbers drop in November the days are shorter but still quite warm.
Winter months is often a good time to go house hunting, with cheaper accommodation and quieter town centres, it's much easier visit prospective properties to purchase.
Wine
Several of Turkey's climatic regions, are suitable for producing wine grapes, mostly within Cappadocia, which has rich volcanic soil. The volume is sufficient for Turkey to produce it's own wine.
The main grapes are local varieties like Okuzgozu and Bogazkere, although some traditional red varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are starting to appear, as are the more familiar Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
French and German bottled wines are available to purchase but generally are more expensive.