People are friendly and genuinely pleased if you can speak a bit of Turkish. I lived in Turkey for four months as part of a study abroad experience. I am by no means an expert or a local,but I hope I can give a decent introduction to this amazing place!
Must Go in Turkey
Cappadocia, the land of ‘fairy chimneys’ and rock-cut churches, is a geographical marvel located in central Turkey. Make sure you see the Three Beauties and the Goreme Open Air Museum. A hot air balloon ride over the area wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.
Turkey is a great country to backpack and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the great gathering places of the young traveler. Stay in cabins on stilts, nestled in orange groves…or stay at one of the more partying treehouse communities.
Walk five minutes to the Mediterranean coast, climb cliffs overlooking ancient ruins, eat figs from the forests below, see the flames of the chimaera come out of a rocky mountain, and afterward go to the dance bar with a roof open to the sky.
Must Do in Turkey
Turkish Bathhouse (Hamam)
Shop for Turkish Carpets
Even a broke college kid in her early 20s can afford a beautiful flat-woven Turkish kilim and turn it into an instant family heirloom. Prices are cheaper outside of Istanbul but be sure to haggle a bit anyways. This is very much a haggling culture.
Must Eat in Turkey
Ayran
Iskender Kebap
Raki
97% of the country might be Muslim, but Turkey is a secular state and they have a ‘national’ alcoholic drink. Raki is an anise-flavored spirit much like Greece’s ouzzo. So if you don’t like black licorice, stay away. Maybe add a bit of water to dilute the intensity a pinch.
Cultural Tips for Turkey
The headscarf issue is a touchy topic in Turkey. Women were not allowed to wear the hijab at public universities, government jobs, as teachers, etc. The rules have been changing recently, but as a visitor you should know that the only times you must wear a headscarf is when visiting a mosque.
I would dress more modestly when in more conservative regions such as the east or the south of Turkey (possibly in Konya, too), but there is no necessity to do so elsewhere.
Cheap travel tips for Turkey
Any Turkey travel tips to share? Questions for Iris?
P.S. 7 travel tools I will not shut up about
I spent a week in Izmir. We went to Ephesus which was amazing. We also went to the market at Kusadasi – amazing as well – it's best to go in a group if you can because we found that some of the sellers can be a bit pushy.
Could not have put it better myself. Agree with the kebab as well. More tasty than top notch food in a fine restaurant.
This is such a great round up of tips! My husband has been to Turkey, and I keep saying we need to go back sometime together–it sounds like such a beautiful country (not to mention being a bit of a foodie, the food makes my mouth water!).
I just spent some time in Turkey and I agree with almost everything being said. I would like to add visiting Antalya. Such a beautiful place.
Those first three photos are just so beautiful. You've just added another destination on my fantasy world trip! I neeed to go.
Turkey is so high up my most desired vacation spots. This post is torture! 🙂
Just wanna add a little tip if you spend some time in Istanbul as well: stay in the Taksim area and avoid accomodation around Sultanahmet! The historical attractions of that area can be reached super easily during the day anyway and the rest is all a big show built up for tourists (which also means everything is more expensive). Taksim is loved by locals and tourists alike and got better restaurants and a nightlife (nonexistent in Sultanahmet)!
I lived in Turkey for 13 months, I went to school in Ankara for one year, travelled and worked in Sultanahmet for a couple of months. It's like my second home, i still go back every year 🙂
Han- I agree that Efes is amazing (the site of a former wonder of the world, the Virgin Mary's rumored home, and an entire town of Green ruins), but I think the pushy sellers are pretty standard across lots of country. In the end, if you don't *need* the item, you always have the upper hand 🙂
Barb- I recommended visiting Olimpos in this guide, which happens to be a 2-hour dolmuş ride from Antalya, so that's the perfect situation in which to visit. Or, at least, that's what I did 😉
Maow- I was based in Ankara (METU/ODTÜ) too, for my 4 months. Its central location was great for getting out and going places…plus, it forced me to learn Turkish.
Turkey is one of my top five favorite countries so far, I think: Antalya was kind of my favorite city. Not too big, not too small…it's also where I spent the most time.
I found that, past the (limited) conversational Turkish that I learned, I could frequently find someone who spoke German well if I needed to communicate without English. I'm not sure how widespread that is, just something that was a facet of my experience.
You should lunch by a waterfall.
Also, eat karnıyarık. It just needs to be said! 🙂
I've been DREAMING of going to to Turkey, never been, I'm bookmarking this for sure, thanks!
I've been trying to sell the hubby on visiting Turkey for a long time. I think this little post will do it. And now I wanna go SO BAD! At what time of the year is it best to go?
Turkey is one of the places my husband and I visited on our honeymoon and it was our standout favorite. We are poor and even we walked away with a beautiful rug! We visited Izmir, Kusadasi, Sirince and Ephesus – a great trip which included ancient ruins, a typical big town market and the beautiful countryside.
One of my favorite local things was drinking apple tea there. A local showed us his favorite way to drink raki – poured in Turkish coffee! It was delicious, and takes the licorice edge off if you're not into that flavor.
Iris, I know ODTU, it's a really good uni!! I was in highschool but i knew people studying there 🙂
And yes, I agree that Ankara is perfect for both getting anywhere else in Turkey and learning the language…I think I only met one person able (or willing :P) to speak English in the streets the very first month I was there xD
Justyna – I'd say the summer is the high season for Turkey. But I was there late August-December and thought the weather was *perfect*.
Laura Elaine- I'm also a big fan of the Turkish apple tea. A couple years back, Teavana was selling Turkish apple tea, not from a powder! Maybe they still offer it…
I went to Turkey for 2 nights and 3 days and ı made an arrangement with this company for a package tour and ı spent a good time in Istanbul. We visited the beauty places of this marvelous city. First day we went on a dinner cruise on Bosphorus and ı had a lot of fun with so many kinds of dance shows and good dinner too. I loved the mezzes. Second day we went on a tour and visited the Sultanahmet aria http://www.privatetoursinistanbul.com Every corner looks like a part of history. Hagia Sophia and Chora Church are very beautiful museums. The mosaics of these basilicas are very good protected. I was fascinated. I badly recommend you to go on a cruise on Bosphorus at night. Istanbul looks very different at night is shining. I had a very enjoyable Dinner cruise on Bosphorus accompanied by Turkish Shows. I will definitely visit again Turkey. Thank you for your services.
Thank you for the great tips. As tourist we need to respect the cultural traditions of the natives so I guess i need to buy a headscarf when I visit Turkey.
Turkey will be my next destination. I have heard and read a lot about Turkey. The country looks like a very nice place. The rich culture makes it a very wonderful nation. I look forward to visiting this place soon.
I would love to visit Turkey as well. I am a bit curious of their cultures and beliefs. I've heard a lot of great reviews about Turkey. Istanbul seems very enticing as well.