A Travel Guide to Turkey is a must for every tourist that plans to visit this astonishing country. Traveling to Turkey may have different reasons for each person, but you can be sure that with this trip, you are stepping into one of the most touristic countries in the world. Turkey is ranked sixth in the world in terms of tourism, and the tourism industry is Turkey’s most important source of income.
Turkey has a Mediterranean climate and its delicious food is famous around the world. This country attracts many tourists every year with its beautiful nature and beaches. For this reason, the Turkey tour has many fans among tourists. In this Travel guide to Turkey from Eligasht, we will inform you of all the things that are necessary for a trip to Turkey.
Getting to know Turkey
first of all, as a Travel guide to Turkey, we talk about general information about Turkey. Turkey is a Eurasian country, where the large part of the country, namely Anatolia or Asia Minor, is located in South-West Asia and the Middle East, and a small part called Thrace is located in the Balkan region (a region in South-Eastern Europe).
Turkey is a mountainous and relatively rainy country. The shape of this country is like a rectangle that extends from the east and the west. Being located in one of the most sensitive regions of the world, this country has a strategic and very good geographic location and is considered the gateway of Southwest Asia and Europe.
The official language of Turkey is Turkish (Istanbul), which was written in Arabic (Ottoman) script in the past, and since the establishment of the Republic of Turkey by Atatürk in 1302 AH (1923), it is written in Latin script. Turkey is located in the middle of two eastern and western cultures, although the culture of this country is much closer to the east than to the west. Turkey has six Asian neighbors and two European neighbors.
Turkey hotel reservation
Turkish tourist cities such as Istanbul, Antalya, Ankara, etc. as a Travel guide to Turkey we should say that popular cities like Istanbul have a lot of traffic. it is better to choose a place that is close to your priority so that you don’t spend half of your time in traffic and your pocket is not empty of taxi fees.
For example, if you plan to do water sports, book a hotel near the beach. Or if you want to shop, look for hotels in the city centers. After prioritizing, you can easily book your desired hotel from the Eligasht hotel reservation page.
Essential numbers of Turkey
- Police: 155
- Emergency: 112
- Fire department: 110
- Country code: 0090
- Ankara city code: 06750
- Istanbul area code: 216-0212
- Antalya city code: 07630
- Marmaris area code: 48700
- Area code of Kusadasi city: 09400
travel Guide to Turkey: cities of Turkey
Turkish cities offer a wide variety of social, cultural, adventure, tasting, shopping, and an exciting array of nostalgic architecture. In the following complete travel guide to Turkey, we discuss the most touristic cities in Turkey.
Istanbul
Istanbul is today the tourism capital of Turkey and the most populated city in this country. This city has kept alive the magnificent architecture of Romans and Ottomans and displays it with stunning splendor.
Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia Museum, Galata Tower, Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Doshize Tower, Basilica Reservoir, etc. are among the most famous places to visit in Istanbul.
Antalya
Antalya is a city known for its beautiful beaches and exciting sea activities. For this reason, spring and summer are considered the best seasons to travel to Antalya.
Luxury beach hotels, equipped water parks, along with beach activities such as diving, boating, surfing, rafting, and the beautiful nature of this city, can tempt any tourist to travel to Antalya.
Bodrum
If you decide to enjoy historical works and monuments along with beach activities, Bodrum can be the right destination for you.
This city is famous for its port and turquoise beach and is considered one of the most popular coastal cities for tourists.
In our travel guide to Turkey, we suggest you visit the beautiful city of Bodrum and enjoy the beautiful Mediterranean beaches and sea activities, and also visit St. Peter’s Castle, Mindos Gate, Halicarnassus Tomb, and the Museum of Underwater Antiquities.
Marmaris
Marmaris is a beautiful coastal city that attracts the attention of European tourists more than other tourist ports in Turkey.
Calm and beautiful beaches, excellent recreational facilities, and well-equipped hotels will make a unique vacation for the travelers of this city.
The city’s big market, Marmaris Castle, the small bay of Byzantium, the pier, and beach resorts are some of the places to visit in the Mediterranean paradise.
You can spice up your trip by visiting or participating in car races while traveling to the beautiful city of Marmaris.
Cappadocia
this city is famous for its strange cone-shaped rocks and exciting hot air balloon tours. Cappadocia is one of the three rock cities in the world, which has stunning and unique nature.
Due to its unique nature, Cappadocia has attracted the attention of many tourists from all over the world and today it has become an attractive tourist area and a place for holding balloon tours.
Kusadasi
As a travel guide to Turkey, we should not forget Kusadasi city. Diving, water parks with exciting activities, safaris, sea tours with cruise ships, exploring the quiet beaches of Kusadasi, and enjoying the Mediterranean climate, attract many tourists to this beautiful city every year.
The religion of Turkish people
Historical and religious information is one of the important parts of a complete travel guide to Turkey. Central Asian Turks converted to Islam in the early 11th century. Before this time, Christianity was prevalent in Turkey. In 1924, the Assamese religion was designated as the official religion of the society in the first constitution of Turkey. But in the legal reforms of 1928, this legal article was removed and by emphasizing the separation of religion from politics, Turkey was introduced as a country with a non-religious (secular) government and government.
Later, in 1982, when the new constitution was drafted, the principle of the lay rule was again specified. In Turkey, 99.8% of people are Muslim (80% Sunni, 8.19% Shiite) and 0.2% are Christians and Jews.
Turkish cuisine
So we get to the delicious part of a travel guide to Turkey. Turkish cuisine is the third most famous in the world, after French and Chinese cuisine. Turkish cooks use a lot of vegetables. Vegetables cooked with olive oil and yogurt are one of the main foods of this country. Breakfast has a special place among Turkish people and it is given a lot of importance.
A typical breakfast in Turkey includes tea, bread, cheese, butter, jam, marmalade, honey and milk, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and sometimes a dish called Menmen, similar to an omelet. A variety of soups are also eaten before the main dishes.
Turkish kebabs
Kebabs, which are among the most famous dishes in Turkey, are usually made with lamb. Kebab is one of the characteristics of Turks all over the world; Adana kebabs and kebabs cooked in clay ovens are among the most famous.
Doner Kebab
Doner kebab is a type of kebab that is obtained by cutting or shaving the meat surfaces that are circulating vertically and sometimes horizontally near the fire. Doner means rotating in Turkish, which is known as Turkish kebab in Iran.
Iskander kebab
İskender kebab İskender kebab was invented by a person named İskender Efendi, who lived in the city of Bursa at the end of the 19th century. Iskander kebab is a type of doner kebab, which is served with plenty of tomato sauce, butter, yogurt, and pita bread. This kebab is sometimes called bursa kebab.
Soup or shorba is very popular as an appetizer in Turkey, and the most common ones are a type of red lentil soup called Mercimek Çorbasi and Tarhana Çorbasi. Tarkhana or Tarkhina in Farsi is wheat or barley groats boiled in buttermilk and dried in the sun for storage.
Drinking tea in Turkey
Tea is one of the most popular drinks of Turkish people. Tea reception in all cities of Turkey is served in narrow waist glasses and saucers with sugar cubes. Doogh or Ayran and coffee are also common drinks in Turkey.
bread is one of the main elements of Turkish people’s food. Among the famous bread: Bazlama, Pita, Lavash, Simit, and bread rings with sesame, Yufka, Burek, and Pogaca.
Travel guide to Turkey :The best season to travel to Turkey
Turkey is a subtropical and temperate region with a Mediterranean climate. This country has hot and dry summers and mild and rainy winters. The area around the Black Sea in Turkey has cool summers and mild winters. However, some high areas of Turkey have cold and snowy weather. The temperature difference between summer and winter and day and night in this country is big.
The highest rainfall in Turkey is observed in winter and spring, and the amount of rainfall decreases in summer. Therefore, as a travel guide to Turkey, it should be said that the best season of the year to travel to Turkey can be different according to the mentioned weather conditions and the tourist’s taste. However, the highest demand for traveling to Turkey is in summer and spring. But for people who are looking for snow sports and skiing in Turkey, the winter season will be a good option.
Transportation in Turkey
You can use various methods of urban transportation to explore Turkey. We have listed them in the following of our complete travel guide to Turkey:
Taxi: Taxi fares are high in major cities in Turkey. In Istanbul, the taxi fare is about 4 lira and 2.5 lira is added for each kilometer. So if you are looking for a cheap trip, it is better to draw a red line around the taxi! The economic alternative to taxis is yellow vans called Delmosh.
Metro: Depending on your city of residence in Turkey, you can easily use the metro. For example, in the city of Istanbul, there are 6 metro lines, each of which has several stations and covers a large part of the city.
Boat: You won’t get the fascinating experience of sightseeing by boat anywhere. So we recommend that you use a ship to reach your destination if it allows. In Istanbul, ferries cost about 3 lire and take passengers to the dreamy island of Buyuk Ada from Kabatash pier in the European part and Kadikoy, Bostanci, Maltepe, and Kartal piers.
Bus: In the cities of Turkey, just like all over the world, there are city buses that you can easily use to explore the city.
Tram: The most popular way of transporting tourists is the tram. This cute device passes through the streets of the city at a relatively low speed and allows you to enjoy the scenery and the flow of life in the streets in addition to reaching your destination.
The key to cheap transportation in Istanbul: let’s add that if your destination is the city of Istanbul, get an Istanbul card as soon as you reach the city. With this card for the price of 10 lira and charging it, you can easily use the bus, metro, tram, ferry, cable car, and various city services.
Final words
In this complete travel guide to Turkey, we provided you with information about the tourist cities of this country, the attractions of each city, the limits of costs, etc. As we mentioned above, there are many ways to travel to Turkey, one of which is accompanying tourist tours. If you want to have an attractive and dreamy trip to this country, we suggest you join Turkey tourism tours and spend memorable days with a professional team. Turkey tours are offered with different conditions and prices. so you can consider your budget and choose one of the tours of Turkey.
More read:
- 21 Delicious Turkish Dishes
- The 10 Best Hotels in Istanbul
- Where to Stay in Istanbul – 6 Best Areas
- The best 5-star hotels in Antalya for a memorable stay
- The 7 Best Hotels in Antalya for 2022