TR
Turkey
Two continents, one long breakfast
Two continents, one long breakfast
The Hagia Sophia (537 AD, the largest building in the world for a millennium), the Blue Mosque opposite it, the Grand Bazaar’s 4,000 shops and the Spice Bazaar’s tumeric mountains. The Bosphorus cruise at sunset.
Thousands of volcanic tuff pillars (fairy chimneys) sculpted by wind and rain, with Byzantine churches carved inside them and cave hotels in the hillsides. Hot air balloons rise above the valleys at dawn – one of the world’s finest sunrise experiences.
The best-preserved Roman city in the eastern Mediterranean: the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre (25,000 seats), the Temple of Hadrian and the Street of the Curetes.
Brilliant white calcium carbonate terraces cascading down a hillside above hot thermal pools. The Roman city of Hierapolis is directly above; the Cleopatra Pool allows swimming among Roman column fragments.
The Castle of St Peter (built from stones of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders), turquoise sailing waters and the gulet (traditional wooden boat) culture of the Aegean coast.
The Goreme Open Air Museum’s Byzantine frescoed churches and the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli: multi-story cities carved underground to shelter 20,000 people.
Antalya’s Roman harbour city (Kaleici), the 540km Lycian Way coastal walking trail and Termessos – an unexcavated Pisidian city at 1,500m above the sea.
A Byzantine monastery carved into a vertical cliff face at 1,200m in the Pontic Alps above the Black Sea coast, founded in 386 AD, with frescoes still visible inside.
A circular sesame-encrusted bread ring, baked fresh and sold from carts throughout Turkey from dawn. Eaten plain or with white cheese and tea. The Turkish breakfast staple.
A spread of cold appetisers: hummus, cacik (yoghurt and cucumber), muhammara (walnut and red pepper), sigara boregi (crispy cheese pastry) and stuffed vine leaves. The Turkish meze tradition is as elaborate as the Lebanese.
Doner (rotating meat, shaved), Adana (spiced minced lamb on a skewer), Iskender (doner over bread with butter and tomato sauce) and Urfa (milder, pepper-based): four distinct kebab traditions from four Turkish cities.
Layers of thin filo pastry with ground pistachio or walnut, saturated in sugar syrup. Gaziantep’s pistachio baklava is considered the finest in the world.
An anise-flavoured spirit that turns white when water is added. The national aperitif of Turkey, drunk slowly over a meze spread and fish dinner.
Black tea brewed in a two-tiered samovar, served in tulip-shaped glasses with sugar on the side. Offered in every shop, office and home in Turkey as a gesture of hospitality.
Very fine ground coffee boiled in a small copper pot (cezve) and served with the grounds. The cup is read as fortune-telling after drinking.
A thin crispy flatbread topped with minced lamb, onion and parsley, rolled with lemon, tomato and fresh herbs. Turkish pizza; better than its description suggests.
Istanbul Airport (IST) is Turkish Airlines’ enormous new hub — one of the world’s busiest, serving 300+ destinations. The older Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side handles budget carriers. Internal flights are cheap and frequent. For trip planning, see the official Tu00fcrkiye tourism portal.
💡 Turkish Airlines is consistently well-reviewed and competitively priced. Its new IST terminal is vast — allow 90 minutes for connections.
💡 Turkish Airlines serves 340+ destinations from IST, making it an excellent hub for onward travel to Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East.
💡 Pegasus and AnadoluJet offer very cheap domestic fares booked ahead. Istanbul–Izmir from ₺300 (~€8) is common.
💡 Turkey’s intercity bus network (otogar) is excellent — comfortable coaches with wi-fi, snacks and tea service, at a fraction of flight prices for shorter routes.
April to June and September to October are excellent across most of Turkey. Istanbul is good year-round. The Aegean and Mediterranean coasts peak in summer — busy but beautiful. Cappadocia in spring (tulips) and autumn is spectacular.
Turkey offers extraordinary value at every level. The lira’s weakness against major currencies means budget travellers and mid-range travellers both feel they’re getting excellent value.
An Istanbulkart (rechargeable transit card) costs ₺150 deposit and covers metro, tram, bus and ferry in Istanbul. Worth buying at any station.
A traditional Turkish hamam (Cemberlitas, Galatasaray) costs ₺700–1200 for the full treatment — a genuinely excellent hour.
Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace Kempinski (former Ottoman imperial palace on the Bosphorus) starts around €500/night — and the pool on the Bosphorus is genuinely extraordinary.
Istanbul for culture and food, Cappadocia for the landscape, the Aegean coast for history and swimming. A week gives you the essential Turkey — but only the beginning.
Walk from Sultanahmet to the Galata Bridge at dusk. The skyline from the bridge — minarets, ferries, the Golden Horn — will orient you to what Istanbul is. Dinner in Karakoy.
💡 Take the public ferry across the Bosphorus (₺10) rather than the tourist boats. You’ll be surrounded by commuters and the views are identical.
Hagia Sophia opens at 9am (it’s a mosque — dress appropriately). The Blue Mosque is across the square. The Topkapı Palace takes a full morning. Take a Bosphorus ferry in the afternoon.
💡 Book Hagia Sophia entry at ayasofyacamii.com. Independent visitors have access to most of the interior; the upper gallery requires group booking.
The Grand Bazaar in the morning (it’s vast — allow 2 hours just to get orientated). Lunch. Then take the ferry to Kadıköy on the Asian side — the fish market, spice sellers and narrow streets are how Istanbul actually eats.
💡 Kadıköy’s Moda neighbourhood for coffee is one of the most pleasant neighbourhoods in Europe. Far fewer tourists than Sultanahmet.
Turkish Airlines flights Istanbul–Nevsehir or Kayseri (1h30). Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys, cave churches and underground cities are unlike anywhere else on earth. Check into a cave hotel.
💡 Hot air balloon at dawn (book ahead — weather permitting). The Göreme Open-Air Museum has the finest collection of Byzantine frescoes in Turkey.
The Rose Valley and Love Valley hikes (2–3h each). The underground city at Derinkuyu goes 8 levels deep and held 20,000 people. Sunset from Uchisar castle.
💡 The balloon flights from Cappadocia depart at 5:30am. It’s worth every minute of the early wake-up.
Fly to Izmir (1h from Cappadocia or Istanbul). The ruins of Ephesus are the best-preserved Roman city in the Mediterranean — the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre. Stay in Selcuk or Kusadasi.
💡 Ephesus is best visited in the first or last 2 hours of the day. In midsummer it gets dangerously hot and crowded by midmorning.
2h drive from Ephesus to Pamukkale — white travertine terraces and thermal pools above the ruins of ancient Hierapolis. Swim in the Antique Pool (columns on the bottom). Return to Izmir or fly from Denizli.
💡 The travertine terraces at Pamukkale are bare feet only — you carry your shoes through. The water is warm and the views over the plains are excellent.
Both work in Istanbul. Never enter an unmetered Istanbul taxi without negotiating the fare first.
Being invited for tea, home-cooked food or a tour of a family business happens within hours of arriving.
A restaurant meal: TRY 200-500 (EUR 6-15). Accommodation is correspondingly cheap outside Istanbul luxury hotels.
Remove shoes at the entrance. Cover shoulders and head (scarves available at mosque entrances). Time visits outside prayer times.
The intercity bus network is comprehensive, comfortable and affordable. Metro Tourism and Flixbus operate throughout Turkey.
Opening prices in the Grand Bazaar are 2-5x the expected final price. Engage with good humour.
The historical peninsula, the Asian side and the Bosphorus shoreline are three distinct days of exploration.
Coastal Turkey in August exceeds 35C. May, June and September are significantly more comfortable.
Turkey’s most widely used taxi app — hail licensed taxis in Istanbul, Ankara and across Turkey; metered fares.
FreeTurkish State Railways official app — buy high-speed YHT and intercity train tickets across Turkey.
FreeRide-hailing available in Istanbul and major Turkish cities; often slightly cheaper than BiTaksi.
FreeTurkey’s leading food delivery app — covers thousands of restaurants in Istanbul and across the country.
FreeBook Cappadocia hot-air balloon flights, Istanbul tours, Pamukkale day trips and Turkish experiences.
FreeTurkey’s most widely used messaging platform — contact hotels, guides and local services.
FreeExplore Turkey’s top city destinations — from Cappadocia to Istanbul, each with its own distinct character.
Turkey sits within easy reach of several other destinations — each with a completely different character.
