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Turkey Travel Guide

Turkey (Türkiye) is on the Mediterranean, in the Anatolian region of West Asia, with a small section in Southeastern Europe separated by the Turkish Straits (Bosphorus, Sea of Marmara, and Dardanelles). With the Black Sea to the north and the Aegean Sea in the west and Mediterranean Sea to the southwest, Turkey is surrounded by Bulgaria and Greece to the west, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to the northeast, Syria, Iraq and Iran to the southeast.

Understand

There is evidence that the bed of the Black Sea was once an inhabited plain, before it was flooded in prehistoric times by rising sea levels. The biblical flood may be an account of this event. Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı), at 5,165 m, is the country's highest point while the legendary landing place of Noah's Ark, lies in the mountains on the far eastern edge of the country.

Turkey was founded in 1923 from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. Soon thereafter the country instituted secular laws to replace traditional religious fiats. In 1945 Turkey joined the UN, and in 1952 it became a member of NATO.

Holidays

Ramadan dates

* 2009 (1430): Aug 21 - Sep 19
* 2010 (1431): Aug 11 - Sep 9
* 2011 (1432): Aug 1 - Aug 29

The festival of Eid ul-Fitr is held after the end of Ramadan and may last several days. Exact dates depend on astronomical observations and may vary from country to country.

Official holidays

* Jan 1: New Year's Day

National holidays

* Apr 23: National Sovereignty and Children's Day (anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish Grand National Assembly)
* May 19: Atatürk Commemoration and Youth & Sports Day (the arrival of Atatürk in Samsun, and the beginning of the War of Independence)
* Aug 30: Victory Day (victory over invading forces in 1922).
* Oct 29: Republic Day (anniversary of the declaration of the Turkish Republic)

Religious holidays

* Eid-ul Fitr (known locally as Şeker Bayramı, i.e. ‘Candy Festival’): Three-day festival during which sweets are eaten to celebrate the end of the fast of Ramadan.
* Eid-ul Adha (known locally as Kurban Bayramı, i.e. ‘Sacrificing Festival’): Four-day festival when sacrificial sheep are slaughtered and their meat distributed to the poor.

The dates of these religious festivals change according to the Muslim lunar calendar and thus occur 10-11 days (the exact difference between Gregorian and Lunar calendars is 10 days and 21 hrs) earlier each year. According to this; Seker Bayrami will be celebrated on 23-24-25 October 2006, and 12-13-14 October 2007, and 30 September-1-2 October 2008. Kurban Bayrami will be celebrated on 31 December 2006-1-2-3 January 2007, and 20-21-22-23 December 2007, and 8-9-10-11 December 2008.

" Holiday in Turkey is the fasting month of Ramadan, known in Turkish as Ramazan. The most important holiday in Turkey is Oct 29 Republic Day (anniversary of the declaration of the Turkish Republic).

During Ramadan, many city councils set up tent-like structures in the major squares of the cities to serve passers-by (or those in poverty) warm meals during the sunset (iftar), free of charge. Travellers can easily join in the queue, no matter how 'foreign' they look (In fact, no one looks foreign in Turkey where you can see locals who have blond hair with blue eyes to those with curly black hair and dark complexion). Another impact of Ramadan on travellers is that some restaurant owners use it as an opportunity for a much-needed vacation (or renovation) and shut their business completely for 30 days, though you will unlikely see any closed establishment in big cities, central parts of the cities, and touristy towns of western and southern Turkey. As a general rule, locals in inland and eastern locations are more conservative than people in the rest of the country, so you may prefer refraining from eating, drinking, or smoking in public in those areas during the daytime through Ramadan. Watch how the local folk act.

During both religious holidays, many cities (but not all) provide public transport for free (but note that these do not include privately owned minibuses, dolmuşes, taxis, or inter-city buses). This depends on the place and time. For example, Istanbul's public transport authority provided free transport in Eid-ul Fitr 2008, but not in Eid-ul Adha 2008 when it passengers have to pay a discounted rate. For some years, it was all free in both holidays, while in some others there was no discount at all. To be sure, check whether other pessengers use a ticket/token or not.

Climate

The climate in Turkey has a vast diversity depending on the diverse topography and latitude.

Aegean and Mediterranean coastal areas enjoy the typical Mediterranean climate. There is hardly a drop of rain during the sunny and hot summer (May to October). Winters are rainy in these regions, and it very rarely snows, with the exception of mountainous areas higher than 2000 metres of these regions, which can be quite heavy.

The region around the Sea of Marmara, including Istanbul, also has some kind of Mediterranean climate, but it can rain, albeit a little, during summer (as showers which tend to last for 15-20 minutes) Its winters are colder than those of the western and southern coasts. Snow is usual, although it doesn’t stay on the ground for long and limited to only a few days every winter.

Black Sea region has a subtropical oceanic climate in the east (thanks to the protective shield effect of Caucasus mountains), and a colder oceanic climate in the west. In the eastern parts of this region, it heavily rains during all seasons. The temperature seldom drops below 5°C, so it seldom snows in the coast, though mountains are as snowy as it is expected to be, there are even glaciers around the year in the highest zones. Summers in the western parts of this region are hotter, and less rainy and snow is not an unusual event.

Most of the coastal areas have a high level of relative humidity during most of the year which makes hot weather feel hotter and cold weather feel colder than it actually is.

Interior areas generally have hot summers (though the nights are cool enough to make someone who is wearing only a thin t-shirt uncomfortable outdoors) and cold and snowy winters. The more easterly the location is, the colder the winters are and the heavier the snow is. The northeastern part (around Erzurum and Kars) is the only inland area which has cool and rainy summers.

The southeastern region near the Syrian border has a desert-like climate, temperature is constantly above 40°C during summers with no rain. Snowfall is occasional in winters.

Cities

* Ankara - the capital of Turkey and its second largest city.
* Antalya - the fastest growing city, hub to an array of beach resorts.
* Bursa - the first capital of the Ottoman Empire on the foothills of Mt. Uludag, a national park and a winter sports resort.
* Edirne - the second capital of the Ottoman Empire.
* Istanbul - Turkey's largest city, the former capital of both the Ottoman and Byzantine Empires, and the only city in the world to straddle two continents.
* Izmir - Turkey's third largest city.
* Konya- a Central Anatolian city, former home to Rumi, and the site of his tomb.
* Sinop - an ancient fortress and port city on the northernmost tip of Anatolia.
* Trabzon - the wonderful Sumela Monastery is just outside the city and it is a great gateway to exploring the Turkish Northeast.

Other destinations

* Bergama - located near the ruins of the ancient city of Pergamon.
* Bozcaada - a small and attractive island just opposite ancient Troy.
* Bodrum - nice and trendy Aegean resort in Muğla.
* Cappadocia is an area in Central Anatolia in Turkey best known for its unique moon-like landscape (the "fairy chimneys"), underground cities, cave churches and houses carved in the rocks.
* Datça - unspoilt local resort at the tip of the Datça peninsula, Knidos nearby forms the boundary between Mediterranean and Aegean.
* Gallipoli - site of 1915 Anzac landing and many WWI memorials.
* Hasankeyf - old town near Şanlıurfa.
* Marmaris - a little touristy, but nice resort in Muğla.
* Olympos - tourist attraction for young people, full of wooden tree-houses and rich night life.
* Safranbolu - old town with Ottoman architecture.
* Selcuk - tourist town near the ancient city of Ephesus.

By plane

Turkey's primary international gateway by air is Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport [4]. Ankara's Esenboğa Airport handles a comparatively limited selection of international flights, and there are also direct charters to Mediterranean resort hot spots like Antalya in the peak summer and winter seasons. In 2005 customs at Istanbul international airport was rearranged to the effect that one is now required to go through customs and "enter the country" there, rather than first travel to a regional destination and pass customs there. Luggage will generally travel to the final destination without further ado, but on occasion you may have to point it out to be sure it will be transported on. The information given by flight attendants in the incoming flight may not be adequate so until the procedure is changed (it is supposed to be only temporary) it is wise to inquire on Istanbul airport. Since one must pass security again for any inland flight, it is advisable to hurry and not spend too much time in transit. Kayseri airport also receives international flights from some of the european cities. Kayseri airport is one of the closest airport to Cappadocia region.

Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW )

Of special interest to those traveling on low-cost carriers, this airport is situated some 50km east of Istanbul's Taksim Square on the Asian side of Istanbul. Airlines servicing this airport include EasyJet [6], Germanwings , Condor, THY (Turkish Airlines) and many more. It is interesting to point out that there is the possibility of catching a plane from Emirates' budget carrier Air Arabia to Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) and from there to India for a very competitive price. All those low-cost options though, entail departure and arrival times in the middle of the night.

Airport Transportation

From Istanbul International airport , you can catch the light rail, which will take you directly to the Otogar (bus station) or to numerous stops within Istanbul (Aksaray is the last stop, near Sultanahmet where most of the famous tourist sites are). It is possible to be at the Otogar within less than one hour after landing. Another way of getting to downtown Istanbul is by bus, either on Havaş coaches (special airport shuttle leaving every 30min; first bus 4am, last bus midnight) to Taksim, Etiler, Kozyatağı (Asian side) or on public buses (Line 96T) to Taksim. Public bus and the light rail costs 1.30 TL, Havaş to/from Taksim is 10 TL (2009). Taxi is about 20 TL to Taksim (2007) and 25-30 TL to Sultanahmet (2008). Travel times depend a lot on traffic, and Istanbul is heavily congested!

From SAW, Havaş coaches depart regularly to Levent, Taksim, and Kozyatağı for about 7-10 TL. If you arrive in the middle of the night, you can move to the departure hall after passing customs and rest on very comfortable seats — you will even find coin-operated Japanese massage chairs. Then, at about 4AM (but better ask to be sure) the first Havaş bus will take you to town. The Havaş bus schedule is sometimes linked to the arrival/departure times of planes. Check the company website. [12] There is also a public bus (line E-10) which operates 24 hours a day (once every hour between midnight and 6AM, more frequent in the rest of the day) between Sabiha Gökçen Airport and Kadıköy, the main centre of the city in Asian side. It costs about 3.00 TL.

By train

You can still travel from Europe to Turkey by train, although these days this is more of historical or perhaps even romantic interest than fast or practical. The famed Orient Express from London now travels no further than Vienna, but you can take the daily TransBalkan from Budapest (Hungary) via Bucharest (Romania), a two-night journey with a scheduled 3-hour stop in Bucharest. 1st/2nd class sleepers and couchettes are available, but the train lacks a restaurant car so stock up on supplies. From/to Greek stations there are two daily services, from Istanbul to Pythion every morning and from Istanbul to Thessaloniki every night. There are also daily trains to Istanbul from Sofia (Bulgaria).

There are also once-weekly services from Istanbul to Aleppo and Damascus in Syria, Tabriz and Tehran in Iran.

A cheap way of traveling to or from Turkey might be the Balkan Flexipass.

By car

From Central Europe, getting to Turkey is not too difficult. In any case you'll need your International Insurance Card (Green Card). Pay attention to "TR" not being canceled and be sure your insurance is valid for the Asian part of Turkey, too. Otherwise you will have to buy Turkish car insurance separately.

A carnet de passage is not necessary unless you intend to move on to Middle Eastern countries of Syria and Iran, both of which require you to have a carnet de passage.

National driving licences from some of the European countries are accepted. If you are not sure about your situation, obtain an international driving licence beforehand.

Major roads from Europe are:

E80 enters Turkey at Kapıkule border gate (NW of Edirne, SE of Svilengrad) from Bulgaria

E87 enters Turkey at Dereköy border gate (north of Kırklareli, south of Tirnovo) from Bulgaria

E90 enters Turkey at İpsala border gate (east of Alexandroupolis) from Greece

Major roads from Middle East enter Turkey at numerous border gates around Antakya (Antioch), from Syrian cities such as Aleppo and Latakhia, Habur border gate (south of Silopi, north of Zakho) from Iraq, and Dogubeyazit border gate (near Ararat) from Iran.

Major roads from Caucasia enter Turkey at Sarp border gate from Georgia (south of Batumi) and Türkgözü border gate south of Akhaitsikhit (this is the nearest border gate from Tbilisi). The border with Armenia is currently closed, thus impassable by car.

There are also other border gates (unlisted here), from all the countries Turkey has a common land border with (except Armenia), leading to secondary roads passable with a car.

By bus
Europe

From Bucharest there is a daily bus to Istanbul at 4PM for 125 Lei. There are also several daily buses from Constanta, Romania and from Sofia, Bulgaria and from there you can get connections to the major cities of Europe. Another possibility is the bus from Athens in Greece via Thessaloniki. You may also find smaller bus companies offering connections to other countries in the Balkans.

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