Turkey Complete Travel Guide
Overview
Turkey (officially the Republic of Türkiy) is located mostly in West Asia and a small part of it is located in Europe. Turkey is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world in the recent years for its amazing beaches in the summer, great cities with busy and vibrant markets, mountains and the great Turkish food.
Personally, Turkey is one of my favorite countries in the world and i spent a few months there in total and I enjoyed there a lot! I will defiantly come back in the next opportunity I have. Trip to Turkey is recommended for everyone, from budget backpackers to fancy honeymoon trips, Turkey has something for everyone.
Quick Facts
- Capital: Ankara
- Official Languages: Turkish
- Population: 85 million people
- Location: Turkey is located mainly in Western Asia and a smaller part in Southeast Europe.
- Famous Places: Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale thermal pools, Ephesus ancient city, Topkapi Palace, and the Blue Mosque.
- Currency: Turkish Lira (TRY) (Exchange Rate)
- Climate: Turkey has hot and dry summers and mild and wet winters in the coast areas, while inland the climate is more extreme with cold winters and hot summers.
- Religion: Muslim
- Visa: Visa free entry for many nationalities
- Time Zone: Turkey Time (TRT), UTC+3
Flights
Turkey is a huge country and also a very popular destination for millions of people from around the world, due to that there are almost flights from any country in the world directly to one of the main cities of Turkey.
The main airport of the country is in Istanbul, the Istanbul Airport (IST) which is one of the biggest airports in the world and the 2nd busiest airport in Europe with flights to almost any country in the world.
There is another airport in Istanbul, the Sabiha Gökçen International Airport which is located in the Asian side of the city and serves many International airlines and low cost as well.
Additional Main International Airports in Turkey:
- Esenboğa Airport (ESB) in Ankara (the capital)
- Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB) in Izmir
- Dalaman Airport (DLM) close to Marmaris, Ölüdeniz and Fethiye
- Antalya Airport (AYT) in Antalya
- Milas–Bodrum Airport (BJV) in Bodrum
Climate
Turkey has hot and dry summers and mild, wet winters in the coast areas, while inland the climate is more extreme with cold winters and hot summers.
Budget
Turkey as a country used to be on the very affordable side till 2-3 years ago, but then inflation and a growing popularity in tourism especially in the most popular tourist sites caused a big increase in prices across the board. Turkey is still affordable compared to West European countries or the US but not as it used to be especially with the instability of the Turkish Lira.
Accommodation
Hostels in Turkey are available from around 7 EUR to 30 EUR per night (depends on the location and season).
Hotels in Turkey are available in a very wide range of prices from 15 EUR to 150 EUR per night and even more.
Food
Food in Turkey is still affordable (used to be even cheaper before 2020-2021) but you can still find many great options for good prices especially if you are not going too fancy. Street food in Turkey like Doner Kebab will cost you around 150-200 TRY (around 4-5 EUR) and a meal in a restaurant will cost you around 300-600 TRY (9-15 EUR) for a good local place (nothing expensive) and up to 1000-2000 TRY (50-100 EUR) in a more trendy place in cities like Istanbul.
Transportation
Transportation in Turkey is diverse and mainly depended on trains, buses, cars, taxis and ferries. In the big cities Metro and tram systems are available as well.
Safety
Turkey is a pretty safe country to travel at with enough security and police all around, the crime rate in Turkey is not too high and probably lower than most cities in the US or even other countries in Europe. the locals are usually very friendly and those who speaks English will be very happy to help.
The main risk in traveling in Turkey today is mostly pickpockets and this kind of crime in big cities (like other big cities in the world) which means you should be cautions in dense public places and public transpiration like the Metro and tram.
Useful Apps
Today we barely can “survive” an hour without our smartphones and traveling is no exception! so there are a few apps that are must have when traveling in the Turkey like BiTaksi and Uber for taxis and rides and Yemeksepeti for food delivery.
Check this post for more apps you should have: 18 APPs You Must Have For Your Next Trip In 2024
Posts
My latest blog posts about Turkey
