Holidays to Turkey
It is said that Turkey is a new country in an old land, which stands true as its landmarks date it back thousands of years. A Turkish holiday will take you back to ancient civilization. It will also show you fast-growing cities and modern neon-lit seaside resorts.
The Republic of Turkey covers a vast area of land, making it one of the largest countries in the Middle East and Europe. Due to its location, being surrounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Aegean Sea to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the south, it is a massive peninsula.
The land of the Turks, as Turkey is also referred to, is divided into seven geographic regions which include Central Anatolia (Ic Anadolu), Marmara (Marmara), Aegean (Ege), Black Sea (Karadeniz), Mediterranean (Akdeniz), Eastern (Karadeniz) and the South-eastern (Guney Dogu).
Istanbul is no longer the capital of the nation but it continues to be Turkey’s cultural and economic powerhouse. It is a 2,500-year-old city that retains an important role as it was named the European City of Culture in 2010 and had many of its landmarks declared as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Sites such as the Hellenistic Temple, the Ottoman mosques, the Byzantine churches with their catacombs, and the remains of the massive medieval city walls should not be missed. A visit to Istanbul should also include some of the city’s music and arts, new clubs, private art galleries, new bars and designer fashion outlets.
Ankara, the country’s capital city, offers guests taking holidays in Turkey a look at the Ottoman architecture, domed mosques, minarets and castles, as well as its modern skyscraper buildings. Ankara is also alive with many bistros, bazaars, coffee shops, food stalls, modern art galleries and pungent spice markets. Its nightlife revolves around the thousands of students who attend the local university.
For those wishing to explore the country as much as possible during their holidays to Turkey, places of interest are the ancient cities of Ephesus and Troy, the Aegean ports of Bodrum and Izmi, Mt. Ararat which is considered the landing place of Noah’s Ark, as well as the ski resort of Uludag.
Climate
Turkey is an amazing place to take holidays any time of the year. If your holidays to Turkey are specifically for sightseeing by foot, cities like Istanbul are best visited during the spring months of April and May and October to early November, when the days are much cooler. These are the months where the sun’s heat is warm and comfortable. Seaside holidays are best had from June to September. Around Istanbul, temperatures tend to vary from below freezing in the winter to above 40 C during the summer. The coastline experiences 45C summer days and temperatures as low as 5 C during the winter.
Currency
The currency of Turkey is the Turkish Lira.
