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Holidayco.co.uk specialises in cheap turkish holidays, package holidays and late deals to a huge number of destinations. Find out more about Turkey in our guide below.

Holidays in Turkey

Turkey is an ancient land lying between Europe and Asia, with millennia of history and culture. The part of Turkey located in Europe is named Thrace; the much larger part is in Asia and is named Anatolia. Turkey has a lot of coastline lying on the Aegean, Marmaran and Mediterranean seas. These regions are best visited in April to October and have a typical Mediterranean climate.

Facts At A Glance

Area: 814,578 km 2

Climate: Varies

Terrain: Long coastlines and large inland areas with varied terrain

Population: 68 Million

Languages: Turkish

Currency: New Turkish Lira

Time Zone: GMT +2 hours

International Dialling Code: +90

The climate in Turkey varies considerably from one region to another. Along the Black Sea coasts, summers are warm and winters mild, with fairly high rainfall. All coastal regions enjoy a mild climate, while conditions are more extreme inland. In Central Anatolia the summer is hot and dry, with cold winters. Eastern Anatolia has cold winters and mild summers. Southeast Anatolia has hot summers with mild winters.

Turkey has a great many sites of historical interest, some of them dating back thousands of years to the ancient empires of the Hittites and Phrygians. Some sites are quite rugged, so sensible footwear is a good idea if you plan to visit the ruins. Many mosques also have a long history and are well worth a look, though appropriate courtesy is required. Visitors should avoid entering mosques during prayer time and ensure they are suitably dressed. Shoes should be removed and women should cover their hair and arms. Shorts and short skirts are also inappropriate.

Food and Drink

Turkish cuisine includes an amazing variety of dishes from the various regions of the country and combining Mediterranean and Asian influences. Most visitors will have heard of kebabs, baklava and Turkish coffee, but the wealth of eating experiences that await ion Turkey must be experienced to be believed.

Southeastern Turkey is famous for its sweet pastries and of course many kinds of kebab. Dishes from the west of Turkey tend to contain a lot of olive oil, fruit and vegetables, while the Black Sea region is famous for 'Hamsi', a small fish similar to the anchovy. The Marmara region is a centre of culinary excellence particularly well known for lamb dishes.

Food is important in Turkey, and so is eating. Meals are special occasions; nobody eats on the run if there is a chance for a sit-down meal with friends and family.

Among the many dishes to be sampled in Turkey are Borek (layered sheets of thin dough filled with cheese or meat and baked or fried) Manti (small dumplings filled with meat and served with garlic yoghurt), Dolma (stuffed vegetables), and of course kebabs of many different types.

Fresh fruit is a popular dessert, but there are plenty of more exotic flavours to sample. Muhallebi are milk desserts. There are also many varieties of cooked grain-based desserts, some of which belong to the Baklava family. These are pastry sheets baked around cream, walnuts or pistachios and served with syrup. Lokma is another popular dessert consisting of fried dough flavoured with syrup.

Meals are social affairs and can take several hours to complete. Three courses are usual, accompanied by salad. It is common for friends and relatives to wander in and out during a meal, joining in whenever they arrive.

Although Turkey is an Islamic country, alcohol is drunk on special occasions and there are special foods traditionally eaten to accompany it. These are known as Meze, and are similar to Tapas. Drinking is a leisurely and rather special activity to the Turks, a social activity rather than an end in itself. Fish restaurants are a popular venue for a long evening with wine or Raki, Meze and a group of friends.

Coffee is another quintessentially Turkish experience. It is actually not very strong, though it is thick, and should be treated with caution if you do not want to end up swallowing the grounds. Tea is also very popular, prepared in a special way unique to Turkey. Virtually anywhere you might go will have a coffee-house or tea garden. Boza, a fermented wheat drink, and Sahlep, a hot milk-based beverage, are also worth a try.

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Places to visit

Visitors to Istanbul really must see the Topkapi Palace, home of generations of Emperors. The product of four centuries of splendour, the palace is now a museum to the greatness of the rulers who lived there. Yet it is also curiously humble compared to European palaces and nearby Mosques. Much can be learned about the culture of Turkey from the palace. For example the importance of food to the Turks can only really be understood by taking a tour of the kitchens.

Turkey’s fascinating history can be explored in a number of museums around Ankara. The Museum of Anatolian Civilisation is particularly good. Other museums include ones dedicated to steam trains, painting and sculpture and the founder of modern Turkey, Ataturk.

Golf is popular in Turkey, as is diving in the clear coastal waters. The coasts also offer excellent watersports opportunities and cruises aboard yachts (Gulets) among the bays and inlets, usually with excellent traditional Turkish cuisine served at every meal by the ship’s chef.

The inland regions include many areas of outstanding natural beauty. Away from the cities, an alternative holiday experience might involve time spent on the Yaylas (plateaus). From tranquil relaxation amid the splendour of nature to grass-skiing, mountaineering or horseback excursions, the Yaylas offer a range of attractions. Yayla holiday destinations are located in various regions of Turkey. Some offer white-water rafting and other intense activities.

Things to do

Turkey has embraced art and culture in a big way, and has many galleries and museums to visit. There are also many opera houses and theatres.

Sports fans will find plenty to do. Along the coast there are watersports – diving, windsurfing and yachting, among others. There are 14 international-standard marinas in Turkey. If you prefer to fly, there are plenty of options including parachuting, ballooning, gliding and hang gliding.

If keeping your feet on the ground – or trying to – is your thing, then there are 13 skiing resorts in Turkey’s mountains. Turkey is also popular with cavers, mountaineers and hikers.

Turkey has 21 fine national parks. Many of them contain sites of archaeological or historical interest as well as natural beauty. Many of the parks are in forested or steppe regions, some with totally unique flora and fauna. The Kuscenneti National Park is a particularly significant from an ecological point of view.