Turkey is not only about the magnificent coastline, excellent beaches and the All inclusive system. If you want to know what to see in Turkey, then get ready for a big trip, as this ancient country has prepared a lot of interesting things for you.
Holiday season in Turkey
Beach holidays in Turkey are especially good in early June (water temperature + 22-24˚C) and during the first two autumn months, and for sightseeing purposes it is advisable to go here in early autumn and late spring. Well, those who are not indifferent to skiing should pay attention to the Palandoken resort, the skiing season in which lasts from October to May.
In May, it is worth going to the theater festival, in June to the bullfight in Artvin, in July to the jazz festival, in September to the archery festival.
Top 15 places of interest in Turkey
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace
The location of the Topkapi Palace is Cape Sarayburnu (Istanbul). Today, a museum is open here with 65,000 exhibits for general viewing. In the palace complex, it will be possible to inspect 4 courtyards: in the first there are the Lord's Gate (there were various premises and the Church of St. Irene, which later became a mosque), in the second - the Welcome Gate (the courtyard was the location of the office and the treasury), in the third - The Gates of Happiness (there were internal chambers, a harem and a courtyard with boxwood trees), and in the 4th courtyard, objects in the form of the Sofa Mosque, dressing room, pavilions of Medzhidie, Revan and others are subject to inspection. In the Topkapi Palace, tourists are shown kitchen utensils, silverware, porcelain, thrones made of precious woods (they are covered with gold), precious jewelry of the sultans and their wives.
The entrance ticket is $ 11, 30, and a visit to the harem will cost $ 7, 05.
Blue Mosque
The Istanbul Blue Mosque with 6 minarets is one of the outstanding examples of architecture in the world and Islamic heritage. The mosque appears to be painted blue due to the fact that its building is decorated with ceramic tiles, in the painting of which white and blue paints were used (floral ornament).
Tourists will be shown a wall (believers turn to it when they pray) decorated with 260 stained-glass windows, as well as floors covered with handmade carpets.
Tourists who have taken off their shoes and covered with a special cape (issued at the entrance) will be able to visit the Blue Mosque, with the exception of some rooms, any day from 9 am to midnight.
Pamukkale
Pamukkale
Pamukkale with terraced ponds, geothermal springs (+ 36˚C) and ruins (temples, baths and other Hellenistic monuments) of the ancient city of Hierapolis is a landmark of Denizli province.
Access to the travertines of Pamukkale and Hierapolis is carried out with a single ticket, costing about $ 10. A visit to the Archaeological Museum of Hieropolis is paid separately (a ticket costs $ 1.41; museum exhibits - coins, bas-reliefs, sculptures, sarcophagi, jewelry) and the ancient basin of Hieropolis, whose waters treat atherosclerosis, rickets, hypertension, heart and other ailments ($ 9).
Travelers are offered 2 main entrances and a checkpoint near the foot of the mountain (in April-October, everyone is allowed here at 08: 00-21: 00, and in November-March - at 08: 00-17: 00).
Goreme National Park
Goreme National Park
In the Goreme Park (you can walk here in 15 minutes from the central part of the Goreme village), with an area of 300 km2, travelers will inspect the monastic buildings of the 10-12 centuries (consist of 2-6 floors), the cave churches of the Convent (Jesus the Almighty, St. Catherine, Basil, Saint Barbara, Dark, Apple, Serpentine, church with sandals) and rock formations. It is worth noting that in the Convent you can see several rooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a ruined chapel, frescoes depicting Jesus, drawings that were applied to the surface of the rock using red ocher without the use of plaster.
Entrance to the park (working hours: 08: 00-17: 00) will cost $ 4, 25.
Alanya Castle
On three sides, Alanya Castle, built in the 13th century on a rocky peninsula, is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. The interior furnishings of the castle are represented by bathrooms, cisterns, the Byzantine Church of St. George of the 4th-5th centuries A. D. and other ancient buildings. And in the 19th century, residential villas also appeared here. And here you can also see underground reservoirs (about 400), loopholes and holes that were once used to pour hot tar and boiling water on enemies.
Today the Alanya fortress is a museum. The entrance to the castle costs $ 4, 25. You can get there by bus number 4 (climbing the mountain by bus will take 15 minutes, and on foot - 1 hour).
Perge
Perge
Perge - the ruins of an ancient city in the Aksu region (Antalya). Here you will be able to see a Roman amphitheater for 15,000 people, a stadium for 12,000 spectators, Roman baths (marble is used in their decoration, and the floors are paved with pebbles), Roman (tourists get to Perge precisely through these gates) and Hellenistic (these are dilapidated towers with a rounded shape; in the niches of these gates there were statues of emperors and gods, and today there are pedestals with inscriptions) gates, walls of different eras, the Roman agora, the Byzantine basilica, the colonnade of the central street, or more precisely, what has survived from this.
To enter the territory of Perge, you need to pay $ 7 (you can do this any day from 9 am to 7 pm).
Goynuk canyon
In the village of Goynuk there is a canyon of the same name, 6 km long. From Kemer, you can come here on a rented bike or dolmus.
Tourists are invited to join seasonal excursions along the canyon (the height of the gorge is 350 m): since there are water-flooded areas on the way, the participants of the excursion are advised to go on the road in suitable shoes and a diving suit / vest (rental of the necessary equipment is available at the entrance to the park).
Useful information: the cost of entering the park is $ 2, and equipment rental is $ 20 (vest, helmet, rubber slippers); the duration of the trip through the canyon is about 3 hours.
Beldibi caves
The Beldibi Caves are located in the east of Olympos: once people were hiding in them from bad weather and wild animals, so today you can see rock paintings with scenes of the main moments of their lives.
Before entering the cave, you will have to go around a deep cliff, so the inattentive should be especially careful. Inside you will be able to see drawings of people and animals, and hunting scenes. And if you trust the signs, you can walk to the waterfall, having crossed the mountain river ford beforehand.
If you wish, you can spend the night in the village of Beldibi, which has souvenir shops, boarding houses, cafes, and a garden with citrus fruits.
Mount Yanartash
Mount Yanartash
You can get to Yanartash Mountain, located near Kemer, on your own or by joining an excursion group (the excursion will cost $ 20-25). Since natural gas accumulates inside the mountain, when coming to the surface through cracks and contact with oxygen, you can see a kind of fire show with smoke and fire. It is best to admire this unusual phenomenon in the dark. If you wish, you can take torches uphill to light them upstairs. Tourists will find a rather steep climb along a special path with steps cut from the rocky rock of the mountain.
Valens Aqueduct
The Valens Aqueduct is part of the Constantinople water supply system. The aqueduct (earlier it reached more than 1000 m in length, and today it is 971 m), built in 368-375 using stones from the walls of the ancient Greek city of Chalcedon, is a symbol of the old part of Istanbul. Lead pipes run along the top of the aqueduct - through them water flowed into the city until the 19th century, and today a highway is laid under it - Ataturk Boulevard (under the arches of the aqueduct it will be possible to drive a car or a bus).
The aqueduct originates in the Zeyrek area, and, passing through Ataturk Boulevard (in this place, the structure is two-storey), ends in the Vefa area.
Suleymaniye Mosque
It is recommended to admire the beautiful Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul from the bay. The mosque complex (equipped with 136 windows and 4 minarets with 10 balconies on them) includes kitchens, madrasahs, baths, an observatory, and a library. It is worth taking a walk in the courtyard of the mosque - there are the mausoleums of Suleiman and his wife Khyurrem.
Since the mosque is closed for tourists during prayer, it is better to visit it at 09: 00-12: 30 and 13: 45-15: 45 (admission is free).
The Suleymaniye Mosque can be reached on foot from the Eminenu and Beyazit squares or by using the high-speed tram service (you need to get off at the Eminonu stop, from where the mosque is a 5-minute walk).
Fortress Kale Cay
To get to the Kale Kei fortress, located between the cities of Demre and Kas, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, you need to go on a yacht trip (due to the once earthquake, the fortress partially sank). Travelers will see the Lycian necropolis and the Byzantine castle (which was built to fight pirates at the top of the hill) with a theater that can accommodate 300 people. At the seaside, it will be possible to find restaurants where hungry people drop in to feast on seafood dishes. And those who wish will be offered to go diving here.
Duden waterfalls
Lower Duden, whose waters fall down from a 40-meter height, is 8 km away from Antalya (Lara region) and is equipped with night illumination. It makes sense to view the waterfall (free visit) from the sea, joining a yacht trip starting from the Antalya marina.
Upper Duden (a water stream rushes down from a height of 20 m) is located 10-11 km from Antalya: the entrance to its territory, where there are cafes (they sell soft drinks, cakes and other snacks), observation platforms, a cave (the windows of the cave tunnel are designed for viewing the waterfall from all sides) and barbecue tables, will cost about $ 1.5.
Dolmabahce Palace
Dolmabahce Palace
Dolmabahce Palace (Baroque style) is a landmark of Istanbul. Tourists are shown the Grand Palace (the Harem, State Apartments, the Ceremonial Hall, a crystal staircase decorated with gold, paintings by Aivazovsky, a Bohemian glass chandelier weighing 5 tons are subject to inspection), the Beylerbey Palace (it is worth photographing its neo-Baroque facade, as well as examining the harem and apartments of the Sultan), the Ainalikavak pavilion (of interest are its carved platbands), the sea mansion Floria Ataturk, the Yildiz chalet palace, the house of Yalov Ataturk.
It is advisable to visit Dolmabahce Palace from 9 am to 4 pm, and other palaces and pavilions - from 9 am to 5 pm. Non-working days are Thursday and Monday.
Cave nimara
The Nimara Cave, associated with the nymph Leto, is located near Marmaris. From Paradise Island to the cave - 400 m, but the path is difficult to climb up past the rocks. To reach the Nimara cave, you first need to walk along a small bridge (it has a rope rail), and then along the steps in the form of originally folded stones. At the entrance you will be able to see the fragments of the former vault, and on the ceiling - hanging stalactites. Advice: on a journey that takes up a lot of energy, it is advisable to take sandwiches and water with you.
