Turkey

Turkey is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. More than 42 million foreign tourists visited Turkey in 2014. (It was the best year in the country's tourism industry in recent years and Turkey was the 6th most popular tourism destination in the world.) The popularity of Turkey among tourists began to increase again in 2018.

Most tourists are attracted by seaside resorts located along the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas coasts. There are also many historical sites in different cities.

The warm sea, comfortable climate, large number of hotels, and attractive prices make Turkey one of the best holiday destinations for residents of European countries. The country has 463 beaches in total awarded with the Blue Flag certification in 2019. You will find a lot of useful information in our Turkey holidaymaker's guide.

Turkey's smaller part is located in Southeastern Europe and its larger part is in Western Asia. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest, Greece to the west, Georgia to the northeast, Armenia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Iraq, and Syria to the southeast.

The Mediterranean Sea is located to the south of Turkey. There are the most popular resorts located on the Mediterranean coast. Turkey is also bordered by the Aegean Sea to the west and the Black Sea to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus, and the Dardanelles straits are located in the western part of Turkey and separate Europe and Asia.

There was a significant decrease in the number of tourists after 2015, but the number of foreign visitors started recovering in 2017. Turkey is one of the safest holiday destinations in Europe. But in any case, need to be careful with your personal possessions when traveling like in any country.

Main Destinations
Ankara, Mardin, Konya, Antalya, Marmaris, Side, Bodrum, Ephesus, Cappadocia, Istanbul

The Location
Turkey, also called Türkiye, country that occupies a unique geographic position, lying partly in Asia and partly in Europe. Throughout its history it has acted as both a barrier and a bridge between the two continents.

Turkey is situated at the crossroads of the Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East, and eastern Mediterranean. It is among the larger countries of the region in terms of territory and population, and its land area is greater than that of any European state. Nearly all of the country is in Asia, comprising the oblong peninsula of Asia Minor—also known as Anatolia (Anadolu)—and, in the east, part of a mountainous region sometimes known as the Armenian Highland. The remainder—Turkish Thrace (Trakya)—lies in the extreme southeastern part of Europe, a tiny remnant of an empire that once extended over much of the Balkans.

Main Airport
Istanbul Airport is the main international airport serving Istanbul, Turkey. It is located in the Arnaudo district on the European side of the city.

Capital City
Ankara, Turkey’s cosmopolitan capital, sits in the country’s central Anatolia region. It’s a center for the performing arts, home to the State Opera and Ballet, the Presidential Symphony Orchestra, and several national theater companies. Overlooking the city is Anit Kabir, the enormous hilltop mausoleum of Kemal Atatürk, modern Turkey’s first president, who declared Ankara the capital in 1923.

Language Spoken
About 75 million people speak Turkish in Turkey, where Turkish is the official language, and 90% of the population speaks it as a first language. Turkish is also the language spoken at home by those living in areas that had been governed by the Ottoman Empire.
Turkish also referred to as Turkish of Turkey, is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, with around 80 to 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and Northern Cyprus.

Currency
Turkish lira
The lira is the official currency of Turkey and Northern Cyprus. One lira is divided into one hundred kurus. Wikipedia

Emergency Calls
When you dial 112 (Emergency), you are redirected to appropriate services such as 155 (Police), and 110 (Fire). Furthermore, this line provides service in foreign languages such as English, Russian, German, and Arabic.

Peak Season
The high tourist season is between June and August, so the prices will be quite high, and the weather will be swelteringly hot. The low season is from November - March, but this is when to visit Turkey if you want to visit the beautiful ski resorts or tour Turkey on a budget!

Low season

November to March is the low season in Turkey because of the winter. The weather gets rather chilly, except for the southeast (near Antalya). There is a chance of snow in most places, including Cappadocia, especially in January and February.

Temperature

Turkey has a mediterranean climate with hot dry summers and mild winters. The hottest month of the year is July with an average daily maximum of 35 C and an average low of 25 C. The coolest month of the year is January with an average daily maximum of 14 C and an average low of 5 C.