Turkey

Understand

History

There is evidence that the bed of the Black Sea was once an inhabited plain before it was flooded in prehistoric times by rising sea levels. Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı), at 5,165 m (16,946 ft), is Turkey's highest point and the legendary landing place of Noah's Ark on the far eastern edge of the country. The area that is now Turkey has been part of many of the world's greatest empires throughout history such as the Hittites and Phrygians. The city of Troy, famously destroyed by the Greeks in Homer's Illiad, has always been associated with the entrance to the Dardanelles strait in northwestern Anatolia. The area was to become part of the Roman Empire. One of the most famous quotes in history; "Veni, vidi, vici" was declared by Julius Caesar during his Anatolian conquests. Subsequently, the region became part of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire after the Roman Empire split into two, with Constantinople (now Istanbul) as its capital. The year 1071 marked the Seljuk/Turkish entry to Anatolia. The Ottoman Empire subsequently defeated the Byzantines, dominated the eastern Mediterranean and Balkans, until its defeat by the Allies in World War I. The Turkish Republic (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti) was founded in 1923 from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. Soon thereafter the country instituted secular laws to replace traditional religious fiats and instigated many other radical reforms to rapidly modernize the state. Granting women suffrage, way before most of the Europe, was one of many reforms of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He continues to be revered as one of the few leaders associated with a genuinely benevolent cult of personality; and you can see his face gazing down on you or up into the distance in a fatherly, visionary or determined

See

Many museums and ancient sites in Turkey are closed on Mondays, although there are as many exceptions. The Turkish government offers a museum pass for many sights and museums in Turkey; there are also regional passes. Check out what is included, as they don't cover some sights and numerous others can still be seen for free.

Ancient ruins and architectural heritage

At the crossro

Getting there

Entry requirements

Visitors from the Republic of Cyprus should present their ID cards to supplement their passports since Turkey does not recognize the country.

Visa-free Turkish visa requirements were relaxed in 2020. Ordinary passport holders of the countries below can enter Turkey visa-free for tourism and commerce, for up to 90 days unless a shorter period is stated. Your passport must be valid for 60 days beyond your maximum stay, so for most visitors that is 150 days beyond entry. That is just under five months: they politely ask for six months validity on entry but it is not a requirement. (Be prepared to argue this point with airline clerks.) So, no visa needed if you're from:

all EU and EEA countries except the Republic of Cyprus. For Latvia, entry is only for 30 days. The EU/EEA visa regime also applies to Andorra, Monaco, the United Kingdom, and the Vatican. Other European countries: Albania (90 days), Bosnia and Herzegovina (90), Kosovo (90), Moldova (90), Montenegro (90), North Macedonia (90), Serbia (90), Ukraine (90), and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (no limit). CIS countries: Russia (60), Belarus (30), Azerbaijan (30), Georgia (90), Kazakhstan (30), Kyrgyzstan (30), Mongolia (30), Tajikistan (30) and Uzbekistan (30); but not Armenia and Turkmenistan. Central and South America and the Caribbean: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica (30), Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Others: Australia, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Hong Kong (SAR Passports only), Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya (depends on age), Macau (30), Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singa

Getting around

By plane By European standards, Turkey is a huge country, with mountains impeding the highways and railways, so domestic air travel is well-developed. Especially on routes to Istanbul it's also very competitive, with Turkish Airlines, and low-cost companies AJet, Pegasus Airlines and Sunexpress Airlines fighting for your custom. They operate flights from Izmir and Antalya regions to the Eastern and Black Sea regions. There are flights between Istanbul and Ankara hourly; Izmir and Adana have several flights a day to Istanbul (both IST and SAW) and Ankara, and every city has at least a daily flight. Turna is a convenient platform to check tickets. Regional airports usually have a connecting Havaş bus to the city centre, which will wait, within reason, for incoming flights. Buses and minibuses also fan out from the airports to other nearby towns.

By bus

Turkey has a very good long-distance bus network with air-conditioned buses, reserved seats and generally good-quality service, at least with the major operators. There are now quite a number of companies providing more comfortable buses with 2 + 1 seats per row. Standard buses, however, have seats narrower than those of economy class on aircraft. Buses are often crowded and smoking is prohibited. Go to the Otogar (bus station) in any of the major cities and you can find a bus to almost any destination departing within half an hour, or a couple of hours at the most. Buses are staffed by drivers and a number of assistants. During the ride you will be offered free drinks, a bite or two, and stops will be made every 2½ hr or so at well-stocked road restaurants. The further east you travel, the less frequent buses will be, but even places as far as Dogubeyazit or Van will have regular services to many places hundreds of k