A holiday in Turkey is a great opportunity to spend your vacation unforgettable. Turkish resorts are a favorite place of recreation and tourism for many tourists. The highly developed tourist infrastructure makes your vacation in Turkey surprisingly comfortable and attractive. A large number of various hotels, interesting sights and monuments of antiquity, yacht trips and descent on a mountain river, chic discos and romantic cafes on the embankments - rest in Turkey for every taste!
Turkey is a country of legends and historical monuments, a country whose bridges connect ancient culture and modern landscapes, where luxury resorts grow near ancient cities where modern civilization once originated. Due to its geographical location, Turkey has become a bridge between Europe and Asia Minor, east and west, a bridge between the Christian and Islamic world. The Aegean coast is rightfully considered the largest center of concentration of the greatest historical and cultural monuments. Among them is the ancient city of Ephesus, which annually attracts millions of tourists from all over the world: there are the ruins of one of the wonders of the world, the temple of Artemis, and Christian shrines - the house of the Virgin Mary, where, according to legend, she spent the last years and the Tomb of St. John. The temple of Apollo in Didim, the ancient town of Priena and the well-preserved city of Miletus are also impressive on the west coast. History lovers will also not be disappointed by visiting the ancient Halicarnassus (modern Bodrum), where the tomb of King Mausol and St. Peter's Castle were erected, and the sea gate of ancient Lycia - the city of Telmessos (modern Fethiye), on the eastern slopes of which there is a road leading to Lycian tombs carved into the rock and ruins of the Byzantine church. Good hotels and colorful nature will provide you with a great holiday in Turkey.
Turkey is a young country, because its population consists of almost a quarter of people under 20. And at the same time, centuries-old traditions and habits have been preserved here. National music and dance are loved here - they have not become a dead part of culture, they live. They are danced both at national evenings and in modern nightclubs. And people in national clothes are often found on the streets of Turkish cities.
Turkey is a country created for outdoor activities. You can take part in rafting - descent down a mountain river on rubber rafts. And Pamukkale, the "cotton castle," is the eighth wonder of the world! A huge white mountain with healing springs and Cleopatra's pool, immersed in the waters of which, you will certainly acquire eternal beauty and youth, as well as the famous queen.
Nightlife! The famous "forever dancing" cities of Marmaris and Bodrum with chic discos and entire streets of bars, clubs and karaoke pubs, where people dance, holding hands with national Turkish dances. More romantic cafes on the embankments with live music coexist with them - a haven for lovers, where it is so pleasant to dance under the delightful southern stars after a glass of wine.
Official name:
Capital: Ankara.
Time: Coincides with Belarusian.
National features: According to Muslim tradition, entering a mosque, a private house, it is necessary to take off your shoes. The Turks are honest, courteous, polite. The conversation should not begin with the main topic, it is necessary to exercise restraint. The Turks will be pleased if a few phrases are pronounced in their native language.
Geography: The Republic of Turkey covers an area of 780576 square kilometers. In the north it is washed by the Black Sea, in the south by the Mediterranean Sea, in the west - by the Aegean and Marble Sea. In Europe, Turkey has short-long borders with Bulgaria in the north, Greece in the West, Georgia and Armenia in Transcaucasia, Iran and Iraq in the East and Syria between the Tigris and the Efrata rivers. Geographically, the Turkish coast of the Mediterranean Sea is clearly divided into two large regions. The west coast to Marmaris with numerous bays and peninsulas belongs to the Aegean Sea. The southern coast starts from Antalya. "Turkish Riviera" is the name of this area because of the long sandy beaches. Behind the beaches there is a fertile plain, ancient Pamphylia. From the east, it is adjoined by ancient Cilicia, represented on the section between Alanya and Anamur by a mountain landscape, where the Taurus Mountains rise directly from the sea. On the Turkish coast you can find all kinds of beaches, ranging from vast sandy beaches to small rocky bays.
Climate: Subtropical Mediterranean - hot summers (air temperature ranges from +23oC to +33oC) and warm winters (from +13oC to +15oC). It is best to go to Turkey in spring or autumn - from April to June or from September to October.
Population: Population: about 63 million people. Mostly Turks, about 10 million Kurds, 1 million Arabs, several tens of thousands of Greeks, Armenians and Spanish Jews.
Language: Turkish. In cities and tourist centers, English, German, French and, of course, Russian are also used.
Religion: the majority of the population are Sunni Muslims. Most of the people are religious and many spheres of public life are imbued with Islam.
Currency: Turkish lira. Banknotes (pounds) in denominations of 1,000,000, 500,000, 250,000 lira and coins of 5,000, 10,000, 25,000, 50,000, 100,000, and 250,000 lira are in circulation. Banknotes of 5 and 10 million lira have been issued: You can exchange currency at exchange offices and banks. Bank branches are usually open on weekdays from 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Break - from 12 to 13.30.
Customs regulations: Import of any currency into Turkey is free, export is limited: Turkish lira can be exported in the equivalent of $1000. The Turkish currency is very unstable, so do not change money before arriving in the country, do not change the entire amount at once, do not accept coins and banknotes of lower value than mentioned above: they are withdrawn from circulation.
Transportation: Bus is the most popular means of communication within Turkey. The average ticket price in the city is 200 thousand Turkish liras - 0.5 US dollars. Taxi - the average cost per 1 km is 1.5 US dollars (payment by taximeter). At night (GECE) - from 24.00 to 6.00 there is a double rate. Route taxis - work from 6.00 to 24.00 with a fixed fare. In small cities like Belek, traffic ends at about 8 p.m.
Electricity: 220 V, 50 Hz.
Communication: All types of telephone communication are paid. A call from the hotel is much more expensive than from a payphone. Payphones are located in hotels or near hotels, in all resort cities. Code of Russia - 007, Moscow - 095.
Shopping, shops: Turkey is a real Eldorado for shopping lovers. Markets and bazaars will amaze you with oriental colors, colorful traders offering anything your heart desires. And Istanbul contains the best goods from all over the country. You can please yourself and your loved ones with jewelry, handmade carpets, leather jackets and elegant underwear - this is just a short list of everything you can find in shops, shops and boutiques. In addition, unfixed prices for goods allow tourists to bargain with sellers. Shops are usually open from 9.30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Break - from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. The day off is Sunday. The indoor market in Istanbul is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily except Sunday.
Cuisine: food is a kind of local attraction. Hotels will offer you such an abundance of dishes that you will not be able to try them all. You won't stay hungry in Turkey, as the Turks themselves like to eat well. You can eat in taverns, where you can taste hot thick soup "chorba" of lamb with rice all day long, and in small "snacks", where for a couple of dollars you can have a delicious snack with meat and vegetables, which abound in national cuisine. There are restaurants of Turkish, Chinese, French, Viennese, sea cuisine.
Turks are hot adherents of cold snacks. While dinner at the restaurant, many ask to serve only a "mesezemer" - these are the snacks served in many: salad, for example, "jajik" - fresh cucumber salad with garlic yogurt, sheep cheese, beans, rice in grape leaves, stuffed tomatoes or pepper, seafood (among them may be such costs of oriental hedonism By the way, seafood is relatively expensive, so first find out its price, and only then order. Meat dishes are prepared from beef, veal, lamb and poultry, as pork is a taboo for Muslims. chopped cutlets are very popular, "dolma" - minced meat or vegetables with rice, wrapped in grape leaves and steamed, and "shish kebab", which means not "shish kebab", but an ordinary shish kebab. Spicy "adji" sauces are suitable for any dishes. Fruits, berries and famous oriental sweets are usually served for dessert.
Among the drinks, "airan" is popular - liquid salted kefir, which quenches thirst well. For this reason, the Turks use it at any time of the day or night. Ayran is diluted with water. Shut milk is usually drunk at breakfast hot and sweetened. Coffee is drunk after a meal and never diluted with milk. The national drink is tea, the vast plantations of which are located on the Black Sea coast. Turkish tea is prepared in a samovar and is traditionally served in small cups.
Hotels: The widest selection of hotels and apartments, the optimal combination of high quality services and reasonable prices turn your vacation into a wonderful fairy tale. If we talk about the "Including All" system adopted in many hotels, it should be noted that it is only a small part of Turkish hospitality. This is one of the pleasant surprises that both hotels and their guests liked, thanks to which you will not need a wallet throughout your vacation. These are five meals a day, an unlimited number of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, amazing cakes and cupcakes, as well as a Turkish bath, sauna and many other services.
Tips: Tips are given to porters (within $1), waiters - 10% of the cost of lunch. It is not customary for taxi drivers to tip.
Emergency phones: Police - 155, Ambulance - 112, Fire Service - 110, Reference - 118, Postal information - 161.