Top Turkey hotels
local food Istanbul
33 Reviews This syrupy sweet treat - dessert ring - is made from semolina and deep fried. It's very rich. You can find these in street carts all around Istanbul. Not one of my favorites, but a definite must-try!
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mosques etiquette Istanbul
26 Reviews It was nice to see and hear how Muslims pray in real, how they are invited for a pray, how they clear their bodies before pray, bowing at pray time or putting shoes after going out of mosques. Most...
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clothes Istanbul
9 Reviews Istanbul has all the seasons like winter, spring, summer and fall. So check the weather report before your visit. The city is with more than 14 million people and very cosmopolite. Unlike some...
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tea and coffee Istanbul
31 Reviews Being a coffee lover, I assumed that I was going to love Turkish coffee. But after my first glass of Turkish tea (cay), I was hooked!! We found every excuse to stop in one of the many cafes for a...
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turkish words Istanbul
14 Reviews The Foreign Service Institute is a branch of the US Department of State, so all their materials are copyright-free--anybody can use them without charge. Some generous people who owned the tapes or...
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nargileh Istanbul
11 Reviews This is an old looking teahouse where you also get the chance to try out a nargileh (water smoking pipe which bubbles when you suck air out of it). There are a few establishments inside but the one to...
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raki (drink) Istanbul
8 Reviews In meyhane culture it is very important to stay sober and cool, act reasonable while drinking. I’ve been in meyhanes in which waiters can kick you out if you get drunk and start to sing or talk...
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hospitality Istanbul
15 Reviews Yes, hospitality is a real characteristic of Turkish people, and my room in Dolmabahce Palace was very comfortable. I didn't want to abuse their hospitality, and that's why I didn't accept to stay...
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bargaining Istanbul
12 Reviews In Istanbul, and, I believe, other parts of Turkey as well, it is hard to imagine selling without bargaining. Even in shops, if you see it is like private owned, prices are not always fixed and it is...
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shoes Istanbul
8 Reviews Getting your shoes polished won't be a problem. On the major street you will find men that handle their antique tools with great enthousiasm. My advice is to pick out a seasoned shoe shiner and not...
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phone numbers Istanbul
3 Reviews International telephone access code of Turkey is 90.Then area codes. For Istanbul it is 212 (European side) and 216 (Asian side), Ankara 312 and Izmir 232. All telephone numbers are have seven digits...
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music Istanbul
8 Reviews In Istanbul people listen to all kinds of music, from rock to pop to jazz to metal to electronica, you name it and there's probably a club for it. Every year there is an International Jazz Festival,...
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tipping Istanbul
2 Reviews Turks are generally a welcoming race of people, eager to help and proud to show off their country. Sometimes the help can become overbearing. People here, once they've assisted you in any small...
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The benches in the parks along the river in Silifke are marked with “Silifke Belediye”. Belediye means municipal council and you can see the word together with the city name on Town Halls and benches around Turkey. It can be a good help when you travel through a city by bus and want to know where you are.
Don't be afraid if you see a gecko around. They are actually quite good to have, as they eat other insects, especially cockroaches.In many countries it's considered good luck to have one in your home, because it means you have a clean home.They are just as afraid of you, as you might be of them, so most of the time you will not even see them.
Going to the barber is really cheap in Turkey, and the turkish goes there often. All men should try the experience of a turkish barber. They will soap you up and shave you in the old way with a knife. Then they stick a Q-tip in a flammable liquid and light a fire to it. The burning torch is then placed in the ear and nose, burning away the hair...After that they take two strings and roll them over the face to take away all the small facialhairs, before they splash some of the famous lemonscented oil on you. And to finish it off they give you a massage. There are barbershops all over the cities, and the prices are incredibly low.
Everyone visiting Turkey should try a hamam at least once. It's a great experience! Hamams can be found all over Turkey. Ask a local as he will direct you to a local hamam, instead of the receptionist in the hotel that will direct you to a overprized 'touristhamam'. The last ones can often be found in the big hotels.The culture of turkish baths is more than 800 years old. In the hamam you can just lay back and enjoy the pleasure and the silence in the mild warm and the gentle light.Because of the strict orders of cleanliness in Islam, the baths was highly popular even as early as with the Ottomans and are still today an important thing in the dailylife. Woman and men have separate rooms or separate hours. In some touristplaces they have mixed rooms.First you sit in a sauna-like room made of marble. Then a masseur scrubs you with a kese. The kese is a rough cloth mitt used to scoure the...
Turkey is the home of the kebab, and all kinds of variations have spread across the world. You can use what meat you want, even seafood, but in Turkey the most normal is lamb. There are many different types of turkish kebabs, here are some examples:Sis kebab: grilled cubes of skewered meatDöner kebab: layers of ground meat and sliced leg of lamb stacked on a large upright skewer. This is slowly rotated in front of a grill. When the outer layer is roasted, thin slices are shaved to be served.Lahmacun: meat pideAdana: spicy scewered ground meatIzgara: mixed grilled meat, can include 'köfte' (lamb chops), or sis (cubes of meat)
Like the spanish have their 'tapas' and the french their 'hors d'oeuvres', the turkish have 'meze'. There are a numerous of different plates; like stuffed tomatoes and paprikas, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, shrimp, eggplant, calamares, mussels, meatballs, cheese, seafood, olives and so on. The meze is accompanied by freshly baked bread and a creamy feta cheese with garlic. Can be used both as appetizers or as a main course. It's a great way of trying different turkish meals without having to order a whole dinner plate and then finding out you don't like it. Turkish loves to drink Raki to their meze, other good choices are wine, beer or water.
Raki is distilled liquor strongly aromatized with anise-seed and is made from different fruits in different regions. Grapes, figs and plums are the main ingredients. Raki comes from the Arabic word for juice, but it's often referred to as 'aslan sütü' (Lion's milk) because it turns white when mixed with water. The locals will sometimes tell you that "one raki will make you strong as a lion, but three will make you dumb as a donkey". Just try it and you will see what they mean... ;)Raki can be taken as cocktails, but the most common is to take it with 'meze' (turkish appetizers). Raki is normally served in cold, thin, cylindrical glasses accompanied by a glass of water.
The young soldier and visionary Mustafa Kemal (1881-1938) liberated Turkey of foreign invaders after World War I. In 1923 he founded the Republic of Turkey, and was the countrys first president. He started the modernization process of the country which lasted for decades. He is often refered to as 'the father of modern Turkey', and was given the name Atatürk. All over Turkey you will find statues and pictures of him. Many people all over the world concider him among the great leaders of history, because of all he achieved in a short time. He changed a whole nation, and ended the antiquated Ottoman dynasty that had lasted more than six centuries.
The turkish coffee (türk kahvesi) is worldfamous. It's made in a very special way, and they use a pot called cezve. Inside is sugar and cold water. The pot is heated three times, each time taken away from the heat when the foam reaches the narrow neck of the cezve. Then the foam is poured into the small coffeecup and the remaining heated until it foams up again. The coffee is quite thick and a bit strong. Add as much sugar as you want, some like it a bit bitter and others prefer it more sweet.For other coffees try amerikan kahvesi, franzis (french) kahvesi or sütlü kahve (with milk).The coffecups, cezve and coffee can be bought most places, and it's not so expencive.
If you have been to Turkey without drinking turkish appletea (Çay - pronounced 'chay'), you really missed one of the most common things in Turkey. You can see the small glasses with tea everywhere. Even when you go shopping they will give you a cup of tea, many places it's a part of the haggling. You drink tea together, talk about everything and in between you discuss the price. It's made of leaves from the eastern Blacksea-coast in Turkey, and brewed in a samovar-style. You put the tea in a small pot on top of another pot with boiling water. Usually they add a few cubes of sugar, but normally they never use anything else, like milk or lemon. If you like the tea you can buy both the tea and the small glasses in most places, and they are quite cheap.
Esans Hotel Istanbul
7 Reviews and 181 Opinions a very new hotel. very near to grande museums and sophia dome. sea is very near to hotel. we enjoy...
Welcome Barut Hotels Lara Spa Antalya
5 Reviews and 511 Opinions This was our first time in Turkey and first time in an all-inclusive hotel. i have to say - we all...
El Vino Hotel Bodrum
2 Reviews and 272 Opinions This small property is both central (10 min walk to the bazaar and waterfront) and secluded and...
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Q: Hi, my wife and I organize trips for high school students (groups of approx. 35 ppl) and our next trip is scheduled for June-July...
A: Hi, Turkey is stable, with broad-minded politians & people. I had never thought about visiting TR, till I all of a sudden & surprisingly decided! Why? A VERY...
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