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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Use the local dolmus if you want to get around. It is the local bus service, which are actually small vans. You check the destination on the front, sit in, and wait for it to fill up before the driver starts the journey. When you get familiar with the routes, you can get on the bus, and get the driver to stop anywhere you wish to get off. Its very cheap, and approx. 600,000 TL for a 10 minute ride (approx. 20p).
Turkish food is known for its Shish kebabs and Turkish delight. It is worth trying other Turkish foods on the menus in restaurants, such as the Meze’s that are the Turkish appetisers. Small dishes, often made up of stuffed aubergines (my favourite!), salads, breads with yoghurt dips, beans and pulse dishes. Also try if you get the opportunity, Gozleme, a sort of savoury pancake, filled with either spinach and cheese, or meat.
Respect that Turkey is a Muslim country, and if you are a female visiting the country, don’t wander the streets away from the beach in little more than a bikini. It will only leave you feeling a little awkward. Wear a top or T-shirt and/or sarong.
You will notice bottles of lemon liquid for sale in many places. It is a form of cologne used by the Turkish to freshen up with. A local Turkish man told me when Turkish people sit down to eat, they use it to wash their hands with before and after the meal, out of politeness. Its also handy as a disinfectant, good for mosquito bites!
Have a look at the Turkish banknote. In Turkey you are always a millionaire - too many zeros. What can you do for one million lires? To have a glass of orange drink in a cafe...
Turkish men are expected not to address or talk to a strange married woman and Turkish girls and married women are not to talk to another man than their husband or a man from the family. F.i. in Mulga, I politely asked a Turk for the road to the otogar. The puzzled man turned his back on me and put his arm around my husband's shoulders. Then this friendly man willingly explained the road to the otogar to my husband.F.i. in Istanbul a friendly man we chatted with, addressed my husband to ask about my job.
Carpets and Mosques: Anyone who enters a mosque -- the common house of a Muslim community -- must take off his shoes before the door. Moreover, prayer requires the faithful to kneel and touch the ground with one's forehead in humility before God. There are no chairs or benches in a mosque, only carpets. A Turkish mosque is often covered 'from wall to wall' with several layers of carpets, many of which have been deeded to the mosque as an act of piety by the faithful. Prayer carpets that are small enough to be carried easily accompany many Muslim travelers. The Muslim, wherever he or she is, upon determining the direction of the Ka'aba in Mecca, lays down the prayer carpet and through the ritual of prayers communicates directly with God.
One of the first good things -actually, EVERYTHING I found in Turkey was good, not a single bad thing or moment- was Kötü Kedi Serafettin ('Bad Cat Serafettin').I was on my second day in Turkey -and, by the way, in Göreme- and when I went into a restaurant and asked for a kebap döenr, I came across a magazine called 'L'Manyak' which contained a comic strip about this bad-assed, dirty-mouthed, politically incorrect yet lovable striped cat. I hardly understood Turkish at that time, but I kept checking the magazines everytime I went to that restaurant, bought a dictionary -and got some wise advice for free from Turkish friends: 'Don't learn to speak like Serafettin, or everybody'll beat you'- and laughed like crazy each time I saw or recalled the stories ('maceralar' in Turkish, which means 'adventures'). Of course, as it's not necessary to understand a single word in that beautifully...
Turkish people are very refined, though down-to-Earth;nonetheless, they are VERY upset at the view -or sound- of anybody cleaning his (or her)nose in public,mostly in restaurants. Do not do this when someone is looking or listening at you,even if you do it discreetly. Go to the restroom instead:Turks will appreciate your delicacy.
Turkish people are very friendly and love it when you try to speak their language. Try learning a few words and sentences and then use them while you are there. Most of the people will be impressed that you are attempting to learn their language.Always take your shoes off when entering a mosque or someone's home. In people's homes they will most likely offer you some sort of slipper to wear while you are there. Never enter a mosque on Friday it is their holy day, and when you do visit one try and dress nice. Don't wear anything that you wouldn't wear to a respectible church here in the states.
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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