Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Turkey, Europe

Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Turkey, Europe

Turkey is a democratic country located on the boundary of Europe and Asia sharing its borders with Greece towards the west, Iran and Armenia towards the east, the Mediterranean Sea and Syria towards the south and the Black Sea towards the north. Ankara is the capital, while Istanbul is the largest city of Turkey. Turkish is the official language and Turkish Lira is the currency of Turkey.

Muslims form the higher majority of the Turkey’s population. In terms of total population (76,667,864, as of the 2013 census), Turkey is the 18^th largest country in the world and the total area of 783,562 sq. km makes Turkey as the world’s 37^th largest nation. Turkey is one of the member countries of NATO, OECD, OSCE and many other global organizations.

History of Turkey:

The history of Turkey revolves round the Ottoman Empire, one of the powerful empires in the history of Europe, Asia and Africa, founded in the late 13th century. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the World War I, Turkey came under the control of the Allies of World War I. Turkey gained independence from Allies and became a republic in 1923. The independence movement was led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk who became the first President of Turkey.

How to reach Turkey?

The Istanbul Ataturk Airport is the most important airport of Turkey, situated around 24 km away from the heart of the Istanbul city. It covers all the major European and Arab cities including London and Dubai.

Two other important international airports of Turkey are:

Esenboğa International Airport in Ankara
Antalya Airport in Antalya

Turkey has good railway and road network to many European and Asian cities.

Culture, Shopping and Food in Turkey:

Turkey is a secular country and Turks form around 75% of the country’s population and around 80% of people speak Turkish as their primary language.

Must purchase items in Turkey include silk clothes, carpets, honey and olive oil soap.

Adana kebab is one of the famous non vegetarian dishes in Turkey and famous desserts in Turkey are baklava, kazandibi, keşkül, muhallebi, and sütlaç.

Must see in Turkey:

Hagia Sophia:

Originally a Greek Orthodox patriarchal basilica, Hagia Sophia is a museum describing the imposing history and culture of Turkey and the building’s history as well. Located in Istanbul, first constructed in 537, Hagia Sophia was also used as a mosque from 1453 to 1931. A wonderful structure.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque:

Situated in Istanbul, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque is a historic masterpiece, constructed between 1609 and 1616. It is renowned for the blue tiles decorating its interior walls for which it holds a nickname of Blue Mosque.

Topkapı Palace:

UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Topkapı Palace served as the major residence of the Ottoman Sultans for more than 400 years. Constructed in 1453, Topkapı is located in Istanbul city. A worth watch site.

Grand Bazaar:

Being the world’s one of the biggest and oldest enclosed markets, Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the identities of Turkey. It draws around 325,000 visitors every day for its 61 roofed streets with around 3,000 shops.

Basilica Cistern:

The Basilica Cistern is located in Şeftali Sokak in Istanbul, considered as the largest cistern among hundreds of historic cisterns in Istanbul, dates back to the 6th century. A typical one.

List of other attractive places in Turkey include:

Kariye Museum
Rahmi M. Koc Museum
Sultanahmet District
Rustem Pasha Mosque
Bosphorus Strait
Eyup Sultan Mosque
Kucuk Ayasofya Camii
Topkapi Palace
Museum of Innocence
Giycek Old Time Photo Studio
Corlulu Ali Pasa Medresesi
Istanbul Modern Museum
Rumeli Fortress
Istanbul Archaeological Museums
Suleymaniye Mosque

Ideal time to visit Turkey:

The best time to make a grand tour to Turkey is from April to June and from September to October.

Where to stay in Turkey?

Holding hundreds of internationally recognized tourist attractions, Turkey receives loads of tourists from all around the world and to cater them, Turkey houses a large number of star rated hotels of which most are located in the city of Istanbul. Here are some world class hotels in Istanbul in Turkey: