Grand Bazaar of Istanbul
The Grand bazaar of Istanbul is not your average shopping mall. The shopkeepers are not shy about letting you know that they want your money and will do their best to get it. Sixty streets covered with thousand of shops is not easy going and can be … [More]
I Love Istanbul and Here Are Five Reasons Why
A huge welcome from The Turkish Travel Blog to Ricky Carbis who has submitted this post on the reasons why he loves Istanbul. Istanbul has for a long time, been the heart and soul of Turkey. Boasting more than 12 million official residents, the … [More]
14 Famous Landmarks of Istanbul
Istanbul is a huge city with thousands of landmarks. Most of them are historic buildings dating back hundreds of years, especially to the Byzantine and Ottoman Empire. Some landmarks are more famous than others are, but all serve one common purpose … [More]
Turkish Men & Your Holiday Romance
Turkish Men are once again causing heartache all over the globe. Every year, thousands of foreign women enter Turkey and strike up a holiday romance. For some, the holiday romance does not work out … [Read More...]
Is it Safe to Travel to Turkey?
Update May 2013 After the recent bombing in Reyhanli, many people are asking if it is still safe to come to Turkey for their holidays? My answer is still the same. Most holiday resorts and destinations that receive tourism are far away from the Syrian border where this bomb happened. I am on the … [More...]
Goreme Open Air Museum – Did The Guidebook Lie?
I am a realistic person. I don't expect everything to be perfect or suitable to my tastes. It was the second day of my holiday in Goreme, Cappadocia and everything felt right. The food was delicious, hotel was clean and the people were friendly. That … [More]
Turkish Culture – A Guide to Social Traditions
One thing you will soon realize when visiting Turkey is part of the Turkish culture involves being very sociable. Turkish people love to meet new friends and think nothing of spending half the day talking to a complete stranger while putting the … [More]
Butterfly Valley
I handed my fare over to the taxi boat captain and sat down on the wooden seat bench breathing a great sigh of relief. In retrospect, my plans for that day were not complicated. I just wanted to catch the taxi boat from the beach at Olu Deniz to the … [More]
A Guide to Tasty Turkish Street Food
For many, a big part of any holiday is the food you eat, the food you remember and the food you would rather forget. In Turkey, street food is a way of life and simply cannot be ignored. Some of your finest meals will be made instantly in front … [More]
The Gorgeous Ayder Plateau of North East Turkey
Sitting on the foothills of the Kaçkar mountains, the gorgeous green Ayder plateau is one place in Turkey that captured my full attention. Numerous Turkish friends had told me about its beauty and simplicity, but I did not realize the plateau would … [More]
Wine Tasting in Sirince
If you ever find yourself on the Aegean coast of Turkey then be sure to take a visit to Sirince. Known throughout Turkey for wine tasting and production. It is a small village in the mountains and it is perfect for seeing natural Turkey. All … [More]
Gaziantep War Museum and the Siege of Antep
“The city of museums” is a fitting description for the South Eastern, bustling hub of Gaziantep. There are endless amounts of informative exhibitions and galleries on every topic from glass blowing to mosaics to Turkish kitchens. Any museum buff … [Continued]
The Colourful Greek Island of Meis
The Greek island of Meis is colourful, quiet and full of bizarre locals. The one reason why I went there was simply because I was not forced into doing it. You see, when I first came to Turkey, visa runs across to any Greek island were a necessity. … [Continued]
The Lonely Owl – Photo Post
While on my travels, I came across an owl held in a cage. This bird captured my attention straight away because I had never seen one before in my life. Known as one of the best nocturnal predators on our earth. Owls are famous for being able to … [Continued]
Jeep Safari in Turkey : Altinkum, Akbuk and Bozbuk
Continued from Part one. We head set off from the restaurant and small winding roads lead us to a beach. Upon first glance, I assumed it was like any other beach in Turkey. My swimming costume was underneath my shorts and t-shirt so I simply took … [Continued]
A Cold and Wet Day in Doganbey
Yesterday morning I set off from home and planned to return with hundreds of pictures of camel wrestling. This is a tradition in this area of Turkey and I was eager to find out what all the hype was about. However all good plans had to be abandoned … [Continued]
Photo Essay – How Turkish Carpets Are Made
For a number of years, there has been an underlying fear in the culturally orientated people of Turkey. They fear that the age-old tradition of handmade Turkish carpets is on the decline because of the mass availability of machine made carpets, which … [Continued]
View Over Mesopotamian Plains From Mardin
Mardin in the south-east of Turkey is on the edge of an ancient region called Mesopotamia. When I booked into my hotel, the receptionist said they were not busy and had given me the room with the best view of the Mesopotamian plains. I don't care … [Continued]
Return to Esentepe Panoramic Viewpoint
In my opinion, the Panoramic Viewpoint of Esentepe, Goreme is a tacky, touristic spider web. Tourism agencies regularly visit it while taking customers on excursions around Cappadocia. It is marketed as a toilet stop; place for refreshments and of … [Continued]
Expats in Turkey : Love Them Or Hate Them
A search term on expats lead a reader to my blog this week and it has prompted me to write this post. The search term used to find my blog was “mental health of expats in Turkey”. I was intrigued as to why someone was asking this. Had they been … [Continued]
Kayseri – Readers Question
A while ago, I wrote about my trip to Kayseri and the other day I received an email from a reader asking me about life there. If you missed my last posts, then Kayseri is a large city close to the Cappadocia region of Turkey. We stopped there for a … [Continued]
Uzumlu and Traditional Turkish Life. A Photo Post
Here is the problem with the village of Uzumlu which is in the South west of Turkey near Fethiye. It lacks energy. The people are old, the houses are crumbling and even the animals did not look that healthy. Where were the young people? Where … [Continued]
Temple Of Apollo in Didyma, Turkey
The Temple Of Apollo in Didyma, Turkey is a major landmark for the surrounding touristic resorts of Altinkum and Didim. It is on the Aegean coast and receives thousands of travelers and tourists every year. In historic times the area was referred … [Continued]
A Panoramic View from Sanliurfa Castle
I was looking forward to touring Sanliurfa castle. Believed to have been constructed in 814 AD, I could see it from my hotel room standing majestically at the top of the hill. The week before, I had thoroughly enjoyed visiting the exhibitions of … [Continued]
An Exotic Honeymoon in the Magical City of Istanbul
As newly-weds hunt across the globe for honeymoon destinations that offer breathtaking scenery and romantic culture, few know of the hidden eccentricities that Istanbul holds. A fruitful and lengthy history of four separate empires (Roman, Byzantine, … [Continued]
Altinkum Resort Information
Altinkum is a small and clicky holiday resort on the Aegean coast of Turkey. It has attracted much negative press because of expats who have been swindled out of life savings by unqualified property dealers who saw quick cash to be made during a … [Continued]
