Featured Destination : Istanbul

Shops in the grand bazaar

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]

Sea ferries istanbul

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]

Hagia Sophia of Istanbul

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]

Thought and Musings

Turkish-MenTurkey

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...]

turkey

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...]

Cappadocia

OPen-air-museum-goreme

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 and Traditions

Turkish-culture-traditions

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]

Mediterranean Coast

Butterfly-Valley

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]

Turkish Food and Drink

Turkish street food

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]

Black Sea Travel

Hotel-ayder-plateau-turkey

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]

Aegean Coast

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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]

More Travel Articles

View of Mesopotamia

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]

Panoramic viewpoint Esentepe Goreme

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 turkey

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

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]

Turkish women

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]

Apollo temple

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]

View from Sanliurfa Castle

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]

Istanbul

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]

Apollo temple Didim

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]

Hasankeyf An Ancient City in Batman Turkey

Hasankeyf : An Ancient City in Batman, Turkey

The drive to Hasankeyf was short yet memorable. We had left Mardin and were in the countryside, sometimes passing nomadic tribesman herding their sheep. The sky was dark grey and threatening to pour with rain. In a way, it reflected the gloomly mood … [Continued]

Gaziantep Coppersmith Bazaar

The Coppersmith Bazaar of Gaziantep

While the West of Turkey makes every effort to keep up to date with international trends and practices, the same cannot be said of the south east. Now this is not necessary a bad thing because in the big and bustling city of Gaziantep, selected areas … [Continued]

kusadasi harbour front

Kusadasi – Not Quite The Jewel Of Turkey

I have been meaning to write this post about Kusadasi for quite a while but other  ideas have popped into my mind and it was pushed on a back burner.  You see, Kusadasi is a place in Turkey that I neither love nor hate. It does not excite me but … [Continued]

Savsat Sahara Turkey

Savsat Sahara National Park

Most of my travel plans go smoothly. On the odd occasion though, I do get it wrong and I end up traveling too fast. This means I miss out on some intriguing destinations of which one was Savsat Sahara National park. Located in the North-east region … [Continued]

mount tahtali flag

Traveling around Turkey on a Budget: Tips to Save Money

Turkey has changed dramatically in the last ten years.  It is no longer the cheap destination it used to be. For visitors on a budget, this causes problems, especially when they compare the cost of travel in Turkey with other countries. If you aware … [Continued]

Windmills Yalikavak

Yalikavak : Drunk Boat Captains and Windmills

When people ask me for recommendations of where to visit in Turkey, I will add Yalikavak to the list along with Istanbul or Cappadocia.  It is strange that I would do this as there is nothing much to the Bodrum resort that stands out. About … [Continued]