Have you traveled to Turkey recently? In this thread please tell us where in Turkey you have visited, what you liked and didn´t like, what suggestions you have for people who are planning to visit that place... etc.

As much as possible, please try to include information about transportation, accommodation, attractions, food options, is it a touristy/non-touristy area...etc.

For what it´s worth, my last visit to Turkey, to the wedding of two of my friends, merited a mention in the local news.

http://www.erzincan.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3795&Itemid=101

Munzur Gözelerini is a wonderful place and well worth a visit but of course my friends´ wedding, as well as being able to see many other friends, made it special to me.

Everyone I encountered was very friendly but it helped a lot that I was traveling with a group of Turkish people, including local Ovacık and Tunceli people. I suspect I would have had some difficulties had I been on my own.

We went through quite a number of checkpoints, albeit with no problems.

I´m thinking of translating my latest essay about my roundtrip in summer 2007. Thinking just because it will take much time and I just can´t sit that long yet. And if it is translated I might upload it as an essay here (I promise to leave it there, no matter what... ).

But, then I need the help of native English speakers. My English may seem ok but I do know from previous essays I make many, many grammatical mistakes. So, if I have it translated - which will take weeks at least! - is there anyone who can correct it for me? (It is a quite long story, sorry I´m always extensive in my descriptions and experiences.)

I would be willing to help edit your paper for any grammatical mistakes! Just let me know when it´s ready

Leelu, GG and Laura85: thanks for offering help. I´ll let you know by PM when I have finished a part.

My last trip to Turkey was in 2007. I flew to Istanbul and stayed there for a few days to recover. I did my usual round of shopping and bargain hunting in the markets. I then flew to Bodrum, rented a car and drove to Akbuk where we have a beach house that we stay in. The worst part of the trip was the cost of gasoline...not only for my car but for the propane I needed for our home.

We visited Ephesus, and drove to Izmir to visit friends. We also took an overnight trip in my husband´s village and visited family. Mostly we just relaxed on the beach, cooked wonderful meals and enjoyed the quiet.

I went to Turkey in October. As a big fan of historical architecture, I reveled in the world famous Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Yeni Cami (the New Mosque), and the Hagia Sophia. Topkapi Palace was amazing.  Unfortunately, there was a lot of rain that day. We didn´t get to see everything. Supposedly, it would actually take several days to see everything at the palace. Being in Istanbul was like a dream. The people are so warm even though I was oftenly stared at. I suppose people of East Asian descent are a rarity. The food is so wonderful. I could not stop eating. Lamacun, pide, borek, iskender kebab, etc. It was a non-stop eating festival for us. My fiance often boasts about his first love being the Bosphorus. Although, I was jealous for a while I understood what he meant after taking the boat couple of times on it to reach the Asian side. It was gorgeous and so relaxing. (I wish crossing the Bosphorus was part of my daily commute.) Taksim Square is so awesome. They are so many places for shopping. I especially like the clothing at Koton. The quality is really nice. We also visited Bursa, the former capital of Turkey. On the way, I saw the country side. The center of Bursa was bustling with people. Bursa has great restaurants that make iskender kebab. There are tombs located at the top of a hill of great Ottoman Empire leaders. I hope to go again in the spring. Until then, I can only reminisce...If you´re fascinated with Turkish culture, just reading about it won´t do you any good. Ya gotta go there!

What a beautiful post about Istanbul

And regarding ´Istanbul being your bf´s first love´, do not feel jealous about it. Istanbul is many people´s first love indeed..

And I have to add that "crossing the Bosphorus was part of my daily commute" in the past..

 A nice place to be is in the Topkapi Palace gardens, sit at the little tea cafe and take in the view across the Golden Horn, the Marmara sea to your right and the view up the Bosphorus towards the first Bridge.  Beautiful

Two visits to Istanbul and a little peice of my heart is there

I would say the place around Topkapi palace is too touristic for me.

I would recommend to have an quick lunch in kanlica http://www.pbase.com/silversword/kanlica and a Turkish coffee in one of the cafes there..

Again, very close by, Hidiv kasri´http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide..6k2jgrfjcFf0FWoL

Lovely view down to Bosphorous and a great ottomani cusine in the building itself..

Further down anadolu kavagi..http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/pb/1bbdd2/..fresh fish and raki..It is a beautiful fishing village..The best way to go there is with the daily bosphorous trips..

And for the nights..try cicek pasaji in Beyoglu..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Çiçek_Pasaji

I want to be there NOW

 I would normally agree, but there was no one else in that garden!  It was February, cold and wet.

Talking about Istanbul and commuting through the Bosphorous reminded something:

I wonder if there is still have the same fun in these days but I saw several times when I was traveling from Eminonu to Beykoz..

There used to be this ferry taking off from Eminonu at 17:00 and then would stop in every single ferry stop till Beykoz. 

All those people who worked in Grand Bazaar and around that area would take that ferry..

And there used to be the same ferry everyday..They would hide the raki glasses at the back in the red fire equipment box..And the first group would hang up a plastic bag and they would put half raki half water in it..

They would open a little hole above the level of raki and when you pressed your glass into the bag just below the  hole, raki would be pouring like it was coming from a tap..

And then from other places like besiktas, other would come with all sorts of food..

And they would drink and have fun the entire journey (which was 1 1/2 hours to beykoz). I think it was the cheapest but the best restaurant in the world with a great view at that time of the day..

And it also shows how creative my country´s people are

I have forgotten my heart in Istanbul. I think the Bosphorus stole it!!

My fiance couldn´t believe how much food I was eating when I visited Istanbul.  On the way to the Grand Bazaar and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, I ate a fish sandwhich. Breakfast was eaten not long before which consisted of tea, bread, cheese, and olives. His mom makes her own jam. Honey is served with the wax still in it. That´s amazing. It gives the honey a much more natural flare. The fish sandwich was from an outdoor cafe near Galata Bridge where the fish is grilled directly on the boats. It was so delicious. My fiance was in disbelief over the fish sandwich after we just had breakfast. Then, we stopped at a pastry shop in the touristic area. I ordered coffee, aþure, rice pudding, and tiramasu. At this point, he had to call his mom to tell her what a pig I was. The more he thought about the more concerned he became. He asked, "How am I going to support your eating habits?" "You´re going to get really fat!" During a vacation, it´s perfectly normal to eat with a healthy appetite...   Aaaaahhh....wait for me Istanbul, I will be there again soon.......

i visited istanbul last summer.. and it was a great visit... everything was amazing... Roads Mosques people transportaions palaces everything everything.. i would like 2 come back.. but i have no money

hehehe Istanbul is great but the worst thing in this visit was the  weather.. God it was 2 hot...

but u will not feel this because of the Beautiness of this City...

i vistied sultanahmet blue mosque its huge but its great.. they were so creative..

Topkapi Sarayi... its the best... i wonder how many years they spent to bulid it ? its great and the gardens were so green and great...

but for Dolmabache  palace...  no words can describe ... i loved this place so much..

the Bosphorus i want 2 come back...

ah ah i forgot the food... so much tasty...

the transportation is cool too

OOOh turkey I LOVE U

I´ve taken a lot of trips! Even before I met my current boyfriend

So if anybody needs information on busses, ferries or domestic flights, I have enough experience!

I´ve stayed in Istanbul,  Kusadasi (a lot!!!), Antalya, Kemer, Marmaris, Balikesir, Tobali (near Izmir) and Side. I´ve also had some shorter trips to Alanya, Izmir, Dalyan, Selcuk (Ephesus) Bodrum, and I´m sure I´m forgetting some places...

I would like to go more to the east sometimes, or at least start with the middle of Turkey. As a foreigner most of the time you get stuck in the west

My last trip to Turkey wasn´t very interesting, just a week´s visit to my boyfriend to arrange some visa stuff in Kusadasi. Only interesting thing was that I didn´t tell him I was coming so I had to take the bus from Bodrum airport to Kusadasi myself. I enjoy going with the bus in Turkey very much. It seems very safe for a young woman on her own, and I feel very comfortable.

I was last year in Turkey as part of a bus trip on the Balkan penninsula. I could spend 4 day in Turkey and we visitied Çannakale, Troia, Bursa, Istanbul, Tekirdað and Edirne, so we went around the Marmara sea. I still think it was like a dream. Every time I watch the photos I made there, than my very positive experiences warm my heart and soul. I have never thought I will like this country and culture at the first time. I can promise I will visit it again in the next years.

Here is an online Turkey advertisment, what I really love:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CBllQ3Uchk

I visited Turkey in January and I found it to be very interesting to say the least especially as an African girl. I was in Istanbul and the surrounding towns like Izmit and Sapanca. The people were very warm and very welcoming and friendly. I was surprised when I arrived there that almost everywhere I went I was followed by stares and looks of amazement! The friends I was visited told me that turkish people don´t often interact or see black people on a regular basis The people I met were fascinated with my features, hair etc! It was really exciting! I loved the culture and mostly the food!!!! The addition of yoghurt to food was amazing and ingenius!!! When I came back home I searched for turkish restaurants in my area and fortunately came across two of them!! I loved it so much that I hope to settle there someday

I would like to know how difficult it is for a woman on her own to visit Istanbul. Apart from the safety aspects, how easy is it to get around and see the sights. Any information will be gratefully received.

Istanbul is a major city that thrives on tourism. All the single female travellers I know that visited Istanbul had no problems. It certainly helps if you know and speak some basic Turkish, but there are enough English speaking people in hotels and shops that can help. Be wary of anyone wishing to show or escort you around their city, and if you hang around bars, you will be approached.

Generally you can get to all the major tourist attractions by walking or public transport, if your accommodation is nearby. Join a group tour if you are really worried, but it is easy and cheaper to see Istanbul at your own pace. By ignoring packaged tours, it will also be more flexible for you to stay at a major attraction longer, and absorb the atmosphere and history of this great city.  

Thanks again Henry for your help, your comments are reasuring.

While I had a great time in Istanbul, I was concerned that so many people were not being sun protective. I would not go to any travel destination without my sun protetion clothing or UV umbrella. I urge everyone to protect your skin while outdoors. You can read a lot more about this here: www.sun-protection-and-you.com

Wishing everyone a sun safe travel!

I have just return from a 3 week stay in Istanbul and I traveled there alone.  The people were very friendly and helpfull.  I did find that knowing a few words in Turkish was rather helpfull for me.  As soon as the people saw that I was making an effort to speak their language they were very impressed and they seemed more inclined to speak with me.

I did not feel uncomfortable or uneasy walking alone in the streets either be it during the day or night.  But common sense always has to be important.

I did not join any tour groups and went at it at my own pace.  I bought a map at the hotel where I was staying and would map out what I wanted to see and wrote it in a little note pad.  I never pulled my map out in public this allowed me to blend in more with the crowd.

I rode the tram, the feries, buses and dolmuses...  I studied the schedual for each means of transportation to make sure I did not take the wrong one and end up in an unknown place but the people whom I asked help especially for the city transit(buses) were quite helpfull even if they did not speak a word of English.  I had a man put me on a bus and get on, when he noticed that the bus driver had given me a monthly pass he took the pass, gave it to the bus driver and came back with my change and returned it to me.  When my stop arrived at the Sirkeci the man motionned to me to get up, turns out he was also going there and was kind enought to help this pour tourist who could only say Sirkeci and otobus

I also took the feribot from Emenonu to Kadikoy, that was an adventure on it´s own.  I knew where I was going and someone was meeting me at the Kadikoy peir.  I also took the ferie to the Princes Islands but this time I was with a friend but the ferie ride on it´s own was just great.

All in all I did not find it difficult to get around and see the sites since my hotel was in the Sulthanamet district and I was 3 minutes walking distance of the Ayasofiya and Sultan Hamet mosque and Topkapi palace.  If you are adventurouse enought and in shape you could probably walk to Pierre Lotie hill but it is a little far.  The Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar are also within walking distance of Sultanamet Square.

But as Henry said, keep an eye out for people who want to give you tours and show you around. 

i want to know  can a student coming Turkey for Accosiate program can find and do a job in Turkey?

ill be very gratefull for your answer

regrds

Abdul Samad

Pakistan

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