Türkiye or Turkey is a large and interesting country with a rich history that offers much more than just a beach holiday. Ancient majestic cities, beautiful architecture, astonishing natural wonders, and even an entire city carved into the rocks — Turkey has it all. I traveled through Turkey alone, and now I’m sharing my travel route through the country.
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ISTANBUL
The best way to start your journey through Turkey is from Istanbul — the city that serves as the cultural and historical heart of the country. Airlines from all over the world fly here. Istanbul impresses with its beauty and grandeur.
Once known as Byzantium and Constantinople, today Istanbul is a blend of Western and Eastern traditions. Only here, walking through ancient monuments of the Christian era of Constantinople, you can hear the call to prayer from the mosques.
Istanbul is a vast city; its European part is the second-largest in Europe, and the Asian part of the city is even bigger! You can also read my guide to Istanbul. There, I have gathered the main attractions of the city, as well as shared the most interesting dishes popular among tourists in Istanbul.
IZMIR
From Istanbul to Izmir, I traveled by plane with Pegasus Airlines; there is also the option to travel by bus.
Izmir is a beautiful city on the coast of the Aegean Sea, a city with a rich history and culture. Here you can enjoy a variety of delicious dishes, immerse yourself in the atmosphere of an authentic bazaar, and see beautiful architecture.
After an overnight flight, I found myself in Izmir, and the city immediately captured my attention. A pleasant promenade, an interesting market, palm trees, sunshine, citrus trees, mussels, and an endless amount of Turkish tea — all create a unique atmosphere. Although English is not as widely spoken here as in Istanbul or the resorts, I had no trouble communicating with locals using signs.
Not far from Izmir the ancient Greek city of Ephesus is located. You can visit it with a day trip.
In the text about Izmir, I have described in detail the main attractions of the city, as well as explained how to get to Ephesus.
PAMUKKALE
My next destination was the city of Denizli, I traveled there by train.
The purpose of the trip was to visit the Pamukkale. Despite its uniqueness, I did not like this place. Unlike Pamukkale, the city of Denizli is nice — small and cozy with very kind people.
The most convenient way to get from Denizli to Pamukkale is by minibus from the city bus station. It costs only 23 lira ($0.7).
The entrance fee to Pamukkale is 30€, which includes access to the thermal springs, the ancient city of Hierapolis, and the museum.
Everyone calls this place the eighth wonder of the world and a white cloud, but I would not describe it like this. The mountain itself is more gray than white, it’s not comfortable to walk on the slopes, and sometimes it’s even dangerous, as it’s easy to slip. The ancient city is fenced off, only the theater is really opened for visitors.
I am more than sure that in the summer, there are huge crowds of people here, and this does not affect the preservation of the place in the best way. I would not come here again, and I would hardly recommend this place as a must-visit in Turkey.
CAPPADOCIA
I took an overnight bus by the company Kamil Koç from Denizli to the city of Göreme, which is in Cappadocia.
Cappadocia is the most incredible place I’ve seen. Hundreds of hot air balloons at the dawn, valleys of cliffs, and 1000 years old temples and castles carved right into these cliffs.
I stayed in the small town called Göreme. The most interesting things are located around it. You can get there by bus from big Turkishcities (Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya). The nearest airport is in the city of Nevşehir. There are no official exchange offices here, but in some places, you can pay with dollars or euros and receive change in Turkish lira. However, the exchange rate is not the best.
Prices in Göreme is more expensive than in other places in Turkey. From the city, you can take a tour of the valleys on ATVs or horses, as well as a hot air balloon flight. If you are willing to spend at least $70, I highly recommend flying at dawn, it should be unforgettable experience.
In Cappadocia, it’s colder than in other places; in early March, the daytime temperature is about 10 degrees Celsius, and at night it drops below 0.
ANKARA
I reached Ankara by bus with the MetroBus company. It took 3 and a half hours. The ticket cost 300 lira ($10).
From the very first day, I disliked this city. It was dirty, and I even ended up in some unpleasant area. After walking around the city, I found interesting spaces with charming cafes and little shops. But really there’s nothing to see here.
Ankara is like any other big city — vast distances, trendy spaces separated by dubious areas, and a very fast pace of life. But unfortunately, I didn’t like Ankara at all.
Of all the cities in Turkey that I’ve seen, the crisis is felt here the most. There are homeless people, many beggars, closed establishments, and a strong sense of insecurity.
If you still want to visit the capital of Turkey, come here for a day trip. That will be quite enough to see the main attractions.
Trabzon
I reached Trabzon by a night bus with the Kamil Koç company. The journey took almost 12 hours. The ticket cost 770 lira ($24).
Trabzon is a small city on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, located near the border with Georgia. It is an ancient city that once was the easternmost Greek colony in Asia Minor. Around the city, there are interesting architectural monuments preserved.
However, I was unable to visit them. Unfortunately, I caught a cold on the way from Ankara. The heater on the bus I was traveling on was constantly turned off, so it was very cold.
I left Trabzon by bus to Batumi in Georgia. Crossing the border at the Sarpi checkpoint is a terrible story, which I will share in the next text.
Turkey is a very large and diverse country. I’ve only seen a small part of it and will definitely return to explore the southeastern part, although I’m a bit scared to go there.
I didn’t encounter any negative attitudes during my trip. I felt safe almost everywhere, except in Ankara.
Outside of Istanbul, almost no one speaks English, so I had to communicate using hand gestures and learning a few Turkish phrases. But even in this case, I only met friendly attitudes and a willingness to help.
What else would you recommend visiting in Turkey?
