A guide to Turkey holidays

Most UK holiday companies offer some sort of Turkish city, beach or sailing holiday, many targeting the coast between Alanya and Cesme or Istanbul. However, there are so many reasons to visit Turkey, which is situated at a point where Africa, Asia and Europe are the nearest to each other. There are many extraordinary holiday cities, resorts and magnificent landscapes and numerous regions to choose from including:

Aegean, Black Sea, Mediterranean, Turkish Riviera, Van Golu, South Eastern Anatolia, Marmara, Cappadocia, Central Anatolia

There are not many countries that can lay claim to clean beaches, ancient ruins, Byzantine aqueducts and hippodromes, tangled bazaars, underground cities, well-designed mosques and churches, a volcanic landscape of fairy chimneys and a full-size model of the Trojan horse.

Istanbul is where the Ottomans built hundreds of mosques and many tours start here in the old capital. Blue Mosque and Haghia Sophia lie across the street opposite one and another. It costs nothing for visitors to the mosque, but women will be expected to cover their knees, shoulders and head and men will be provided with a sarong. This no longer applies to the Haghia Sophia, as it has been converted into a museum. Across the street are the Roman Cisterns and the remnants of the Hippodrome. Further on is the extravagant sultans palace of Topkapi with its archaeological museum with tea gardens and an excellent view. A few minutes ride on the tram to Beyazit station will take you the enormous shopping mall, the amazing Grand Bazaar. It looks like a maze of markets and you are well advised to take a map with you.

Istiklal Caddesi in Taksim offers a more western shopping experience with European boutiques, some excellent kebab shops and a good nightlife. The Bosphorus Strait is a really busy waterway and it is possible to take the ferry from Eminonu to the Black Sea. Anadolu Kavagi is a fantastic place for a seafood lunch before climbing to the 14th century Byzantine fortress.

The St Saviour at Chora church is a wonderful example of Byzantine architecture. It is situated in a remote corner of the city and has anunspoiled selection of mosaic art. Further out is the Domabhce Palace, which is worth a visit although being a little more expensive than some other tourist spots. If you are looking for something off the beaten trail, many visitors opt for special interest trips including:

Archaeological tours led by guides.
• Botanical tours to the Kackar Mountains.
• A holiday on a yoga farm that includes personal growth themes, walking, shiatsu and painting
• Green holidays to the Van basin and Kackar foothills to study butterflies, orchids and watch birds alongside an enthusiastic English guide.
• Natural history holidays in the mountains close to the deltas and lakes.

The people of Turkey are really friendly and this country has so much to offer, as well as all the historical and cultural sites, and the traditional Turkish cuisine is not to be missed – rememeber to take your diet pill though!.

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Cheap Holiday Deals in the Land of the Ottomans

Turkey has dozens of beautiful walled towns

The first thing you will want to do when planning a trip to Turkey is to determine a few of the more simple things on your trip. A good preview of the areas to be visited is a must, and can be found very easily using your home computer. There are many good websites available focused on the tourism in modern Turkey, and they can give you great insight into things such as local culture, food selections, crime rates, monetary exchange rates, and the many options of things to do while you are there. The most obvious choice to make your arrival into the country is to fly in using one of the main commercial airlines that service the area, but once you are there the options are plentiful on how to manoeuvre around, and see the sights. The most common transportation method used by the locals is the many busses that travel between the major cities very frequently, and this option is fairly inexpensive. If your looking for a more mobile way to get around you can rent a car in Turkey, but you will need to be prepared to drive a stick shift model, as automatics are not common. Flights, trains, ships, and ferries are also at your disposal, but the schedules and rates for this means of transportation can be difficult to get in advance, and you will more than likely have to wait until entering the country to find this information.

Comfortable and cheap hotels are easily found in this beautiful country. With hotels available with all of the star ratings westerners are used to, the options are endless, and a great hotel can be found near any itinerary schedule that will fit your needs and budget. Some of the most popular lodging can be found without using the typical star rating. These rooms are set up on a specialized rating system that include historic homes, Ottoman mansions, homes carved out of caves, and multiple boutique hotels with party invitations. These offer most if not all of the pleasures of home, without the big price tag of a more upmarket chain hotel. They give you the aura of historic sites that are not seen often in the more cheap holiday style areas, and can provide the tranquility and peace associated with any good holiday While the local areas are more culturally rich, the country also offers the finest in world class 5 star All-inclusive hotels such as the Hilton chain, Ritz Carlton, Sheraton, and Marriott and many more. With these luxurious hotels, most of the time breakfast and other meals are not included, and can cost a substantial amount more. While these hotels offer ease of access to the more major historic places of interest, the value may be undermined by the lack of richness in local culture that you will want to immerse yourself in while making this long journey. Other accommodations can be found that may be smaller in size, and lack most of the modern luxuries that are commonly associated with a world class holiday, but when traveling on a budget, these will offer all of the necessities, without an extreme price tag.

While in this country, you will have many options on where to burn the days away. The main cultural hub of Istanbul is plentiful in history, excitement, and local fare. One of the first things to do in this city is to take a city tour to acquaint yourself with the ins and outs of Istanbul. From here, you can easily take the time to have a day trip to the cities of Troy, Edirne, or Bursa where you will find the historic value that is associated with these sites. While you can breeze through the highlights of this rich city in a day, a week long tour will encourage exploration, and give you a more thorough view of the things that Istanbul has to offer. Another amazing sight to see while on your holiday excursions is the Gallipoli peninsula which is one of the main entrances of the Dardanelles strait connecting the Black Sea, with the Sea of Marmara, and the Mediterranean Sea. This has been the location of epic battles that have ensued since the early days of the Trojans, and up until World War One. An excursion to the battlefields on this land will give a great sense of historical value, and will show the sites where many heavy casualties were ensued in the long and fierce battles fought here.

While there are many things to do and see in this wonderful country, you are assured of an excellent holiday. With the proper research and a good itinerary, this will be one of the most memorable holidays in your life.

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Casper da Silva his lived and breathed travel for over 20 years. For cheap holidays and information and research on finding the holiday to suit you visit http://holidayclick.co.uk

Day one of our trek on the Lycian Way in Turkey saw us travel by car for 45 minutes to the south of Antalya for the start of the trek. This avoided walking through the sprawl of the city and gave us the chance to enjoy the wooded paths and coastal sections. The dropoff point in Camyuva was unceremonious, at the side of a dual carriageway. The footpath was marked on the other side of the road, and off we went after stopping for a sunblock application. The weather was hot and sunny – about 35 degrees Celsius, and it was to continue that way for the whole week. After five minutes we came to a split in the path and we saw another walker. This did not seem remarkable, but in fact we only encountered six others in five days of trekking. That is a definite plus point: if you are thinking of following this route, go soon before it becomes overpopulated with walkers.

Today the walk was only 6km long. At first we walked through pine forests on level ground to a small deserted bay. At the other side of the bay the path was signposted up the hill, where we reached the lost city of Phaselis. This was an important port right up until the 15th century, with three harbours. Now the harbours are derelict and you can paddle among the fallen stones. Further on there is an amphitheatre, the original main street and the town baths. The site is not very well interpreted but there is plenbty of atmosphere because it has not been beautified.

from Phaselis we could hear loud music coming from the other side of the hill in the next bay. this was to be our destination, but we expected to be going to a very small village. Once we crested the hill we discovered the noise was coming from a Gulet that was moored in the bay so the trippers could swim and sunbathe. These boats are really a nuisance in the way they arrived into idyllic deserted bays making such a din. At least they were not staying all night!

At the other end of the second bay was our second hotel, the Sundance. It is situated on a private beach with no other buildings nearby, in total peace and seclusion – Gulet trips notwithstanding. Tranquility is the name of the game at this hotel, and generally they do a good job. Our room was very basic, with a dodgy looking undermount sink and – shock – no aircon! In these areas at the beginning of June, airconditioning is essential. We were told the hotel was full and a fan was supplied instead. the fan was adequate but took up vital space in the tiny bedroom.

Our first and last nights in Turkey were spent in Antalya, at the Pension Mavi and Ani, which is run by Harun Selcuk. This is a basic Turkish Pansiyon with eight rooms, well situated in the Kaleici (Old Town). Rooms are airconditioned and some have TVs. The breakfast room is an inside/outside area, so you can eat in the beautiful old garden when the weather is good. Harun is a helpful and well-informed host, who is happy to advise you on the attractions in the area.

Villa Perla has resident tortoises

Another beautiful hotel in Antalya is the Ninova Pension. It has 19 bedrooms with private bathrooms, direct phone and hairdryer. Rooms are air-conditioned. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available i the restaurant. This hotel has been lovingly restored by the owners fgrom two historic houses and has an exceptional courtyard.

The Otantik Hotel is immaculate, with six luxury airconditioned rooms above the courtyard restaurant/wine bar. Three of the rooms have jacuzzis and balconies and there is free Wifi Internet access.

Holidays in Turkey are not complete without a shave

The shave is close

I was really pleased that I tagged along for the ride, otherwise I could have spent an hour reading about nuphedra reviews instead of enjoying such a relaxing vacation experience – and it was very cheap.

Eating out in a busy old town centre like Antalya is difficult. Most restaurants use outside sales guys, who accost every passer by with entreaties to eat there, or just stop for a drink. This practice is most widespread in the harbour area and it is pretty irritating. It’s only common sense that these guys have to be paid, so an element of your bill goes towards their commission. On our second night in Antalya we sought the advice of our Hotel Pansyion owner, Harun, for a restaurant recommendation. He sent us to Pasa Bey Kebapçisi, which is actually outside the walls of the old town near the football stadium. This was a great place to eat – not aimed at tourists at all. In fact, we were the only non Turkish diners in the restaurant. You will be served a starter automatically, with accompanying dips and salad. Order a main course only, and do not over-order! I asked for a meat Pide (Turkish Pizza) with extra cheese, and the Chef simply made two Pides. These were served before my husband’s Kebab so that we could share each order. Knowing that a meat course was on the way we could not finish the pizzas and we made little headway on the kebab either. Not wishing to use a diet pill, we left the rest and the stray dogs of Antalya benefited from the excess! The only drawback at Pasa Bey is that wine was priced at 65TL. So we drank Efes beer again. A pudding was brought automatically with coffee, and the whole bill came to 55TL for two.
The postal address is – Gençlik Mah.Isiklar Cad.1319 Sok. NO:4 Merkez / Antalya.
Phone : 242 244 96 90

We arrived in Cirali after a hot, dry trek from Maden beach in temperatures of 35 degrees.  We were incredibly thirsty and the first pansyion we reached was Ioanna’s, a Danish-run small hotel catering to Danish visitors who want a home from home in the Mediterranean.  Ioanna’s is run by the Elsborgs, a Danish husband and wide team who spend their summers in Turkey sharing the idyllic lifestyle of Cirali beach.  They served us two long cold beers immeddiately, to restore us to full health.  You don’t have to be a Dane to stay there, although the website is not translated – www.ioanna.eu.  They prepare a mean barbecue every evening, so a fat burner review would be useful unless you are going trekking every day of your holiday.

The attractions of Turkey for anyone who enjoys walking or trekking holidays are huge. This is a country enjoying a Mediterranean climate and possessing historic sites and archaeological heritage that are easily the equal of the Greek destinations. Tourism in Turkey is relatively young, and you can still find traditional hospitality in family-run hotels and pensions (Pansiyons).


The Aegean and Mediterranean coasts have sadly fallen victim in many parts to uncontrolled hotel development, but walking holidays in Turkey pass through some beautiful beachside villages, such as Adrasan and Çirali, that remain unaffected by package holiday hordes. Cirali and Adrasan are close to the Roman ruins at Olympos, about two hours’ drive west of Antalya. They are also close to the Lycian Way, the famously stunning long distance coastal footpath that is gaining in popularity with walkers and trekkers following the publication of the ‘Lycian Way Guide’ by Kate Clow.

It is unusual to find a really good walking route close to the coast and I have been checking out the tour operators offering vacations to explore the Lycian Way. Because the route is well marked there are plenty of self guided walking holidays in Turkey on offer. This is a good idea if you prefer not to be in a group of fellow walkers for the entire vacation! The arrangements for a self guided walking holiday usually include transport to the first night’s hotel or pension, luggage transfers and all meals. Some itineraries take you to a different location every night, others stay at certain hotels for two nights during the week.

Walking Holiday on the Lycian Way can be self guided

The route snakes along a dramatic coastline to the limestone peaks of Mount Olympos, now known as Mt Tahtali. For more energetic trekkers the highlight of the trip is the chance to climb Mount Tahtali (2388m), with superb views along the coast from the summit ridge. After your success in conquering the mountain The descent is through shady, wooded valleys, with the opportunity to visit the ruins of Olympos. At Cirali you will find one of the most beautiful sandy beaches on this coast. Cirali beach consists of two miles of soft sand where the azure ocean water laps at your feet. This is definitely worth taking time to rest and sunbathe.

The Lighthouse at Cape Gelidonia on the Lycian Way

The next day the Lycian Way route takes you to Adrasan, followed by the culmination of the trip – the walk from the coastal resort and farming village of Adrasan along the cliffs and coves to Cape Gelidonia.  There are small pensions and hotels along the route that are benefiting from the increase in visitors. For the moment a self guided walking holiday on the Lycian way meets almost all the requirements of an eco holiday, as you are a part of the local landscape supporting the local economy.  The upside is that you should be able to spend a week on the Lycian Way without seeing any huge package tour hotels.

Walksworldwide (01524 242000, walksworldwide.com) offer walking holidays covering the best of the Lycian Way from Camyuva to Cape Gelidonia. From £425 FB excluding flights

On Foot Holidays (01722 322652, onfootholidays.co.uk ) A fairly challenging seven-night itinerary along the Lycian Way.From £620 HB excluding flights

World Walks (01242 254353, worldwalks.com ) Walks in the Lycian Way. From £378 HB excluding flights

If you like a reasonable level of home comforts on your walking holiday, the companies above offer luggage transfers so you only need to carry your lunch, drinks and camera during the walks. You stay in Hotels or Guest Houses with ensuite facilities. NOT ALL companies offer this! Many trekking holidays to the Lycian Way involve use of sleeping bags (!), carrying all your luggage with you, and extra payments for transport. I travelled on a Ramblers Walking Holiday once, and they charged  for “local transport costs” – an extra £45 per week. The hotel was dismal and cold! Ramblers do not charge any less than the other operators reviewed here so if you do not want to rough it on your walking holiday, start with the companies reviewed here.

If you are a single person a walking holiday is one of your best vacation options. The best singles holiday operators charge no single room supplement, which could otherwise cost you more than £20 a night. I have been on two walking holidays with Solos (solosholidays.co.uk) and their itineraries are excellent for single travellers. Solos do not offer a walking trip to the Lycian Way, but they do have a Turkey multi activity holiday. Solitair (solitairhols.co.uk) have a programme featuring the Lycian Way. Prices start from £699 Full Board – flights included.

And of course, make sure you are insured before you leave: Blue Cross NC is a good provider.

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There are many times that you would just like to get away. Going on holiday is something that nearly everyone wants to do at one time or another. However, getting there without spending all the money you have available is often a little bit more difficult. You want to be sure that you can find cheap holidays, so you can spend time enjoying them, without having to worry about how you are going to pay for them.

Finding cheap holidays is often easier than you think if you know where to look. Most of the time, cheap holidays are best found with group deals or packages. This means that the best way for you to find cheap holidays is to request information from various agencies that deal with holidays, and with the agents that can book them. You will be able to find package deals on cheap holidays to destinations that you have always wanted to visit such as Turkey, the USA, and the Canary Islands. These are three of the most popular holiday destinations, but they are also the three most popular destinations that aren’t cheap – so how can you make sure you are finding cheap holidays?

First of all, when you are looking for cheap holidays, you are most often looking for a package deal. This will include flights, accommodations, and also other perks that might be included. Therefore, you need to find deals that include all these things.

One of the most important things that you do when you are searching for cheap holidays is to talk to a travel agent. They have the contacts needed for arranging the types of packages or deals that you are looking for. Many times, travel agents can get special deals on flights that you as a traveller would not be able to get otherwise. Flights are part of what makes your holidays so expensive – especially if you take your holidays with more than one family member. However, travel agents can often get cheaper tickets for you, your spouse, and your children. Therefore, it is important to find a reliable travel agent when you are on the hunt for cheap holidays.

Accommodation is another part of the package that you will be looking for with cheap holidays. Often, staying in a prime establishment is one of the most expensive parts of your holiday. Many times, people limit their holidays simply because accommodations can be so expensive. However, if you can arrange an all-inclusive package through the travel agent, you can find cheap or alternative accommodations that will make your holiday even better.

When you are on the lookout for cheap holidays in Turkey, the USA, or the Canary Islands, buying your flights and accommodations together is often the best way to spend the least amount of money. However, there are also other things to think about in order to get the cheapest holiday possible. These are things that you might not even think about while you are planning your holiday, but will end up being the ones that are very expensive.

The things that you need to consider include the food that you are eating on your holiday, as well as other things that you are buying. Many people attempt to take cheap holidays, using packages that they buy from a travel agent, but end up spending too much money otherwise. There are some hints that you can follow in order to maintain your cheap holiday.

Souvenirs are another item that can make cheap holidays much more expensive. When you are on a cheap holiday, you want to choose carefully what you buy, rather than just buy anything you see in the stores. While it might be tempting to purchase lots of different souvenirs, you might want to take your time and choose carefully, because this will mean you spend your money on things that matter instead of cheap stuff you will not keep.

Remember that cheap holidays are always possible, as long as you do some research and plan ahead.

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Jigsaw Cheap Holidays Tel: 08700 490002 or +44 (0)1780 484824 Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm or Sat – Sun 10am – 4pm . Our staff are multilingual and very friendly with many years of experience.