Türkiye
Ancient ruins, phenomenal natural wonders, and cheap delicious cuisine in crowded cities.
Türkiye has been on my travel list for a couple of years now mainly to experience the food and to visit some of the amazing natural landscapes I had seen scattered across my Instagram. And it did not disappoint!
Türkiye is a huge country, and to visit all the places I wanted to go required adding more travel days than I had initially anticipated and multiple overnight bus trips. If you are planning on visiting different areas of the country, make sure you factor in days (or nights) for travel. Alternatively, you can take local flights around the country but will need to book in advance to keep costs low.
Türkiye travel itinerary
Istanbul → Pamukkale → Fethiye & Oludeniz → Antalya → Goreme (Cappadocia) → Istanbul
Istanbul: I flew into Istanbul Havalimani Airport and took public transport into the Sultanahmet area in the city centre. The airport is located quite far away from the city, so getting to the city required 3 transport changes and took nearly 2 hours. The airport is served by a new metro line, M11, which will get you as far as Gayrettepe. I then took a bus (62) and a tram (T1) to reach Sultanahmet. Everything can be paid via a contactless card, or you can buy a metro card for reduced fares. I stayed in Istanbul for just one night but would be returning for a couple more nights at the end of my trip.
Pamukkale: After spending a day in Istanbul I took an overnight bus from Istanbul to Denizli, the nearest city to Pamukkale. I booked my bus with FlixBus/Kamil Koc a couple of days before and took it from the Istanbul Esenler Bus Station. The journey took 10 hours (11pm - 9am) with multiple rest stops and cost £22. From Denizli, I took a local dolmus (minibus) from stop 76 from the Denizli Bus Station to Pamukkale town. This took about 30 minutes and cost 5TL paid in cash.
Fethiye & Ölüdeniz: From Denizli Bus Station I caught an intercity bus to Fethiye (Bati Antalya / Fethiye Seyahat). This took 4 hours with a rest stop and cost £11. From the Fethiye Bus Station, I took a local dolmus from the bus stop outside the bus station in front of Petrol Ofisi towards Fethiye Old Town and got off at the last stop. Just down the road from this stop is the ‘Fethiye Last Bus Stop’ / ‘Oludeniz Bus Stop’. From this stop, I took another local dolmus to Ölüdeniz Beach which took 30 minutes. Local dolmus can be paid for using contactless or cash.
Antalya: From Fethiye Bus Station I took an intercity bus to Antalya (Bati Antalya / Fethiye Seyahat). This took 3 hours with a rest stop and cost £7. To get to the Old Town area of Antalya I took a local bus/tram from the bus stop along the main road outside the bus station. There are multiple different routes you can take, some of which involve multiple changes. Transport can be paid for with contactless or you can purchase a metro card for reduced fares.
Goreme (Cappadocia): The Antalya Bus Station has multiple terminals. At the entrance of each terminal is a list of bus companies that leave from each terminal. To get to Goreme I took an overnight intercity bus (FlixBus/Kamil Koc) from the Sehirlerarasi Terminali. This cost 500TL (£12) and took 9 hours (11pm - 8am) with multiple rest stops.
Istanbul: I took an overnight intercity bus (FlixBus/Kamil Koc) from Goreme to Istanbul. This cost 869TL (£21) and took 12 hours (8pm - 8am). I arrived into the Istanbul Alibeykoy Bus Station and took local buses/trams to the Karakoy area in Istanbul.
How to travel around Türkiye
Türkiye is a huge country and many people choose to travel around Türkiye via local flights. But if you have the time, travelling by train or bus is cheaper and much better for the environment. Many different bus/coach companies serve destinations across the country and you’ll be able to search and book bus tickets on www.obilet.com/. Routes serving tourist destinations run more frequently during the peak season (April - September). I booked most of my buses the day before or on the day of travel, but it is advisable to book in advance if you are travelling during peak season or if you have specific times in mind.
Most cities and towns have a bus station, known as an ‘otogar’ or ‘otogari’. These are usually a station building with services like ticket stands, toilets and food stalls. Larger bus stations will also have security scanners.
Türkiye has train lines that serve routes to major cities across the country. They are useful for getting across the country, albeit not necessarily that quickly and they don’t directly serve many of the main tourist destinations. Some tickets can be bought online, others need to be purchased directly from the train station. More information about trains, reservations and routes can be found here: railturkey.org/travel/ and turkeytravelplanner.com/trans/Train/index.html
Within cities, public transport can be paid for by contactless payments. Some cities, like Istanbul and Antalya, offer travel cards which if you purchase provide discounted travel. This is only really worthwhile if you plan to make multiple public transport trips in the city as you have to pay for the card and then top it up with credit. I provide a bit more of a breakdown on this on each of the destination pages. Google Maps worked best for navigating public transport schedules and seemed to be what most locals used. CityMapper does operate in the region, but I found it less reliable. In general, taxis aren't too expensive when you consider the exchange rate on UK currency, but are of course a lot more than taking public transport.
In smaller towns and rural areas make sure to have cash as you cannot always rely on being able to use card payments for dolmus transport (shared taxi / mini bus). With this, you want to try and have small change or exact change where possible.
What to eat in Turkiye
Doner kebab / tavuk durum
Iskender kebab (sliced doner meat in tomato sauce on a pitta)
Kofte (meatballs)
Manti (small meat-filled dumplings, like ravioli)
Menemen (eggs cooked in tomato sauce)
Lahmacun (flatbread topped with minced meat)
Pide (boat-shaped flatbread topped with meat and cheese)
Balik ekmek (fish sandwich)
Simit & Acma (ring-shaped bread)
Cag kebab (horizontally cooked kebab)
Testi kebab (meat stew cooked in a clay pot)
Imam Bayildi (stuffed eggplant)
Mercimek Çorbasi (lentil soup)
Fasulye (bean stew)
Gozleme (flatbread with spinach, cheese and potato)
Borek (flakey stuffed pastries)
Baklava
Turkish delight / Lokum
Kunefe (crispy cheese-filled dessert soaked in syrup)
Turkish ice cream (served with a performance)
Turkish coffee & Turkish tea (often served on the house with a meal)
Salep (milky spice drink)
Pomegranate juice / tea
Cag kebab
KunefeAnd everything else
Money: The currency in Türkiye is Turkish Lira. In touristy areas, many places will also accept Euros, although it is usually cheaper to pay in local currency. Card is readily accepted in most places but make sure you have cash on you in more rural areas for transport.
Language: The official language of Türkiye is Turkish. English is readily spoken by many people, particularly in tourist areas and information, including menus, are often provided in English also.
Safety: Overall, I felt relatively safe in Türkiye. Businesses and people stay up late in Türkiye so I never found myself in a situation where I was walking dark streets alone or in the quiet which I think helped with my sense of safety. Many cities will also have police and security personnel walking around tourist areas. I felt comfortable exploring on my own and my only concerns were really around pickpockets in busy areas and scammers.
As a woman, I would occasionally get some forms of sexual harassment in the form of staring or cat-calling, but it was few and far between. However, I was very often approached by locals trying to share travel information, direct me in the right direction, or let me know about their business and these were all exclusively men. Whilst none of these interactions were malicious or had bad intent (almost every conversation provided me with information that helped my journey), being approached by men as a solo woman was unnerving. (I’m unsure whether a man travelling on his own would experience the same thing..) This unwanted attention from men was quite a problem, but something I got used to by the end of my trip. I think it is part of their culture to be interested in others and helpful & friendly, as they would often get quite offended when I told them to go away or that I didn’t want to listen to what they had to say. Usually, I would say ‘thanks but no thanks’, or tell them I’m in a rush and go on my way. (Classic female energy not wanting to offend the men…) On the flip side, if you need help or information, ask any local and they will likely be more than happy to help.
I didn't experience any feelings or concerns related to racism directly against me, although I did hear some anti-refugee / anti-immigrant rhetoric. Visiting tourist areas meant that locals were very familiar with people from different backgrounds and people were generally very friendly and accommodating. As I have said before, being around local populations with brown and olive complexions makes me feel less othered as I don’t visibly stand out as much.
Need to knows
Türkiye is a Muslim country, although a fairly liberal one. If you are travelling as a woman make sure to bring a scarf/shawl to cover your head when visiting mosques.
Special Recommendations
Food: Kebab dish - which usually comes with a range of small side dishes and dips
Attractions: Cappadocia
Accommodation: Symbola Oludeniz Beach Hotel
R’s take
A country with some amazing natural beauty and landscapes. The food is great and of best quality and value in the major cities. As a tourist, prepare for unwanted attention from locals (mainly men) who are trying to give you unsolicited advice.