Bazaars
Everywhere in Turkey there are colourful bazaars that are fun and interesting for the whole family. Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar is a shopping paradise with 4000 shops selling everything from carpets, old coins and antiques (some fake), to perfumes, meerschaum pipes, copperware, silk scarves and more!

Boat Trips
Turkey has a beautifully exotic coastline. Perhaps the most spectacular day trip is the cruise from Kas to Simena Island. Also perfectly enjoyable is a ‘Blue Voyage’ anywhere along the South Aegean or western Mediterranean coast.

Castles & Palaces
The must-see palace in all of Turkey is the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Here is where Ottoman sultans once plotted and idled away their days. Of the many castle ruins along the coast, the most impressive are those at Bodrum as well as Mamure Castle at Anamur and Kizkalesi near Silifke along the Mediterranean. Way out east at Dogubayazit, the much-photographed ruins of Ishak Pasa Palace are worth the long journey.

Nature
Turkey has a fascinating and varied landscape. The gorges at Ihlara in Cappadocia and Saklikent near Kas, the Kandir Canyong near Egirdir and Koprulu Canyon near Antalya make wonderful places to relax and wonder for a few hours or the whole day. The ‘other’ Mount Nemrut at Tatcan on the shores of Lake Van offers gorgeous crater lakes and mountain views. The ruins of Akdamar Church on an island in Lake Van are worth the wait for the boat across. The well-cared for battlefield sites at Gallipoli on the Dardanelles are fabulous to explore whether you are a military enthusiast or not.

Boat Trips
Turkey has a beautifully exotic coastline. Perhaps the most spectacular day trip is the cruise from Kas to Simena Island. Also perfectly enjoyable is a ‘Blue Voyage’ anywhere along the South Aegean or western Mediterranean coast.

Golf
There are currently five championship courses in Turkey; one of which is at the Klassis resort close to Istanbul, the other four are in the resort town of Belek in the Antalya region.

Hiking
Turkey has a number of mountain ranges with peaks ranging from heights of 3250 metres to the 5165 metres of Mount Ararat, the highest mountain in Anatolia, which provide excellent climbing possibilities for both novice and expert climbers. Permission is required from the Turkish Mountaineering Club.

Turkey's vast interior of unspoilt nature, mountains, plateau, villages and ancient ruins is perfect for exploring on foot. Try the long-distance footpath, the Lycian Way, which stretches for 500 kilometres between Fethiye and Antalya providing a month’s worth of walking through some of Turkey’s most spectacular scenery.

Hamams & Hot Springs
The famous Turkish Bath is called a hamam. Enjoy a massage while lying on heated stones in a dome-roofed sauna. A visit to one of Turkey’s historical hamams is likely to be a memorable experience. In Istanbul, the most popular are the historic Galatasaray Hamam in Beyoglu and Cagaloglu Hamam in Sultanahmet, though local baths are often just as good.

The soothing mineral waters at Pamukkale were considered sacred by the Romans for its magical healing waters, and the spa there has been used for its therapeutic benefits ever since. Roman architecture dominates the city of Pamukkale, an UNESCO World Heritage site. It also contains the ruins of the Roman city of Hierapolis.

Rafting
Not commonly known, Turkey has excellent rivers for white-water rafting. The Coruh River is rated by professional rafters as one of the top ten in the world. Rivers that are commercially rafted in Turkey include the Dalaman River, the Köprü River, the Coruh River, and the Zamanti River.

Skiing
Winter sports in Turkey are generally located in forested mountains. Ski centres are often easily accessible by road or by Turkish Airlines domestic flights. Most resorts are in the north (near Ankara) and the western interior. The ski season is from January to March. The following ski centres are easily accessible by road or by plane: Erciyes: 25km from Kayseri (Cappadocia); Koroglu: on the Istanbul-Ankara highway, 50km from Bolu and the Black Sea coast; Palandoken: 5km from Erzurum (central-eastern Anatolia); Saklikent: 48km north of Antalya, in the Bakirli Dagi mountain range (Mediterranean Coast); Sarikamis: near Kars (far eastern Anatolia); and Uludag: 36km south of Bursa (Marmara).

Water Sports
The Mediterranean coast, particularly Izmir, has very warm waters and water sports are widely available such as windsurfing, sailing, kayaking and more.

Turkish food combines culinary traditions of a pastoral people originating from Central Asia and the influences of the Mediterranean regions. National specialties include Shish kebab (pieces of meat threaded on a skewer and grilled), Doner kebab (pieces of lamb packed tightly round a revolving spit), Barbunya (red mullet) and kiliç baligi (swordfish), Dolma (vine leaves stuffed with nuts and currants), Karniyarik (aubergine stuffed with minced meat), and the heavenly dessert of Turkish Delight (originally made from dates, honey, roses and jasmine bound by Arabic gum and designed to sweeten the breath after coffee). Simit is a sesame-covered bread ring. It is sold everywhere in Turkey and is a good, inexpensive snack to buy when you are on the go.

A typical Turkish breakfast, served at most hotels, consists of white bread, a boiled egg, cucumber, tomatoes, black olives and white cheese. For the bread you will also get butter, jam and/or honey and cream cheese. To drink there is always tea and often instant coffee.

National drinks are Raki (anisette), known as 'lion's milk', which clouds when water is added. Drinking Raki is a ritual and is traditionally accompanied by a variety of meze (hors d'oeuvres). Ayran is a refreshing yogurt drink. Tea and, of course, Turkish coffee drunk strong and black are national favourites, while Turkish beer, red and white wines are drinkable as well.

In every city there is a tea garden. Sometimes it is a place where only men sit and drink tea, sometimes a place were families come to have tea or something to eat. The tea garden in Sanliurfa is full of people walking around in the parks, rowing boats on the lake or sitting down having tea, a cold drink or snack.

Things to know: Turkey is a secular state and alcohol is permitted, although during Ramazan (Ramadan) it is considered polite for the visitor to avoid drinking alcohol. A service charge is included in hotel and restaurant bills.

Turkish carpets are famous all over the world. During your visit to Turkey, you will most likely be invited to visit one of the carpet showrooms or factories. Here, you will get the opportunity to learn about the process of creating carpets, from the beginning of dying the wool or silk, to the final stage of hand weaving. At the end of the tour you are presented with a dazzling carpet show, making it hard to resist a purchase. Hand-woven carpets gain value with age. There are carpets available for every budget.

Istanbul's Grand Bazaar is indeed a grand and fascinating place to shop. It has tunnels and winding alleyways of over 4000 shops selling a wide variety of items and Turkish handicrafts such as textiles and embroideries, copper, onyx and tile, mother-of-pearl, inlaid articles, leather and suede products, gold and silver jewellery and, above all, carpets galore. The Grand Bazaar is open Monday through Saturday 08:00-19:00 (closed Sunday).

Spice markets are a treat for the senses. The smells and tastes are wonderful. Istanbul’s Spice Market is the best place to find hundreds of different kinds of spices, costing next to nothing. Turkish food culture is based on spices so even if you don’t visit Istanbul, you can still find very nice and different spices through the whole country. Almost all towns have their own spice markets.

Shopping hours are generally 09:30-19:00 daily in tourist areas. Closing hours vary, with some shops staying open until midnight. Outside tourist areas shops may close at lunchtime and on Sundays.