All countries have their natural, cultural and historical beauty, but Turkey definitely occupies a special place in the list of the touristic places for its exceptional natural beauty, richness of landscapes, diversity of cultures and local hospitality.
Tourism in Turkey is focused largely on a variety of historical sites, and on seaside resorts along its Aegean and Mediterranean Sea coasts.
The country has also become a popular destination for culture, spa, and health care.
Recently Turkey has gained a fame of being more and more popular for the medical tourism and health services, considering the high quality of the diagnostic equipment, quickness of the diagnostic procedures and treatment instructions provision, exceptional care for patients and affordable prices for the health services.
Here are the main places to visit in Turkey, and those which we would highly recommend to travel to for extending the understanding of Turkey as a country and its culture.
Istanbul
Istanbul is one of the most important tourism spots not only in Turkey but also in the world.
There is a great variety of the historical and cultural places, museums and exhibitions, restaurants and exquisite hotels. Once visiting Istanbul, you will remember it forever.
The hospitality is in the culture of all Turkish people, that is why the tourist-oriented industry in the country and namely in Istanbul derives from the very national heart and will give unforgettable impressions to all visitors.
Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul has a number of major attractions derived from its historical status as capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. These include the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the “Blue Mosque”), the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern, the Dolmabahçe Palace, the Galata Tower, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar, the Pera Palace Hotel and many others.
Istanbul has also recently become one of the biggest shopping centers of the European region by hosting malls and shopping centers, such as Metrocity, Akmerkez and Cevahir Mall, which is the biggest mall in Europe and seventh largest shopping center in the world. Other attractions include sporting events, museums, and cultural events.
Cappadocia / Kappadokia
The area is a popular tourist destination, as it has many areas with unique geological, historic, and cultural features.
Touristic Cappadocia includes 4 cities: Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray and Niğde.
The region is located southwest of the major city Kayseri, which has airline and railway service to Ankara and Istanbul and other cities.
The most important towns and destinations in Cappadocia are Ürgüp, Göreme, Ihlara Valley, Selime, Guzelyurt, Uçhisar, Avanos and Zelve.
Among the most visited underground cities are Derinkuyu, Kaymakli, Gaziemir and Ozkonak. The best historic mansions and cave houses for tourist stays are in Ürgüp, Göreme, Guzelyurt and Uçhisar.
Hot-air ballooning is very popular in Cappadocia and is available in Göreme. Trekking is enjoyed in Ihlara Valley, Monastery Valley (Guzelyurt), Ürgüp and Göreme.
Sedimentary rocks formed in lakes and streams and ignimbrite deposits that erupted from ancient volcanoes approximately 9 to 3 million years ago, during the late Miocene to Pliocene epochs, underlie the Cappadocia region.
People of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out houses, churches and monasteries from the soft rocks of volcanic deposits. Göreme became a monastic centre in 300–1200 AD.
The first period of settlement in Göreme goes back to the Roman period. The Yusuf Koç, Ortahane, Durmus Kadir and Bezirhane churches in Göreme, and houses and churches carved into rocks in the Uzundere, Bağıldere and Zemi Valleys, all illustrate history and can be seen today.
The Göreme Open Air Museum is the most visited site of the monastic communities in Cappadocia and is one of the most famous sites in central Turkey.
Izmir
Izmir is a metropolitan city in the western part of Anatolia. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara; and the second largest urban agglomeration on the Aegean Sea after Athens.
Izmir has over 3000 years of recorded urban history and up to 8500 years of history as a human settlement since the Neolithic period. Set in an advantageous location at the head of a gulf in a midway along the western Anatolian coast, the city has been one of the principal mercantile ports of the Mediterranean Sea for the most of its history.
Modern Izmir also incorporates the nearby ancient cities of Ephesus, Pergamon, Sardis and Klazomenai.
It is also a centre of the international tourism to such locations as Kuşadası, Çeşme, Mordoğan and Foça.
These are the very little part of the historical and cultural heritage of Turkey which are worth visiting and getting in touch with.
The country is so rich for the natural beauty and landscapes, seas and lakes, forests and mountains with their marvellous views and breathtaking sceneries that it needs more and more visits to explore the places which are already touristically famous, and all those which are still far from the known touristic routs but not less valuable in their beauty and importance.
With STF Tours & Travels we will open you the doors to the most interesting places of the country to learn more about its culture, get a feeling of ancient civilisations and religions, gastronomy and local businesses.
You will fall definitely fall in love with the country and will return here again and again to explore and find out more!
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