Culture and arts guides, event recommendations and stories from the city.
Within the borders of Antalya, there are dozens of ancient cities, and it's impossible to see them all in a single vacation. Which ones are right for you depends on what you enjoy; the following suggestions offer different options for different interests.
When you think of Antalya, hotels and beaches come to mind, but within the province's borders, there are also three ancient sites, a mountain city located at an altitude of a thousand meters, and one of the best-preserved Roman theaters in the world.
The Grand Bazaar has been open since the 15th century and remains a genuine market: both tourists and Istanbul residents come here to buy gold, carpets, and leather goods.
Traveling around Istanbul with a child means shortening your museum itinerary and extending your list of places to visit by ferry. The city almost feels like it was designed for children: there are cats everywhere, the sea is always present, and you can find a "simitci" (sesame bread vendor) on every corner.
From November to March, Istanbul is gray, windy, and occasionally snowy; but it's also a city without crowds, more affordable, and more authentically itself.
It's not surprising, but rather commonplace, to see a mosque, church, and synagogue on the same street in a neighborhood of Istanbul. In Ottoman-era Istanbul, Greeks, Armenians, Jews, and Muslims lived in separate neighborhoods but were closely intertwined; in the 20th century...
Istanbul is a city built on seven hills, and each hill offers a unique view. Some require tickets, while most are free; but what they all have in common is that, when visited at the right time, they offer a view of the city that goes beyond maps and shows you the city in all its vibrancy. 1.
Many of Istanbul's most magnificent structures are mosques, and all of them are open for worship; meaning that the places you visit are also places where people pray. Following a few simple rules will not only make your visit more comfortable but will also earn you the respect of the local people.
In Turkey, breakfast is not just a meal; it's a ritual. In Istanbul, there are two extremes: a quick standing breakfast of simit (a type of sesame-covered bread) and tea, consumed in just two minutes, and a lavish, spread-out breakfast that covers the entire table and lasts for two hours. Both are ways of understanding the city.
The tulip is a symbol of the Netherlands, but it actually came to Europe from Istanbul in the 16th century. It was a flower of the Ottoman gardens, and a period in the early 18th century is known today as the Tulip Era.
It's impossible to see all of Istanbul in just three days, but it is possible to fall in love with it. The following itinerary aims to answer the most common question for first-time visitors – "What shouldn's I miss?" – while also allowing for some downtime each day.
Waiting in a taxi queue or spending an hour stuck in traffic is a misunderstanding of what the city is really like.
While the area surrounding Ankara is less well-known than that of Istanbul, we believe it offers more variety: it includes the Hittite capital, the tomb of a Phrygian king, a vast salt plain, a bird sanctuary, an Ottoman town, a thermal forest, and a panoramic view of the steppe.
When Ankara was declared the capital in 1923, it was a town of thirty thousand people located at the foot of a castle. Within fifteen years, boulevards, ministries, a railway station, an opera house, a university, and embassies were established; the city was transformed into a showcase of a nation's architectural vision.
Ankara is surprisingly a great city for families with children; the parks are spacious, the museums allow visitors to interact with the exhibits, the distances are short, and the prices are reasonable.
Ankara's public transportation system is simple, and much cheaper than in many European capitals. Once you understand how it works, you can easily reach every corner of the city and even the two lakes by bus.
They say Ankara doesn't have a distinct cuisine; those who say that usually haven's ventured beyond the cafes in Tunalı. The city's food is the cuisine of the steppe and the civil servant's table: simple ingredients, long cooking times, and dishes prepared in pans and pots.
If you had to choose just one season to visit Ankara, we recommend choosing autumn.
You don't need tickets for most of Ankara's most impressive attractions.
If you're visiting Ankara for the first time, you probably think of the city as a transit point: a day at Anıtkabir, perhaps a museum, and then on to Cappadocia.
Within the borders of the Izmir province, more than half of the twelve Ionian cities, a Hellenistic capital, and the center of the Roman province of Asia are located.
Many of the best things about Izmir are free. The coastline, the market, the squares, the views from the ferry deck – the city offers itself freely. We've compiled a list of twelve things you can enjoy for a full day without spending a single lira, leaving your wallet at the hotel.
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The best time to visit Izmir is in the autumn, and we're not the only ones who say so; many Izmir residents who leave for the summer return to the city in September. The sea is still warm, the temperatures have cooled down, the crowds have dispersed, and there are plenty of events happening.
