ABOUT TURKEY INFORMATIONS

The First Geography Congress, which was convened in Ankara in 1941, at the conclusion of the research that had continued for a long time, separated Turkey into seven geographical regions. During the congress activities, the fact that Turkey is surrounded by sea on three sides, the presence of mountain ranges lying parallel to the length of the long coastline, the fact that these mountains separate the high, but slightly steep and uneven central section from the influence of the sea and because of this, factors such as the climate, natural plant cover and the distribution of types of agriculture, and the influences of these on the transportation systems and the types of housing between the coastal strip and the central sections, had been taken into consideration and it was possible to divide Turkey into four border and three inner regions. The first four of the seven regions determined were given the names of the seas which are adjacent to them (the Black Sea, the Marmara, the Aegean and the Mediterranean Regions). The other three regions were named in accordance with their location in the whole of Anatolia (Central, Eastern and South-eastern Anatolia Regions).

Stretching out on two continents, Turkey is a paradise where one can experience the four seasons simultaneously... Whether you are fond of art, history, archeology or nature, you will feel the happiness beyond desires and hopes during your stay in Turkey.

Surrounded by the crystal clear waters of a shinning sea at four directions, Turkey generously offers her 8000km long shores before your eyes. Turkey is also rich in flora and fauna.

Twenty fascinating civilizations render Turkey the heir of 10.000 years old history which has still been examined for further ancient secrets to be brought up into daylight. These lands inhale at any moment the mystery of the past through the existenece of the statues of gods and goddesses, temples, theathers, agoras, churches, mosques, medresseh, palaces and caravanseraies. Becoming a united whole of daily life and all other values, Turkey forms the ideal circumstances.

ART & CULTURE

Among the prominent statesmen of the 20th century, few articulated the supreme importance of culture as did Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic, who stated: "Culture is the foundation of the Turkish Republic." His view of culture encompassed the nation's creative legacy as well as the best values of world civilization. It stressed personal and universal humanism. "Culture," he said, " is a basic element in being a person worthy of humanity," and described Turkey's ideological thrust as "a creation of patriotism blended with a lofty humanist ideal."

To create the best synthesis, Ataturk underlined the need for the utilization of all viable elements in the national heritage, including the ancient indigenous cultures, and the arts and techniques of the entire world civilization, past and present. He gave impetus to the study of earlier civilizations of Anatolia -- including Hittite, Phrygian, Lydian and others. Pre-Islamic culture of theTurks became the subject of extensive research which proved that, long before the Seljuk and Ottoman Empires, the Turks had already created a civilization of their own. Ataturk also stressed the folk arts and folklore of the countryside as a wellspring of Turkish creativity.

The development of painting, sculpture and the decorative arts had been arrested by Ottoman officials, who claimed the depiction of the human form was idolatry, but these arts flourished during Ataturk's presidency. Many museums were opened and architecture gained new vigor. Classical Western music, opera and ballet, as well as theater took impressive strides.Several hundred "People's Houses" and "People's Rooms" all over Turkey gave local people and youngsters a wide variety of artistic activities, sports and cultural affairs. Book and magazine publication enjoyed a boom. The Film industry started to grow. In all walks of cultural life, Ataturk's inspiration created an upsurge.

Ataturk's Turkey is living proof of this ideal -- a country rich in its own national culture, open to the heritage of world civilization and at home in the endowments of the modern technological age.

GENERAL VISA INFORMATION FOR BRITISH PASSPORT HOLDERS

British passport holders travelling to Turkey require visa. Visas can be obtained at the port of entry in Turkey or from the Turkish Consulate General in London or Turkish Diplomatic Missions in other countries.

Sticker type visas are issued at the port of entry and allow staying in Turkey for up to 90 days. It costs £10. If there is more than one person travelling on the same passport, each individual is liable to pay the visa fee. This type of visa does not permit to engage in paid or unpaid employment.

Those who wish to obtain entry visa from the Turkish Consulate in London should apply to the Consulate General. Visa fee is £40 and should be paid by postal order or cash only. A passport size picture should also be submitted during application.

It is compulsory to have a minimum of three months validity on your passport from the date of your entry into Turkey.

Travel document holders need to apply to the Consulate General in person with his/her travel document with a validity of at least 6 months, a passport size photo, fully filled application form, latest bank statement, a reference letter from his/her employer or school. The fee is 40 pounds sterling. All visas for travel document holders are single entry.

Antalya Travel Guide

Top Attractions

Antalya Museum - Located on the outskirts of the city,this is one of Turkey's largest museums. It features 14 exhibition halls and an open-air gallery. The museum covers an area of 7000 m² and has 5000 works of art exhibited.

Termessos - A Psidian city built at a height of 1050 meters in the Taurus Mountains, without a doubt one of the most interesting ancient cities in the region. It constitutes an incredible fusion of a large number of extraordinary plants and animal species, currently under protection in the Termessos National Park.

Hadrian's Gate - The Roman structure built in 130 A.D. to honor the Emperor Hadrian, is one of the best preseved monuments in Antalya. The gate was formerly enclosed by the city walls and was not used for many years, this is the reason why it was not destroyed, as it was only revealed when the walls collapsed. The original gate was two storeys high and very little is known of the top storey.

Be5h Bar Be5h bar is located in beach park on konyaalti beach! It is the best bar you will go to in your life! Always busy with great music and very friendly and helpful staff!
submitted by Cagla, 27/08/06

Auditorium Huge night club, very popular with tourists. All the latest music and fits a capacity of 4000 people.
submitted by Alex, 09/09/05

Antalya Balýkevi Lara I went to this restaurant with 2 turkish colleagues and i give 10 thumbs up. Excellent food, fantastic fish. Great service, nice athmosphere. You get to go and choose your fish in a stall. While they cook it, try some starters. Vegetable are excellent in Turkey (and you can mention it in any decent restaurants). Then the fish. So tasty. The owner is the owner of a fish company, so it can't get any fresher than this. At the end of the meal, they give you complimentary fruits. What a brilliant idea. Do not hesitate to go and eat there. It's located near the beach.
submitted by Pierre, 01/03/05

Antalya Shopping


Migros Shopping Mall - Location -100'cu Yil Bulvari, a fabulous mall with a great selection of different shops, 461 shops to be exact. Expect to find stores like Zara, ToysRus, Perfumerie stores, electronic & computer stores and many more. Also available is a great selection of stores from which to purchase local souvenirs.

The Markets offer a wonderful opportunity to take a walk and breathe in the enchanting atmosphere resulting from the wonderful smells of the spices and different foods being cooked. An excellent place to buy small gifts like spices, coffee, tea and little trinkets - it is an absolute paradise for these small but cheap souvenirs.

Antalya Restaurants and Bars


Coco Bar - Serving fantastic local dishes and the tastiest lamb shish kebabs, rated as the friendliest restaurant in town by tourists and locals alike. It features a cozy open-air terrace from which you can watch the Turkish every day life passing by.

Kismet Balikcisi -Located at the old "east bus station." It was voted the favourite fish restaurant by the locals, the most popular dishes being calamari and cooked shrimps. Expect to get high quality, fresh and very delicious fish dishes.

Develi Restaurant - Akdeniz Bulvari 1.Arapsuyu.No:1 /Antalya, If you decide to visit the restaurant, just care attention that you should be really hungry. They serve the most delicious starters and dishes like "Adana Kebap" and "Ali Nazik".

Antalya Bars & Clubs


Ally's - Located inside the Kaleici, it has become the most popular nightclub in Antalya. Be prepared to wait in a que for entrance on Friday and Saturday nights, as it tends to get quite crowded.

Club 29 - Overlooking the Antalya Marina, this club has the most extravagant views. It has a capacity of around 2000 people, making it the hottest choice for an all night boogy. The club features a restaurant, bar and club alltogether, so you can start your evening out with a lovely dinner. Be prepared to be blown away with a large selection of live music.

James Dean Bar - Located on Iskele Cad, this has become one of the most popular hang outs in the town. It offers a large variety of high quality drinks at a very affordable price. Be sure not to miss out on this one when you are visiting Antalya.

Turkey Popular Destinations

Ankara - This is the capital of Turkey and is completely covered in Roman ruins amongst the mosques and monuments of Muslim Anatolia. You can also take a look at the Presidential Mansion, which features furniture and decor dating back to the 1930's.

Ephesus - This is the grandest and best preserved of the vast selection of ruins found in Turkey. It is world renowned due to its extraordinary heritage of history and culture and the breath taking beauty and charm of the archaeological site. It is also the most enchanting classical city in the Mediterranean. Counted amongst one of the Seven Wonders of the world, is the Ionia's Temple of Diana. The city of Ephesus is renowned for its richness of unspoilt beauty and wealth.

Istanbul - The skyline is sprawling with domes and minarets and is known as one of the truly great romantic cities, the heartbeat of Turkey. A wonderful place to visit for a dose of history is the Istanbul Archeology Museum which consists of three smaller museums namely, The Archeology Museum, Old Eastern Works Museum and Enameled Kiosk Museum. It was established as The Empire Museum by the famous artist and museum director Osman Hamdi Bey in the 19th century and was opened to the public on June 13, 1891.


Moving Around Turkey

 Turkish airlines links all the major cities, including the Istanbul-Ankara corridor. There are buses that travel frequently to all areas in Turkey at reasonably cheap prices. A good value for money are the sleeping-car trains which link Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara to each other.

If you prefer driving around in Turkey, you will be happy to know that mechanical services are easy to find and are reasonably cheap. You should however avoid driving in cities altogether as traffic is horrible and finding parking is an absolutely impossible task.

Car ferries are available and will save you many days of needless traveling and a perfect opportunity to take a mini-cruise along the Turkish coast. Ferries operate from Istanbul to Izmir, also from Istanbul to Trabzon in June to September only and from Istanbul to Yalova, for Bursa.

Turkey, Come Explore

Turkey is a vast and varied country boasting incredible landscapes and natural wonders bordered by four different seas. Well known as a great destination for relaxing beach holidays, it also offers many sporting activities, some of the world’s most important ancient monuments, welcoming Turkish hospitality and a delicious and varied national cuisine. Istanbul is also gearing up to be European Capital of Culture 2010 so it has never been a better time to visit this magical city!

WELCOME to TURKEY!

Explore the country that builds on old and rich history, at the same time is a member of modern world. Explore the country that represents a cultural mixture, a synthesis of east and west, while it geographically bridges Europe and Asia. Explore the country that combines natural beauties with its 10,000-year-old heritage. Thus giving today’s travelers a unique opportunity to learn and enjoy the life and culture in this geography called Asia Minor.

Explore our site to discover beauties and secrets of Turkey. Explore Turkey covers all the important and famous historical and tourist sites and regions in detail in Turkey with the help of our sponsors. Explore Turkey site is dedicated to supply most in-depth and broad information on Turkey on the Internet. Enjoy your virtual visit to Turkey!

Traveler’s guide to Turkey

TurkeyForYou web site is an effort to give an introduction to the beautiful country of Turkey, which has for a long time been a well-hidden treasure of Eastern Medditerrenean. With a rich history, sandy beaches, wide variety of climate and landscapes, and several activities to do, Turkey is definitely a good option to have a remarkable vacation without straining your budget. On TurkeyForYou web site, you can also read our tips for travelling to Turkey or read about Turkish culture and history, and important Turkish people.


Turkey lies on the ruins of many civilizations including Hittites, Trojans, Greeks, Romans, Byzantine Empire, Seljuks and Ottomans. You can feel this wealth of history everywhere you go in Turkey. Turks have a great cuisine, infamous baths, rich traditions associated with tea and coffee, evil eye pendants, high quality towels and bathrobes, traditional rugs, whirling dervishes, nargile (Turkish water pipe) and of course Turkish delight. You can get engaged in a variety of activities in Turkey including river rafting, skiing, scuba diving, cruising and hot air ballooning. You can travel thousands of years back in time at the historical sites, or enjoy the works of nature.

Why go to Turkey?

It’s friendly, beautiful, culturally rich and good value for money. It’s modern enough to be comfortable yet traditional enough to be interesting.

Turkey is one of the world’s top 10 travel destinations, welcoming more than 23 million visitors every year.
Culture & Art: Turkey’s history of human habitation goes back 25,000 years. Some of the earliest-known human communities are here. Hittites, Phrygians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Seljuks, Mongols, Ottomans and others have all left their works of art and culture in what is now the Turkish homeland. Modern Turkey has all this—and more mobile phones than you’ve ever seen in one place before.
Special-Interest Activities: With nearly 8400 km (5200 mi) of coastline, water sports and yachting are big favorites. Hiking, white-water rafting, mountain-climbing and bicycling are all important, and growing, as is skiing. My favorite of all is hot-air ballooning.

Cuisine: Turkish food is now world-famous, and rightly so. The abundance of its fields, farms, orchards, flocks and fishing boats is exceptional, and Turkish chefs take full advantage of this bounty. Everyone comments on how good the food is. Not only that, the moderately-priced gourmet dinner (plus wine) is still easy to do. Then there’s Turkish tea….

Good Times: Sit at a long table in a meyhane (taverna) in Istanbul, Kusadasi, Bodrum, Antalya, order a glass of beer, wine or pungent raki and join in the songs and stories. Turks revel in good food, good friends, good times, and good nightlife.

For stories of life and travel in Turkey, read the excerpts from my travel memoir Bright Sun, Strong Tea.