Each of us needs a break. It is impossible to be productive all year round without those long-awaited vacation days, when you can afford to do nothing, relax on the beach or by the pool with a cocktail and loved ones nearby. Many residents of our country are not fans of domestic resorts. It is understandable: noisy, crowded, expensive and not as comfortable as in foreign resorts. Therefore, a large number of our fellow citizens are sent somewhere to more hospitable places, for example, to Turkey.
Where does the journey begin
The country has long had good fame among the Russians. Despite some jokes and attempts to call rest in Turkey primitive and boring, this direction has occupied, is and will continue to occupy a leading position. Largely due to the fact that organizing a trip to Turkey does not take much time and nerves. After all, it is with planning that any rest begins.
To get to Turkey, Russian citizens do not need a visa. You can stay in this country for as long as 60 days without departure. This is a huge advantage, because all you need is a passport and plane tickets. By the way, with regard to air traffic, everything here is also simple. Aircraft of Russian and Turkish airlines depart from almost every major city all year round, at some airports even several times a day. Thanks to this, a trip to Turkey becomes even more convenient and possible. Also, some travel companies when booking a tour offer non-stop charter flights, tickets for which will cost tourists much cheaper.
Finally, a variety of destinations, hotels and service. The problem of the resorts of the Crimea and Krasnodar Territory is the lack of the above things. In Turkey, you can be sure that you will find a place and activities to your liking, and hospitable staff (many of the employees speak Russian well enough) will not make you feel uncomfortable.
Planning and organizing a trip to Turkey is a simple and even interesting business, during which you can learn about Turkey as much as possible useful and interesting.
sights
Turkey is a country quite rich in sights. Of course, they are not concentrated in one place, somewhere there are more, somewhere less, this is due to historical and many other factors. But almost every major tourist center has interesting places to visit, not even one, but several vacations.
You should definitely visit the Hagia Sophia, the valleys of Cappadocia, the ancient cities of Ephesus, Phaselis and Pergamum, a large oriental bazaar in Istanbul and much more. One of the most famous sights of this country is Pamukkale (which literally means "cotton castle"). This is the eighth wonder of the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an extremely beautiful place with lots of warm springs among limestone deposits. Everyone who comes to Turkey on vacation should definitely visit here.
Turkey beaches
In addition to attractions, many are interested in beaches. And this is understandable, because a trip to Turkey would not be complete without a beach holiday. Fortunately for tourists and unfortunately for domestic resorts, and in this part Turkey wins over Sochi or Yalta.
There are pebble beaches with unusually rich flora and fauna under water, where you can engage in diving and spearfishing.
For those who like to build sand castles - the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is here that the largest number of sandy beaches are located. But before you can safely book a hotel room on the first line, take a look at the convenience of relaxing on these beaches, as in some places they can be filled with tourists from all over the world who want to soak up the sun. For example, the worst thing would be to go to Marmaris - one of the most popular resorts among tourists, including Russian ones. Here the beaches cannot boast of cleanliness and spaciousness: the narrow strip between the embankments and the sea is hardly suitable for a comfortable location and relaxation.
Much better (especially if you take your children with you) would be to go to resorts such as Side, Belek or Kaputash. There are not many people here, and nature itself has created almost ideal conditions for swimming and sunbathing.
There are many good places in another popular place for traveling in Turkey - Kemer. There are several good sandy and sandy-pebble beaches in this city, for example, Moonlight beach or Tekirova beach.
Hotels
Traveling to Turkey, of course, involves living in a hotel, hostel or apartment. Most often, tourists choose the first option, which has a lot of advantages compared to others.
Tourism policy of Turkey is very competent and thought out, therefore, in some cases, the state subsidizes the hotel business, allowing it not to overcharge. In addition, high competition also contributes to the maximum reduction in prices for accommodation in decent hotels. In any case, staying in a 3- or 4-star hotel with an all-inclusive pool somewhere in Marmaris or Kemer will cost you less than an apartment in Sochi or Gelendzhik, where you have to take care of leisure and food yourself.
Tours
Traveling with travel agencies is convenient and cheap. In each city there are several offices of large travel companies that offer tours to Turkey. Many do not understand why it is easier and cheaper to relax with a travel agency. In fact, everything is very simple: travel agencies pre-buy a certain number of rooms in a hotel and airplane (as if in bulk). Due to this, hotels and airlines make very good discounts, thanks to which the final price of the tour for the traveler becomes even more attractive.
Even greater happiness is to get a "burning" tour, of which there are a lot in the Turkish direction. The essence of such a proposal is that the company did not have time to sell all the purchased numbers, therefore, in order to somehow recapture their cost, it makes huge discounts in the last days before departure. There are a lot of such offers on the market; finding them will not be difficult. Such a trip will cost from 6000 rubles per night (flight and insurance are included in the price) and higher.
Traveling alone
Many tourists do not like it when everything is decided for them. In addition, stuffy buses, old planes on charter flights, a lot of drunk compatriots in one hotel - all this is great for pushing travelers away from "packed" tours. Therefore, some people go on a trip, independently drawing up its plan. And to do this in the case of Turkey is completely uncomplicated.
To ensure that the trip was not so tangible in material terms, you can rent apartments or even rooms with the help of popular and safe online services, such as AirBnb.
Selecting an excursion program is also not at all difficult: everyone has the Internet, and there are Russian-speaking online guides on the Internet. An independent trip to Turkey can be not only cheaper, but also more interesting, because in this case you are your own boss and you can make up an entertainment program yourself.
Ride with children
Turkey is a favorite place among Russians who have children. Here, all conditions have been created for a comfortable family vacation: from developed infrastructure on the beach and in the city to attentive attitude to small guests in hotels. Therefore, traveling with a child to Turkey is a great solution for a young family. Animators in hotels and even hostels - this is rather a must for Turkish hoteliers, rather than an additional service. While adults relax at a romantic evening dinner by the sea, their children are under the scrutiny of professional educators, nannies and psychologists who are responsible for the life, health and mood of the little guest.
In addition, a large number of amusement parks, attractions, children's water parks and playgrounds will not leave indifferent even the most fastidious kid.
Travelling by car
In this warm southern country, road infrastructure is very developed. Of course, it is an order of magnitude superior to the domestic one. Roadside cafes, parking lots, gas stations and a smooth as glass cover - all this makes traveling around Turkey by car extremely comfortable. In addition, the level of safety on Turkish roads is growing. So, over the past 15 years, the number of accidents and deaths on the country's roads has decreased several times.
You can move around Turkey both on your car and on a rented one. The cost of renting a family car starts at about $ 18-20 per day. It is very convenient to take a car at airports, because this is how you can be sure of the technical condition of the car.
In general, such a trip may not be very cheap, but it's worth it - so many beautiful places (especially in the mountains) can be visited only with four wheels.
Simon Reeve in Turkey
Simon Reeve - a British journalist, screenwriter and director - traveled half the world to show the beauty of nature in different countries. Turkey was no exception. The main feature of Simon Reeve’s trip to Turkey is that the journalist will not only show peaceful streets and cities with tourists, but also head towards the Aegean Sea, where you can easily reach Syria blazing in military fire.
Security
Although it is easy to feel like you are in paradise during your vacation, you should not forget about security, whether it is an independent trip or a honeymoon to Turkey. Since July 21, 2016, a state of emergency has been in force in the country. In practice, this does not affect the lives of tourists, but the presence of armed forces on the streets of large cities should not surprise anyone. You can meet people in uniform on the streets of Istanbul, Kaddesi, Istiklal, where there are many embassies, consulates and government buildings.
In order not to expose themselves to checks by the Turkish special services, tourists should avoid photographing state buildings, police stations and military facilities.
Despite the friendly atmosphere prevailing in Turkey, you should be aware of the high risk of attacks. In connection with a number of terrorist acts that have occurred on the territory of the country in recent years, special care should be taken in places that may become the next target of terrorists. This does not mean that rest in Turkey can threaten your life or health, but it is better to think over everything in advance.
Reviews about holidays in Turkey
As for reviews about the holidays in this wonderful country, here you can talk endlessly. Every year, millions of our compatriots go to the resorts of the Black and Mediterranean Seas of Turkey. Among the positive aspects that can be found in reviews on the Internet, there are:
- low prices for accommodation;
- relatively cheap food;
- good beach infrastructure;
- excellent service in hotels, even three-star hotels;
- All inclusive system;
- an abundance of attractions;
- good climate;
- hospitality;
- in Turkey you can always find a person who speaks Russian and helps to navigate the terrain.
Negative reviews most often relate to:
- dirty streets;
- lack of service in some restaurants or cafes;
- unreasonable overpricing;
- cheating by local residents;
- crowds in popular tourist destinations.
But in any case, it is better to see once than hear a hundred times. Only having visited Turkey, we can draw conclusions about how beautiful this country is for living and recreation.