Turkey

You have settled on Turkey, and now everything else needs deciding. Which resort suits your month, sand or pebbles, how much to budget for the trip and how to get from the airport to your hotel. These are the questions people usually bring to this section. We have gathered guides that answer them in order. Some deal with the sea and hotels, others with Istanbul and Cappadocia.

The first big part covers the coast. We compare resorts with one another: Alanya and Kemer, sandy and pebble beaches, places for families and places for a younger crowd. Separate guides look at the season: weather and sea on the Turkish Riviera month by month, and resorts where people still swim in September, October and November. One guide is devoted to beaches with a gently sloping sandy shore. There are also trip budget calculations in euros and lira, with a look at ways to save.

The second part is about Istanbul. The section has itineraries for two and for three days, taking in Sultanahmet, Galata and the Asian shore. Alongside them are guides to individual sights: the Basilica Cistern, the Süleymaniye Mosque, the Archaeological Museum, the sultans' palaces. We write about tickets, opening hours, closing days and ways to avoid standing in line. Overviews of museums, tours, street food and city beaches on the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea complete the picture.

The third part deals with hotels and transport. The selections are built around clear criteria: beachfront, four or five stars, "all inclusive", water park, pool, kids' entertainment. They cover Side, Belek, Kemer, Alanya and Istanbul. On transport, there are guides to getting from the airports of Antalya, Istanbul and Gazipaşa to the city or the resort. We also write about hot air balloon flights in Cappadocia, about Kaş, the area around Kemer and thermal springs.

Every guide opens with a short answer to the main question. Practical blocks follow: how to get there, how much it costs, what to buy in advance, where the time goes. Next to a price or a timetable we give the source and the date we checked it. We are direct about the downsides: a beach that is far away, pebbles instead of sand, lines in high season. That makes it easier for you to judge whether an option really suits you.

The section is useful for people who plan their own trip and want to compare options before paying for anything. It works for families with children, for beach vacationers and for anyone heading to Istanbul for a few days. If you need a historical essay about the country or a ready-made tour with everything arranged, these guides will not help. We write travel guides, we do not sell trips. They will not help those looking for rare routes into the interior either: there are few such guides so far.

A good place to start is the general overviews: where to go in Turkey, which resort to choose and when to travel. After that, move on to the resort comparisons and the budget calculation. Once the place is decided, open the hotel selection for that resort and the guide to getting there from the airport. Sights and day-by-day itineraries are best read last, with your dates already in hand. That way you will not read more than you need.

This section belongs to "Asia", which in turn is part of "Destinations". Inside it there are three subsections: "Belek", "Cappadocia" and "Kemer". They hold guides to those places only, without a general overview of the country. If you are still comparing countries, take a look at the neighboring sections: "Thailand", "United Arab Emirates", "Maldives", "Vietnam", "Armenia", "Azerbaijan", "India" and "Indonesia".

Prices, fares and opening hours in Turkey change often, so we update the guides and check the details against the official websites of museums, airports and carriers. The date of the last check is given in the text. Before your trip, open the official source anyway: it is the safer choice. Check entry rules and insurance questions with government agencies and with your insurance company. The section keeps growing.