With its heart in Asia and its head in Europe, Turkey covers a vast landmass and stretches from its European land and sea borders with Bulgaria and Greece to almost touch the Mediterranean island of Cyprus and meet with the Middle Eastern nations of Syria and Iran.
Naturally such a vast nation which is embraced by such varied and historic cultures on all sides has a thrilling and rich history and culture of its own, and it is only when you begin to explore the delights of the nation that you realize how much Turkey has to offer the traveler, no matter what their ideal holiday type.
For culture vultures and city lovers, Istanbul is certainly the place to begin a visit to Turkey. The majority of the most famous ancient sites to see and the historic centres to explore such as Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque are located on the European side of the Bosphorus and within walking distance of each other.
You are safe in Turkey's thrilling city of Istanbul especially if you stick to the main tourist areas - of course, you may be visited by street sellers of hand crafted wares, but otherwise you will be left alone to enjoy the delights of the metropolis.
A boat trip on the Bosphorus is not to be missed; neither is a day visiting some of the shopping experiences in Istanbul. You can take in the mega mall at Cevahir (pronounced Jevahir) and shop in high-end Western boutiques for a few hours, before going and exploring the souks and the markets and learning to haggle for a bargain or two!
Once you've shopped until you drop and seen all the sights you can absorb, why not fly south to the Mediterranean or Aegean coasts and beach-comb and hop from resort town to resort town. From Side to Bodrum, Alanya to Antalya, Turkey has some vibrant, historic, culturally rich and now affluently wealthy towns and cities to enjoy all along the coast. You can pick a main town as your base and then hire a car and head off the beaten track to take in magnificent mountains, beautiful olive groves, vineyards and untouched beaches.
Turkey is a thrilling nation of vast contrasts. Its people are hugely welcoming to visitors and will make your holiday a thrilling success. The welcoming people coupled with the fabulous cuisine will also ensure you want to keep coming back for more.
As more people discover the delights of Turkey, so the number of people applying for working visas, extended tourism visas and residency permits is on the increase. If you too find that you want to spend time living and perhaps working in parts of Turkey, this option is probably open to you too - depending on the nation you herald from.
