My 10 Best Experiences in Turkey
At this point in late August, 2020, I have been in Turkey nearly seven months. That means I have severely over-stayed my 90-day tourist visa by almost four months. Yikes!
The reason for that, of course, is the world’s Covid-19 pandemic. I got ‘stuck’ in Antalya for 10 weeks during Turkey’s loose lock-down, late March through May. Then I was further ‘stuck’ in Turkey because no other countries’ borders were yet re-opened to outsiders.
Although I’ve been in Turkey for nearly seven months, I have not actually visited so many different destinations around the country. I started by spending one month in Istanbul. Then I stayed 10 days in Cappadocia, a few days in Konya then on to Antalya city. That’s where my travels ended for two and a half months during the Covid lock-down.
Since early June I’ve explored Turkey’s Turquoise Coast in great depth, visiting every place I know about here at least once.
In July and August I had considered leaving the Mediterranean coast to go explore Turkey’s Black Sea coast and interior mountains in the northeast of the country. But I was rather loathe to leave the gorgeous Mediterranean coast.
While I was still debating, accommodation prices – and temperatures – escalated all over the country (summer tourist season) so I suddenly had no real reason or motivation to go elsewhere, especially since I’d found a great apartment/hotel at a surprisingly low price in the wonderful, coastal city of Fetiye. So here I remain.
Despite not having visiting many regions of Turkey, I have explored my handful of destinations in great depth. I’ve seen many gorgeous natural sites and architectural wonders.
I’ve greatly enjoyed my entire seven months in Turkey and could easily stay longer. Let’s see how things work out with Covid-19, visas and world travel for the rest of 2020.
Meanwhile, following are the 10 best experiences I’ve had in Turkey thus far:
Best General Turkish Experiences
These experiences I’ve found all over Turkey, not just in one particular location:
1. Visiting Street Cats
I’ve written several Facebook posts about how astoundingly well the Turkish people look after stray cats & dogs. Residents set out dishes of food and water on their doorsteps, on sidewalks, in parks and in other public places for stray animals. On top of that, people have set out various cat shelters everywhere, too. The shelters range from simple one-cat houses to multi-story cat apartment buidlings! I kid you not.
The great thing about this for me, aside from my admiration for the Turks, is that anywhere I go I find lovely cats to pet, play with and visit. It also means that most cats are not afraid of people and enjoy being pet and carressed.
I found the Turks’ admirable care of stray cats & dogs in every town and city I’ve visited in Turkey. For me, being able to meet up with cats everywhere I go is one of my favorite things about Turkey.
2. Eating Turkish Delight
Which ever country I travel through, I always try the local foods, drinks and desserts. There are several Turkish foods I really like, but probably the stand-out for me is their super-tasty dessert called Turkish Delight. In fact, I swear that I often feel a craving for it when I haven’t had any for a while.
There are many different types of Turkish Delight. Some are primarily nougat, while others consist mostly of a clear firm jellybean-like substance that comes in bright colors. All varieties incorporate ground up nuts, especially walnuts or pistachios.
It’s hard to describe what Turkish Delights taste like. They are very sweet and nutty, but somehow feel very healthy compared to standard western desserts like cakes & cookies that are made of flour, butter and white sugar.
Turkish Delight shops and cafes display a dizzying array of brightly colored and patterned delights in big glass cases and packed into take-away boxes. The best shops I’ve come across are in Istanbul and my all-time favorite is Hafiz Mustafa.
In Istanbul
I flew into Istanbul from the small island nation of Cyprus on Feb. 6th.. I stayed in the vast city for more than one month, exploring many diverse sites and neighborhoods in the amazing mega-city. Following are my stand-out experiences:
3. Ferry day-trips on the Bosporus & Golden Horn
During my one-month explorations of Istanbul, I took three fantastic day trips on the city’s longest ferry routes.
It’s impossible for me to decide which one was my favorite since they each ventured along completely different sections of the Bosporus to a distant endpoint and each was equally enjoyable & scenic.
One ferry went up the Golden Horn to its furthest pier at Eyup, where I discovered a regal suburb filled with amazing historic architecture and which had originally been the home of a major Sultan.
Another ferry headed south on the Bosporus and out into the Sea of Marmara to the group of nine Prince Islands. I disembarked on the final island, where I walked past gorgeous wooden Victorian houses and up into lovely pine forests on top of the hilly island.
The third trip took me north on the Bosporus almost to the Black Sea, to a tiny village with a hilltop castle ruins to explore.
Another fantastic thing about the ferries is that they’re all part of Istanbul’s regular public transportation system, which means they are super cheap. I paid 20 lira / about $3 US RTN to the Prince Islands, 25 lira / under $4 US RTN for the Borsporus–> Black Sea trip, and a mere 7 lira / $1.10 US RTN to go to Eyup.
I wrote in more detail about each trip in my article 12 Fantastic Things to do in Istanbul for under $5 US
4. Visiting Kempinski Ciragan Palace Hotel & other luxury hotels
One great stroke of fortune I really appreciated during my visit to Istanbul was my wonderful job assignment to write up 22 luxury hotel reviews. That gave me the unusual opportunity to visit the city’s very best luxury hotels as a valued guest hotel inspector.
I got to see the hotels’ beautiful interiors and facilities in great depth as well as learn about the hotels’ histories, architecture & interiors, and star features. I also was treated to many cups of espresso & tea and a few delicious gourmet meals.
My job assignment gave me many wonderful experiences that most visitors don’t get to enjoy and a glimpse into many important but little-known aspects of Istanbul’s long, complex history and upper-class culture.
While I was greatly impressed by nearly every hotel I visited, perhaps the most awe-inspiring and special to me was the Kempinski Ciragan Palace Hotel. The huge regal hotel is set right on the shores of the Bosporus and occupies the original massive, all-marble Sultan’s Ciragan Palace building, in addition to another equally huge building that was added to the property by the hotel owners.
Both buildings are filled with wide marble floored hallways, regal authentic antiques, incredible Turkish interiors and a selection of gourmet restaurants.
The highlight of my visit was getting to set foot inside the original Ciragan Palace building (reserved only for guests of the Palace suites). The jaw-dropping interiors are made entirely of marble, house Istanbul’s largest chandelier, and are filled with massive regal suites that host the world’s sultans (The Sultan of Morocco, for example), royal families, presidents, top government officials, movie stars and other ultra-wealthy guests.
My hotel tour guide even snapped a picture of me sitting in the master bedroom of one such suite. Not many visitors to Istanbul get that prestigious experience!
Ajwa Hotel Sultanahmet
5. Overnight Stay at Ajwa Hotel Sultanahmet
Another amazing experience I enjoyed because of my hotel assignment was an overnight stay at the ultra-luxurious Ajwa Hotel Sultanahmet. It’s a stunning petite boutique hotel in Sultanhamet, close to the city’s famous Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia and Topkapi Palace.
When I was first given my hotel assignment, I looked up each hotel online. Of all 22 hotels, I was instantly most excited to visit Ajwa Hotel. It’s jaw-dropping, elaborately-carved all-marble entrance looked like the entrance to a real Sultan’s palace.
So when they invited me to stay over-night and enjoy a gourmet dinner at their rooftop restaurant, I simply could not believe my great fortune.
My visit not only met my expectations, but exceeded them (which, as it turns out, is actually the hotel’s goal: to exceed guests’ expectations).
In my view, Ajwa is a petite alternative to Ciragan Palace Hotel. All the interiors and furnishings were custom made for the hotel from the absolute highest quality materials from around the region.
Floors and walls consist of elaborately-carved Turkish Marmara marble. Chairs and tables from Damascus, Syria are hand-carved walnut wood with inlaid Mother-of-Pearl. Handmade silk carpets line the floors. All-marble bathrooms have heated floors and gold-plated fixtures. The luxurious rooftop restaurant serves Turkish and Azerbaijan cuisine with panaramic views over the Marmara Sea, Bosporus Strait and Sultanahmet Square.
Needless to say, I luxuriated in the lap of luxury for about 24 hours. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.
6. Exploring Basilica Cistern
In Istanbul I visited many fantastic & famous historic mosques, churches, plazas, streets and neighborhoods. Through all of those, the Basilica Cistern really stands out to me. I think it’s because it was the first time I’ve ever visited a massive underground water cistern.
Basilica Cistern is one of Istanbul’s most famous tourist attractions. So the owners have made it exceptionally atmospheric by installing deep red lighting and playing soft ambient music.
There’s also a gimmicky photography stall to one side where visitors can dress up in historic Turkish Sultan’s court costumes and get photographed in front of dark red velvet curtains. lol.
I wasn’t so keen on that, but I was exceedingly impressed by the massive size of the underground chamber, with its rows upon rows of thick marble columns running between the deep pools of ground water. I really enjoyed strolling through the dark, red-illuminated vault, egged on by the hypnotic music.
In Cappadocia
7. Hot Air Balloon Ride
As far back as I can remember, I’ve wanted to soar high above the Earth in a hot air balloon. In fact, I like soaring high above the globe by any means possible.
Up to this point in my life and travels, I’ve tried just about every air adventure there is and loved most of them. Riding in a hot air balloon was the one experience that was still eluding me.
So when I planned my trip to Turkey, I decided I was going to finally ride a hot air balloon in Cappadocia. It’s one of the world’s most famous locations for the sport. There are great wind conditions and incredibly spectacular scenery of other-worldly rock canyons to sail over.
After spending one month in Istanbul, I flew to Cappadocia in early March. A few days after arriving, I got to fly in a hot air balloon! It was an incredible experience and one of my top highlights in Turkey.
As it turned out, I was even luckier than imagined. A few days after my flight, all balloon trips in Cappadocia were cancelled for the rest of the year due to the corona virus pandemic! Whew, I just squeezed in my flight!
I wrote all about my Hot Air Balloon-ing Adventure here
8. Hiking in Cappadocia’s Stunning Canyons
Nowadays Cappadocia is most famous for its hot air ballooning. But before that got started in the region, Cappadocia was famous for its super crazy topography and landscapes.
The area is filled with amazing rock canyons of different colors, cliff formations and rock pillars. The most unusual rock pillars are called ‘fairy chimneys’. They are pointy rock forms.
Cappadocia also has thousands of ancient cave homes, cave churches, monasteries and several underground cities.
I noticed during my 10-day stay in Cappadocia that most visitors stay only 1-2 nights, hopeful to ride a hot air balloon, and then take off for other parts of Turkey. But I stayed long enough to really explore the unique landscapes.
I hiked through most, if not all, of the canyons. Each one was surprsingly different in formation, coloration and ambiance.
For some reason, they’re called valleys, but they’re actually canyons. I hiked through Pigeon Valley, White Valley, Love Valley, Rose Valley, Golden Valley and others. Probably the most spectacular of all, in terms of rock colors and cliff & rock formations, was Rose Valley.
I’d love to return to Cappadocia again to hike through all the valleys multiple times.
Coastline and Konyaalti Beach in Antalya
On Turkey’s Mediterranean Coast
9. Stuck in Antalya for Covid-19 Lock Down
It might seem a bit odd to consider being stuck in the Covid lock-down as one of my favorite experiences in Turkey. But, in fact, it was!
Considering that I had to be more or less stuck somewhere in the world during a corona virus quarantine in 2020, I count myself extremely fortunate to have had that experience in Antalya, Turkey. I did not just tolerate it or deal with it. I actually loved it! I wrote about it in detail in an Ideal Life in the Covid-19 World
One thing that made my time so wonderful is that Turkish government put the country on a ‘loose lockdown’. That meant everyone was requested to stay at home except to go out for groceries & supplies and to exercise themselves and/or their pets.
Because of that, I was able to go out walking through Antalya’s gorgeous parks for 2-3 hours every day, to visit all the lovely park cats, and to wander through the city’s cool old historic district, all unimpeded. Since I acquired a bike, I was also able to cycle out into the area’s stunning mountains & coastal highway 2-3 times a week.
The best thing about it all of that was the fact that it was all practically empty. Wandering through the beautiful parks, I encountered very few other people. It was mostly just me and the cats.
Kaleici, the city’s hilly cobblestone historic district, was like a ghost town every day. The city’s roads had very little traffic and the nearby mountains & coastal areas were practically empty as well.
Devoid of roaring traffic and noisy pedestrians, life was all extremely quiet, peaceful and relaxing. I absolutely loved being able to explore the parks, cobblestone streets and soaring mountains with such tranquility and quiet.
Even my hotel room, in the middle of huge Antalya city, was quiet during 10 weeks of lock-down. No cars. No pedestrians. No yelling or crying or rowdy nights. No blaring music. Just the sounds of birds chirping in the tree outside my window and wind blowing through the leaves. It was utter bliss.
And when I consider how Antalya might normally be, a noisy bustling crowded city, I can only bless my stars that I was able to experience the beautiful city during such a unique and wonderful time in history.
10. Exploring Turquoise Coast
After spending 10 weeks in Antalya (which is also part of Turquoise Coast) I eventually set out to explore more of the stunning Turquoise Coast between Antalya and Marmaris.
I traveled for about three weeks before reaching Fetiye, where I ended up staying for another two months while taking day trips from the city to explore the area in even more depth.
This dramatic, diverse beautiful coastal area has so many spectacular natural spots and intriguing historic/archaeological sites that it takes at least one month to really appreciate everything. I enjoyed the region so much and visited so many fantastic places that I can’t pick out just one place to name as my all time favorite. Instead, I’m calling my exploration of the entire coast as one of my all time favorite experiences in Turkey.
I’ve written about it in much more detail in two articles – All about the Turquoise Coast – 8 Great Day Trips from Fetiye. I’ve also written separate articles on Antalya and Fetiye.
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Hi! I'm Lash, an American nomadic world traveler who's been traveling solo since 1998. I’m passionate about traveling the world nomadically and then sharing it all with you. I hope to inspire you to travel the world, to entertain you with tales from the road, and to help you reach your travel dreams. Welcome! 
