Turkey Flights:
Flights to Turkey
Turkey is a large country which spans both the continents of Europe and Asia and as such it offers the best of both these continents. From the large cities to the beautiful coastlines and fascinating interior, Turkey definitely has something for everyone.
To get a flight to Turkey from South Africa you have a good choice of airlines with either one or two stops along the way. From Johannesburg you can choose a flight to Istanbul with Emirates, Egyptair, South African Airways, Lufthansa, Iberia, Air France, British Airways, Virgin, Olympic Airlines, United Airlines or Swiss Air, flying via Cairo, Dubai, Frankfurt, Madrid, Paris, London, Athens or Zurich. Or from Cape Town to Istanbul one stop flights are offered with Emirates, Lufthansa and British Airways.
You may prefer to fly to the capital city, Ankara, and you can get a flight here from Johannesburg with one stop with British Airways or Virgin, or from Cape Town with British Airways, BMI or Lufthansa.
Book a Flight To Turkey:
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The Tourist Attractions of Turkey:
Turkey has much to offer visitors – bustling cities like Istanbul and Ankara, extensive coastlines along the Aegean, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean and a mountainous interior with many ancient ruins and amazing places like Capadoccia.
Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and is situated in the west. The city straddles the Bosphorus and is the link between both Europe and Asia. Istanbul has so much to see and do that you could easily spend a week here and still not see everything. The highlights of a trip to Istanbul should include the following:
The old city on the historic Sultanahmet Peninsula – this is where the majority of Turkey’s most popular attractions are, including the Aya Sofya mosque which was converted into a museum in 1935. This is a spectacular building and is next door to Istanbul’s other famous mosque the Blue Mosque. This is still a working mosque, though you can go inside anyway. Another impressive building to visit is Topkapi Palace. This was built by the Ottoman Empire and is just one of several palaces built during the Ottoman period.
Also in this area you’ll find the famous Grand Bazaar – a labyrinth of covered streets where traders sell anything and everything!
Although Istanbul was once the capital city of Turkey, the capital was moved to Ankara in the 1920’s. Ankara is the second largest city in Turkey and is situated inland. It’s not such a popular tourist destination as Istanbul, though is obviously the political centre of the country and important for business.
Highlights of Ankara include: Atakule Tower, several impressive museums and a variety of archaeological ruins such as a Roman bath and theatre, the Temple of Augustus and the Citadel.
Around Turkey there are many very spectacular ancient ruins. One of the most famous and impressive in size is Ephesus, though others include Priene, Troy and Didyma.
Turkey has many pretty coastal towns if you’re coming for sun and sand. Two of the most popular are Bodrum and Marmaris. Bodrum is a harbour town and has pretty back streets lined with shops and many good waterside restaurants where you must eat the locally caught fish! These two towns do get very busy in the peak season though so if you’re looking for a slightly quieter town, try somewhere like Kalkan on the Mediterranean coast.
The most popular tourist attraction inland is Capadoccia. This is where some very unique landscapes have formed giving rise to the names of fairy chimneys which years ago where inhabited. You can now visit the main area which has been preserved as an open-air museum, and the town of Goreme is nearby.
When Should You Visit?:
When you visit Turkey really depends on where you are going and for what reason. It’s a large country and the climate can vary hugely from one end to the next. The southern coasts generally have a Mediterranean climate, so hot and dry in the summer. Istanbul is hot in the summer though can get quite cold and snowy in the winter. Inland at places like Capadoccia the temperatures are much cooler all year round.