Turkey

As the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Turkey has long held an important position on the edge of the Mediterranean. Today Istanbul embodies that tradition of east meets west, not quite in the European world, but holds many of those influences.

We have sold Turkish beach holidays for many years, Jackie’s son even worked there when he was a watersports instructor for Neilson Holidays. There are many good resorts, but we have always had a soft spot for the smaller, more traditional villages such as Kalkan or Kas. Kalkan for example, although built on a hillside as some fabulous small boutique hotels.

If staying on land isn’t your thing, then you could stay on a Gulet for the week, cruising along the Aegean coastline. Or alternative, head to the air, with a hot air balloon ride over beautiful Cappadocia.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

SUMMER – Great for the beach!
SPRING & AUTUMN – Great for exploring, city break in Istanbul or visit Cappodocia

FLIGHT TIME

Around 3 to 4 hours

TIME ZONE

GMT/BST +2

CURRENCY

Turkish Lira

IDEAL FOR

Fantastic culture, Istanbul is a very accessible city – and there are also some fantastic beach resorts along the south coast to rival that of the middle east.

HOW TO GET THERE

Flights to the Turkish beach resorts are available throughout the summer from most UK airports. Istanbul has multiple flights a day from London – which offers onward connections.

LANGUAGE

Turkish – although English is widely spoken in the tourist hubs.

IDEAL TO COMBINE WITH

Recommend a twin-centre of Istanbul and the beach, or a one-in-a-lifetime trip to stay in a cave in Cappodocia.