Knowing and understanding more about Turkey

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:18:35 +0000

You will add enjoyment to your journey by knowing and understanding more about Turkey. With that in mind, Travel Turkey is proud to annouce the opening of its on-line store in affilliation with Amazon.com.

Books

You can purchase any of these books directly from our pages by following the links to Amazon.com. Here’s our short list of suggested reading:

A Traveler’s History of Turkey

Classical Turkey: An Architectural Guide for Travelers
by John Freely
ISBN 0887017298
You needn’t be a student of architecture to find this book useful for planning what ancient sites you want to see while in Turkey. If you’re planning to visit Ephesus (Efes) without a tour guide, then the maps, the explanations of the site, and its history are worth the purchase of the book alone. On other sites, the book provides sketches and photos that help you envision what the lumps of dirt you’re looking at once were! For architecture novices there is a handy glossary of common terms.

The Companion Guide to Turkey
by John Freely
ISBN 1900639122
Another useful tome on Turkey by author of Classical Turkey.

A Fez of the Heart
by Jeremy Seal
ISBN: 0-15-600393-7
Jeremy Seal lived and traveled throughout Turkey. It’s difficult to say if you’ll enjoy reading it before or after you leave home. It offers a British perspective on the Turkish experience with the added benefit of being well written.

Op Center: Acts of War
by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik
ISBN: 0-425-15601-X
Tom Clancy is best known for his novels that have been made into movies: Patriot Games, Russia House and the Hunt for Red October. His Op Center books have his trademark of military details and history. Visitors to Turkey will enjoy this thriller that takes place in, well, Turkey. The early pages of the book provide a nice overview of Turkish history in this century. Beyond that it will give you some insight of the geopolitical significance of Turkey in the Middle East and U.S. interests there. It’s a nice book to read on the plane and then either swap or sell once you’re in Turkey!

Lycian Turkey
by George E. Bean
ISBN 0393057089
Although George Bean wrote this guide nearly 50 years ago, it’s still an important book for those interested in finding and visiting the old Lycian, Roman and Greek ruins that Turkey is world famous for. Many of his books are out of print, but I found Lycian Turkey in the bookshop at the British Museum (London). Aegean Turkey is also an important book. You best bet would be to try your local library.

The Histories by Herodotus
There are many translations of The Histories. My favorite is by Aubrey De Selinco. Herodotus is considered the “grandfather” of written history. He was born in what is now the resort town of Bodrum nearly 3,000 years ago. He wrote about ancient Greek history and especially about the Persian Wars. As you take your Bosphorus boat trip, you’ll have a better idea of the history that happened on its banks. If you’re interested in the Greek history that transpired on what is now Turkey then you will find this delightful reading.

The World of Herodotus
by Aubrey De Selinco
ISBN 0965470707
Mr. de Selinco’s love and admiration for the ancient Greeks is contagious. He writes about the Greek world in Herodotus’s time and shares his insights with readers. It’s scholarly, but written for those who simply have an interest or curiosity about the ancient Greeks.

Herodotus: And the Explorers of the Classical Age
by Ann Gaines
ISBN 079101293X
A beautifully illustrated children’s book.

Hotels in Istanbul & Turkey

admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:23:27 +0000

Hotels in Istanbul and throughout Turkey cover the full range of lodgings, from luxury palace hotels through charming, historic inns to simple but clean and cheap pensions and hostels, and even rental villas and flats/ apartments.

Most Turkish hotels offer rooms with private bathrooms, and include breakfast in the rates. Here are the ratings by the national Ministry of Tourism, and my (rough) price estimates for double (two-person) rooms:

Special-Class Hotels & Inns (TL85-300+)
Luckily for us visitors, Turkey has hundreds of special places to stay that don’t fit easily into the star categories: Ottoman mansion inns, historic houses, boutique hotels, Cappadocian cave dwellings, etc. These often have loads of character, at least some modern comforts (and sometimes all comforts), and are priced accordingly, anywhere from TL85 to TL300 double and occasionally higher.

The Association of Historical & Boutique Hoteliers of Turkey (ÖZBI), has over 60 member hotels of this type.

5-star hotels (TL200-350+)

Expected luxury and all services. Worldwide chains (Hilton, Kempinski, Marriott, Ritz Carlton, Sheraton, etc) tend to be smoother but substantially more expensive than the local Turkish chains (Dedeman, Divan, Merit, etc), which offer a bit less class but better value. Breakfast is definitely not included in the normal rates (although it may be in package deals), and costs an amazing TL30 extra in many cases.

4-star hotels (TL125-275)

Very comfortable local hotels, independent or small Turkish chains, with multilingual staff, nice restaurant and bar, air conditioning, and good breakfast, etc.

3-star hotels (TL75-125)
Comfortable, with satellite TV, minibars, perhaps even a swimming pool or nightclub in smaller cities and resorts.

Here’s the best place to look for the less expensive hotels, inns, guesthouses and hostels:

2-star hotels (TL50-85)
Good value! May have TVs in rooms, or just a TV lounge; some pretensions to decor, decent breakfast.

1-star hotels (TL35-50)
Great value for the budget-minded; simple, homey, often like a European pension. Not a lot of services, though usually Internet, TV in the lounge, clean rooms with (tiny) private shower, and usually a simple breakfast.

No-star hotels (TL20-50)
The smallest, cheapest, simplest local hotels are rated by the municipal authorities. These spartan places often have rooms with only beds and a light bulb; a communal cold-water sink and shower are down the hall; a hot shower (if available) costs extra. No breakfast available. If you’re traveling on a starvation budget, they’re good. No-star places in a city may be funky or grim; in seaside resorts they’re often friendly and convenient.

Hostels

Turkey has several excellent hostels of the new type: not the spartan, puritan youth and hikers’ barracks of the past but comfortable, congenial, low-cost, high-enjoyment lodgings targeted at adventurous travelers of all ages, but primarily younger ones. The many services may include Internet access, bars and lounges, travel-booking services, and even belly-dance shows. Here’s how to find them:

Villas & Flats/Apartments
Perhaps the fastest-growing lodging possibility, villas are springing up all along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, and flats/apartments are being refurbished in the major cities for families, small groups, and those coming for visits longer than the normal few days.