Turkey Holidays: Culture, Peace

Holidays to Turkey can deliver whatever you need from a holiday. Turkey is a country with dramatic landscapes around sandy beaches upon which to enjoy the hot sun. It is also a place to find peaceful isolation amongst the bays and lagoons; and of course it is a place with deep culture and history.

If culture is your thing, you will probably want to take a visit to the capital city and the hub of ancient civilisations as part of your holidays to Turkey. Istanbul is a magical place of where the history is embodied in the old stone walls, palaces, mosques, domes and minarets (the tall, thin spires used to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer).

Of the many attractions in Istanbul, you will definitely want to tour the Dolmabahçe Palace, a huge Ottoman imperial palace once occupied by the Sultans. There is enough to see here to take up the whole of your Turkey holidays; you can explore scores of ornately decorated chambers with high ceilings, chandeliers, tall pillars and grand cascading staircases. The palace has almost three hundred rooms, and looking out the giant windows on the shore-facing side, you may even see dolphins in the Bosporus River, which washes against the walls of the palace.

Closer to the heart of the city, you'll find the Galata Tower, one of Istanbul's most prominent landmarks. No withering spire, this is a sturdy stone cylinder rising over the city. At its top, you can look out over Istanbul from under its archways and take in one of the best viewpoints of the city; what's more, you can take a meal near the top too. Although from the outside the Galata tower shows its age, having been built in the mid-1300s, the interior is surprising, with elevators, and floors dedicated to shops, a tavern, and a night club on the top floor. Here you can enrich your holidays in Turkey with the traditional Turkish music, costume and folk dance that makes up the 'Turkey Show'. The programme of entertainment even includes a belly dancer and a harem show.

If the idea of experiencing some of the native traditions on your Turkey holidays, appeals to you, the quiet resort of Akyaya is waiting to be explored. There are planning restrictions operating in the Akyaka region to ensure that new developments do not spoil the charm of the existing settlements. You will see how the local architecture often has an element of an octagon in its shape, which is characteristic of the Mugla province where Akyaka is located. The local fishing tradition endures here, so during your holidays in Turkey you can sample the delicacies caught in clean waters of the Gulf of Gökova in Ayaka's restaurants. A boat trip out into the gulf is a pleasant way of taking in the beauty of this place.

The same is true of the coastline around the Loryma Peninsula. This is an area of meandering shorelines with the mountains rising imposingly behind the sandy beaches. Like all coastal destinations in Turkey, holidays here will benefit from the scenic setting and the crystal blue water just a few steps from your hotel.

It's the water and the scenery that makes Gulet cruises tremendously popular itineraries for holidays in Turkey. The Gulet motor powered yachts enable holiday makers to access idyllic spots usually out of reach, while all the time taking in the scenic beauty of the Turkish shores.