Straddles Europe and Asia, Turkey has always been a strategic crossing point in history. Moreover, the mythical names of the country’s largest cities bear witness to this: by turns, Byzantium, then Constantinople before becoming the modern Istanbul. The natural landscapes are not left out with access to three seas (Black, Aegean and Mediterranean) and two massifs (Taurus and Pontic Chain). This lays the groundwork for hiking in Turkey, but let’s take a closer look.
For its natural sites
If Cappadocia is the best known of the regions of Turkey, it is not for nothing. Indeed, the fairy chimneys will make you feel like you are walking in an imaginary country. In addition, the area is home to many cave dwellings that will reinforce this feeling. But this is not the only natural attraction, there are also its:
- Beaches whose star is ‘eldeniz‘, but there are plenty along the coast
- Mountains of Kore, in the north of the country, a joy for hiking
- Kamukkale Natural Pools, a UNESCO-listed white limestone basin
Be careful to the distances though, they can be huge between different sites.
For its historical monuments
Turkey is one of the oldest regions to have been inhabited. Since the Hittites, many civilizations have settled there and left their mark. Moreover, you can see an example above with a Greek site in Izmir (Smyrna). And there are plenty of others… including the famous St. Sophia Basilica in Istanbul.
Because kebab doesn’t necessarily mean sandwich
The name originally refers to grilled meats or dishes based on this meat. In fact, Turkish gastronomy is extremely rich because it is at the crossroads of different influences: Eastern, Western and Slavic. To give you an overview, we can quote:
- ‘Obe’k’fte: dumplings of raw beef
- Patl-can salatas: grilled eggplant puree with yoghurt and garlic
- Dolma and sarma: term grouping many variants of stuffed vegetables
- Mantis: a kind of ravioli
Of course, you’ll also find plenty of variations of the Kebab!
For easy access to Europe
A Paris-Istanbul flight takes about 3 hours and 30 minutes non-stop. For the less in a hurry, it is also possible to get there by road. In this case, it takes at least three days of travel.
Convinced of why hike in Turkey? In this case, you can contact our local partner.
Don’t forget to check your visas, vaccines and other… You can check out our list to remember nothing!
