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Turkey holidays

96 wonderful hand-picked Turkey holidays run by people who care a lot about Turkey and keeping it unspoilt by tourism. Travel like a local – experience Turkey like you live there. Enjoy the peace and quiet of your Turkey holidays or the pace and excitement as much as people who live there do. A choice of exceptional Turkey holidays run by remarkable people.

Turkey holidays

216 reviews for Turkey holidays4 star overall rating

These full and frank independent Turkey holidays reviews are from travellers who have booked directly through responsibletravel.com. They are not edited by us or any of the companies we work with. Find the real story, from real travellers below.

Lycian activity holiday
I loved the canyoning and white water rafting - lots of laughs and challenges to get your heart racing. The mountain biking day was one of the best days as the scenery was gorgeous and the village lunch a fantastic experience. (more)
From £779 - £949 including UK flights
Ephesus holiday cottages, Turkey
Wonderful! The accommodation is fantastic, while our hosts were extremely kind and generous with their time. We would definitely recommend this location to others looking for a relaxing holiday.... our expectations were exceeded on every count. (more)
From €150 - €170 per cottage per night
Family activity holiday in Turkey
The activities were brilliant particularly for me the white water rafting and for the teenagers the gorge walking day... Book it!! Brilliant value and the best holiday we have ever had. (more)
From £465 excluding flights
Beach holiday in Cirali, Turkey
We thought the service was excellent. We loved the laid back attitude...On a few evenings we had dinner on the beach with a fire underneath the beautiful starry sky which we thought was quite special. (more)
From £690 - £790 excluding flights
Activity holidays in Turkey
One of the best holiday we have been on in the last few years. The operator were very well organised and provided very good guides, They also provided lunch and our guide Nurden always had some cakes or drinks and stopped at some lovely spots when we needed a rest.  (more)
From £430 - £465 excluding flights
Cirali villa holiday in Turkey
Absolutely left with a feeling that we lived in the best harmony possible with nature. (more)
From £625 - £1030 per couple per week
Cirali beach accommodation, Turkey
It's hard to say what the most memorable thing was but one memory that stands out is being served an absolutely delicious breakfast every day at a table with a perfect white table cloth surrounded by flowers, friendly hens and kittens - all right on the edge of a stunning beach! (more)
From £790 - £890 per accommodation
Family holiday for teenagers to Turkey
The trip was well organised. Staff were helpful at booking stage. We enjoyed all activities (scuba diving, jeep drive to gorge and sea kayaking) and loved our time on the gullet. (more)
From £839 - £949 including UK flights
Turkey activity holiday
Really enjoyed the holiday, partly due to the good weather and the company of the other families. Highlights were river walking through a beautiful canyon in the Garrotxa national park. (more)
From £495 excluding flights
Cirali beach holiday, Turkey
At every state Ihsan and everyone else gave us the impression that serving us at all hours of the day and night was their pleasure. It was a delight.  (more)
From £690 - £790 excluding flights
Kayaking in Turkey, Turquoise coast
This was a fantastic week. The other people were just brilliant, as were the guides. I would not hesitate to recommend this holiday, and I can't wait until next year to go again. (more)
From £799 - £999 including UK flights
Family activity holidays in Turkey
The trek to the mountains was challenging but do-able and gave us the privilege of sharing tea made in an ancient copper kettle. (more)
From £925 including UK flights
Turkey adventure holiday
Thoroughly enjoyable with a fabulous small group of really friendly people who shared all aspects of the tour in fun whilst caring for the people and their language. (more)
From £850 - £945 excluding flights
Short breaks to Istanbul
The Aya Sofia was breathtaking and the Topkapi Palace was also very atmospheric. The hamam (turkish baths) were brilliant... (more)
From £455 excluding flights
Windsurfing holiday in Turkey
Fantastic...The people, the staff, the atmosphere! (more)
From £599 including UK flights
Gulet cruises in Turkey
The travel to the different ancient sites and the sailing/swimming ports of call was the most exciting part. (more)
From £812 - £954 including UK flights
Boutique hotel in Cirali beach, Turkey
Fabulous - a wonderful retreat space - I will definitely return x (more)
From £450 per week
Sea kayaking in Turkey
A brilliant trip. Got to get away from the crowded tourist areas and see the real beauty of Turkey. Really friendly and helpful guides and company owner who helped us with everything we needed and more. (more)
From £50 - £223 excluding flights
White water rafting holiday in Turkey
Canyoning and jumping in rock poolswas most memorable. Excellent. (more)
From €130 - €900 excluding flights
Village homestays in Turkey
For a burnt out, stressed westerner, the village home stay gave me a much more therapeutic experience than checking into a 5 star spa hotel, for a few days. The simplicity, ancient resonances of the village and slower pace of life quickly made stress melt away.  (more)
From £12 per person per night inc breakfast

Holiday Reviews

We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!

Read our review policy

Unedited reviews from other travellers

5 stars
I am reborn! Simply the best holiday I have ever been on
4 stars
Some great stories to tell the grandchildren. Would recommend to a friend
3 stars
Very enjoyable
2 stars
It was OK
1 star
A bit disappointing really

Turkey travel information

At the crossroads of Asia and Europe, Turkey is rich in cultural heritage. As Constantinople and later Istanbul, the capital city was at the heart of both the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, and fabulous monuments include early churches with fine mosaics and grand domes, towering mosques and oriental bazaars. The vast central plateau of Anatolia was the cradle of Hittite and Phrygian civilisations, and there are also rich remains from Pontic, Roman and Seljuk empires.

Cappadocia is an almost surreal landscape of pink cones, pinnacles and ravines, the soft volcanic rock having been hewn into elaborate cave systems for more than 5000 years. The Mediterranean and Aegean waters of Asia Minor were busy in Classical times, with Roman galleys, Greek triremes, Phoenician merchantmen and Egyptian dhows plying their trade between some of the most famous cities of the ancient world. Ephesus, Miletus, Knidos, Caunos are some of the most beautiful and well-preserved sites of the ancient world.

Country facts for Turkey holidays

Weather
Aegean and Mediterranean coastal areas enjoy the typical Mediterranean climate. There is hardly a drop of rain during the sunny and hot summer (May to October). Winters are mild and rainy in these regions. The water temperature in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas is warm during the long summer season (May to October) which constitutes the swimming season and fluctuates between 23° and 28°C from north to south.

The Marmara region around the Sea of Marmara, including Istanbul, has a transitional climate between an oceanic climate and a semi-Mediterranean climate, but it does rain, albeit not a lot, during the very warm summer (as showers which tend to last for 15-30 minutes). Its winters are colder than those of the western and southern coasts. The water temperature in the Sea of Marmara is also colder than the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, with the water temperature reaching only between 20° and 24°C during the summer (June, July and August) and the swimming season is restricted to those summer months.

The Black Sea region has an oceanic climate (thanks to the protective shield effect of Caucasus mountains) with the greatest amount of precipitation and is the only region of Turkey that receives high precipitation throughout the year. Summers are warm and humid while the winters are cool and damp. The water temperature in the whole Turkish Black Sea coast is always cool and fluctuates between 10° and 20°C throughout the year, and is even less suitable for swimming during the summer than in the Sea of Marmara.

Languages
The official language of Turkey is Turkish, but some Turkish residents speak Kurdish and/or Arabic.

Money
From 2005 through 2008, Turkey's currency was called the New Turkish Lira (Yeni Türk Lirasi, YTL or TRY). As of January 1, 2009, the "New" (Yeni) has been dropped. The currency is again simply the Turkish Lira.

Time zone
Turkey is in the Eastern European Time Zone. Eastern European Standard Time (EET) is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+2).
 
 

Watch videos about Turkey holidays

Watch Turkey videos
Watch videos about these European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) in Turkey, covering areas of outstanding natural beauty. To watch videos of the Eden Destinations of Turkey which can help you plan your holiday to Turkey, follow the link to Turkey holiday videos.




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