Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way: yes, your cousin probably went to Istanbul last year and came back with a head full of red dots and less money in the bank. Turkey has become the world capital of hair transplants, but reducing this enormous country to aesthetic clinics (or camel rides that aren't even native there) is a crime against tourism.
Turkey is, literally, the bridge between Europe and Asia. It's the perfect cultural shock for anyone who wants to step out of their comfort zone without crossing the globe.
Martin has put together the itinerary so you can discover the real Turkey (the one that doesn't show up in Instagram ads):
1. Istanbul: Two Continents in the Same City 🕌
It's the only city in the world divided between two continents (Europe and Asia), separated by the Bosphorus Strait. You can have breakfast in Europe, hop on a public ferry for spare change, and have lunch in Asia.
Mandatory: visit Hagia Sophia (a mosque that was once a church and a museum), and deliberately get lost in the more than 4,000 shops of the Grand Bazaar. Get ready to drink lots of apple tea offered by sellers while you haggle over carpets.
2. Cappadocia: Waking Up at 4 a.m. Is Worth It 🎈
You've seen the photos. That landscape that looks like the surface of the moon, full of fairy chimneys (bizarre rock formations) and hundreds of hot air balloons in the sky.
To go up in a balloon, you have to wake up before sunrise, but the view from up there, with the silence broken only by the sound of the burner, is one of the most surreal experiences you can have in your life.
3. Pamukkale: The "Cotton Castle" 🛁
It looks like a snow-covered mountain in the middle of nowhere, but it's actually a natural formation of white limestone with thermal pools of turquoise-blue water.
The Romans were already coming here to bathe thousands of years ago. The water is warm and you can walk barefoot along the white terraces. A heads-up: bring sunglasses, because the reflection of the sun off the white blinds you more than snow.
4. The Food: Forget the Kebab Around the Corner 🥙
Turkish food is much more than the meat spinning on a skewer that you eat at 4 a.m. after a night out. Get ready to eat Meze (small starter dishes like hummus and aubergine), Pide (Turkish pizza shaped like a boat) and the real Kebab cooked over coals.
For dessert? Baklava dripping with sugar syrup and pistachios, paired with the strongest Turkish coffee you've ever tasted.
Bringing Home Carpets and Sweets? Don't Take the Metro!
We're warning you now: it's physically impossible to go to Turkey, walk into the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, and walk out empty-handed.
You'll buy a glass mosaic lamp, two giant boxes of Lokum (Turkish delight), spices and, if the seller is good (and they are), you'll even bring back a carpet rolled up under your arm.
When you land in Portugal, your suitcase will be bursting at the seams and you'll be carrying bags in each hand.
Are you really going to put on the sad show of trying to cram all that gear onto a bus or a train? Or spend half an hour trying to convince the Uber driver to fold the seats down so the carpet fits?
Do things smartly. Take your car to the airport.
Multipark looks after it in our Valet Parking service. When you come back from Turkey, loaded with souvenirs and exhausted from the flight, your car is at the Arrivals door. You open the boot, throw in the carpets and the sweets, sit in your seat and drive home without having to ask anyone for favours.
Go and haggle to your heart's content! Get a quote and book your Valet Parking on the Multipark website and happy shopping!
