Turkey Winter Destinations to Visit

It is finally winter and Turkey’s winter destinations are a great way to spend it. Turkey is a beautiful country with both natural and historic places to visit. It has world’s most beautiful locations to offer and spend a wonderful time. Turkey has all sorts of touristic options some of which are natural beauties such as mountains, seas, beaches and some of them are historical places like churches, mosques, castles, ancient cities and sites but all of them comes with the famous Turkish hospitality and food. Since we are in winter, we will take a look at the Turkey winter destinations that must be seen.

Why Visit Turkey During Winter?

Turkey is a big country and for that it has variety of weather types all across the country ranging from freezing colds to the Mediterranean warmth in winter so if you like a certain type of winter, you can probably find the one that suits you. Secondly, Turkey is pretty cheap in winter since it is the work season and you can find accommodation easily except some winter special tourism types. Turkey also has both populous and uncrowded quite areas winter destinations for whatever you prefer.

Cappadocia

Cappadocia is located in Nevşehir near Taurus Mountains region which is in Central Anatolia of Turkey. It is one of the most preferred places to see both by foreign and local tourists in every season but during winter, it is absolutely amazing. Cappadocia is a desert like landscape with unique natural and historical beauties and it is the central for hot air balloons tourism which float up in the sky at dawn every day even in winter.

Cappadocia’s landscape is such a unique sight with its erosions, volcanic eruptions, canyons, gorges and caves and they all become much more beautiful with the layer of snow covering over everything. It also has hot spring waters for those who want to warm their bones during winter.

As for those who loves history, Cappadocia’s caves and historical churches belong to the Christians who wanted to hide from Roman persecutions and they have been very well-preserved including frescos and paintings in them. If you want to experience a cave stay yourself, there are concept cave hotels to be warm and cool as well. Cappadocia is a must see for Turkeys winter destinations.

Istanbul

Istanbul is the most crowded city in Turkey but during winter everything is a bit more accessible. With its phenomenal history going back for centuries and most notably the last city of the Romans, Istanbul offers variety of options. If you ever visited Istanbul during summer, then your winter experiences would be much different than it. 

First of all, the accommodations drop almost by half in winter and booking is even easier. You can find an all-inclusive hotel close to the touristic places in winter for a good price. The queues are much shorter for the places like Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque and transportation is much better except rush hours. 

Istanbul has everything a person needs and in winter, it is a much easier to get around and experience what the city offers. Istanbul is a great place to visit as one of Turkey’s winter destinations.

Lake Abant

Lake Abant might be the most beautiful sight to see among the Turkey’s winter destinations. It is located in Bolu in Black Sea region. Lake Abant is a freshwater lake surrounded by thick pine tree forest at the center of a national park that is around 1.200 meters high and covering about 1.2 square kilometers of area. 

Lake Abant offers a fresh, clear mountain air with magnificent smelling pine trees. Activities like trail walking, bike and horse riding are available all year around. In winter, it turns to a winter wonderland vista you can imagine to see on a post card. In this season, the entire lake surface freezes and the pine trees are covered in while making it a sublime image altogether. 

Another advantage is that it is close to both Ankara and Istanbul so it is easily accessible. Lake Abant is the right choice among Turkeys winter destinations for those wanting for a nature escape.

Skiing Options

Turkey has lots of mountains that are ideal for skiing with their accessibility, snow quality, security and facilities. One of Turkeys winter destinations to ski is Sarıkamış. Although it is not the most popular among other ski locations, Sarıkamış offers the best snow condition in Turkey with its powder snow. It also has four long tracks surrounded by thick pine forest and three connecting lifts. 

Erciyes is a clear choice for those want to ski as well. Being near an airport, the travelling to Erciyes is quite easy. It has multiple resorts that provide equipment, training, changing rooms and much more. Erciyes has the best weather among the ski locations which is ideal if you plan a family vacation with your kids. You can ride sleigh, skateboards or ski. There are several practice tracks and professional tracks with lifts. After that you can enjoy the famous Turkish sucuk as well.

Eastern Express Train

If you watched the movie Golden Compass or Harry Potter and you liked the aesthetics of them, then Eastern Express Train is just for you. The trip is a long one, so don’t forget to bring your favorite book, your music and some snacks. The trip begins in Ankara and ends in Kars covering the half of Turkey. The train stops at special destinations for off-train excursions and the route is on a magical, snow-covered landscape. 

Eastern Express Train has two options, one of them is touristic and the other is budget. The touristic train includes sleeping wagons, a restaurant car and toilets while the regular one has couchettes. With the popularity it gained in recent years, special tourist train runs daily in winter. So if you like sightseeing, experiencing a calming travel either by yourself or bond and have a good time with your friends or family the Eastern Express Train should be on top of your Turkey winter destinations list. 

Do not forget to take a look at Turkey real estate opportunities, which offer the opportunity to obtain citizenship.