One of the most common ways of exploring new countries has to be backpacking. Whether you are venturing to Indonesia or traversing the trails of America, when you’re travelling on a budget, backpacking is certainly the best way to do it. Although travelling on a budget is preferable to us all, we still want to see the true beauty of anywhere we go because of that tangible feeling which truly can improve your life in so many ways.
Europe is one of those continents which is accessible to most people looking for different types of adventure. Having travelled to Turkey myself many times whilst growing up, it is undoubtedly one of the best places to travel. Not just because of the mountainous terrain, but because of the beautiful coast lines and there is always plenty to do. It definitely keeps you wanting to go back for more!
So with that in mind, how can you venture around Turkey with a backpack? Let’s take a closer look at some popular areas for backpacking through Turkey…
The Two Biggest Cities
Cappadocia and Istanbul are the two largest cities in Turkey, which can provide a start and end to your Turkish adventure.
You can travel to Istanbul by cruise ship, and there are plenty of cruise reviews to peruse so you can find the right journey at the right price. As soon as you land, spend a couple of days going around Istanbul, and introduce yourself, not just to the city life, but you can then finish up in Istanbul and get on a bus to Ankara.
After you’ve been there, you can go on to Cappadocia, which is the polar opposite of Istanbul and Ankara. Because there are plenty of underground structures you actually have the opportunity to sleep in one of the many cave lodges there. Exploring the landscape of Cappadocia in all of its glory and get a feel for how enchanting the place is, is such a fantastic experience – so make the most of it! Cappadocia is a must for backpacking through Turkey.
The Turquoise Coast
After you’ve been the most popular sights of Turkey, you can then travel up or down the Turquoise Coast. It’s entirely up to you how you go about this – public transport perhaps – but sometimes there are cheap internal flights so you can fly into one of the main cities, and grab a rental car.
The turquoise coast can take a long time to travel, but if you don’t have much in the way of time or opportunity, you’ve got to go and visit Ephesus as well as Olympus, where you can see baby turtles hatching! It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Bursa
One of the great things about backpacking is that you get to witness, not just the edited highlights of the place, but it becomes an opportunity to grasp the sensation of the place through its history.
Bursa, the original capital of the Ottoman Empire, isn’t just an opportunity to visit the many tombs and mosques, but as it’s next to Uludag Mountain, you’ve got an opportunity to go skiing! It’s safe to say there is plenty to do, and if you’re looking to immerse yourself in Turkish history, you need to see the Green Mosque, as well as the Muradiye Complex.
When it comes to travelling, you can get so much of a sanitised version of events, you don’t really get to experience a place as everybody else does. Backpacking gives you the best of both worlds because you get to witness everything up close and personal.
Have you got any travel plans coming up? Do you plan on backpacking through Turkey? I’d love to know where you have planned for 2020 so please leave a comment below!
Take Care,
Jessica xo
