From Istanbul to Izmir - Discover Turkey

With its heart in Asia and its head in Europe, TurkeyMediterranean or Aegean coasts and beach-comb
covers a vast landmass and stretches from itsand hop from resort town to resort town. From Side
European land and sea borders with Bulgaria andto Bodrum, Alanya to Antalya, Turkey has some
Greece to almost touch the Mediterranean island ofvibrant, historic, culturally rich and now affluently
Cyprus and meet with the Middle Eastern nations ofwealthy towns and cities to enjoy all along the coast.
Syria and Iran.You can pick a main town as your base and then hire
Naturally such a vast nation which is embraced bya car and head off the beaten track to take in
such varied and historic cultures on all sides has amagnificent mountains, beautiful olive groves, vineyards
thrilling and rich history and culture of its own, and it isand untouched beaches.
only when you begin to explore the delights of theTurkey is a thrilling nation of vast contrasts. Its people
nation that you realise how much Turkey has to offerare hugely welcoming to visitors and will make your
the traveller, no matter what their ideal holiday type.holiday a thrilling success. The welcoming people
For culture vultures and city lovers, Istanbul is certainlycoupled with the fabulous cuisine will also ensure you
the place to begin a visit to Turkey. The majority ofwant to keep coming back for more.
the most famous ancient sites to see and the historicAs more people discover the delights of Turkey, so
centres to explore such as Hagia Sofia and the Bluethe number of people applying for working visas,
Mosque are located on the European side of theextended tourism visas and residency permits is on
Bosphorus and within walking distance of each other.the increase. If you too find that you want to spend
You are safe in Turkey's thrilling city of Istanbultime living and perhaps working in parts of Turkey, this
especially if you stick to the main tourist areas - ofoption is probably open to you too - depending on the
course, you may be visited by street sellers of handnation you herald from.
crafted wares, but otherwise you will be left alone toTo find out more, visit the Turkish embassy in your
enjoy the delights of the metropolis.home country. Once you know you can spend more
A boat trip on the Bosphorus is not to be missed,time in the nation, you can then begin planning your
neither is a day visiting some of the shoppingitinerary - and you'll need plenty of time because the
experiences in Istanbul. You can take in the mega mallcountry offers so much of interest to its visitors. A final
at Cevahir (pronounced Jevahir) and shop in high-endword about working in Turkey - you will need to speak
Western boutiques for a few hours, before going andTurkish if you want to find professional level
exploring the souks and the markets and learning toemployment or work off the tourism track - but if
haggle for a bargain or two!you're happy teaching English as a foreign language or
Once you've shopped until you drop and seen all theworking in the tourism industry for example, you will
sights you can absorb, why not fly south to thefind plenty to keep you occupied when living in Turkey.