Türkiye, which attracts attention with its cultural and artistic wealth arising from having played host to dozens of civilizations, invites you to enjoy visual feast with its unique geography and natural beauty. You will also find plenty of time to travel while receiving a quality education in Türkiye, home to both natural and historical beauty. As a rich geography that has hosted countless civilizations throughout its history, Türkiye has a large number of museums and ruins. You can find the full list of museums in Türkiye here. Do not forget to purchase a Müzekart to visit many museums for free.
One of the goals of our international students who come to study in Türkiye is to get to know Türkiye more closely by traveling as much as possible. Although we cannot mention all the travel areas because there are hundreds of museums and national parks to visit in Türkiye, we have listed some of the must-see destinations for our students here by season of visit.
Muğla, where you will see the most beautiful sun, sea and forests, is one of the most beautiful cities to visit in summer. Your trip to this fairy tale city of the Aegean will be an unforgettable memory for you. In addition to the natural beauty on offer, this is a very popular location for extreme sports such as paragliding. You can also participate in paragliding activities that start from Babadağ and end in Ölüdeniz. Bodrum, which is a district of Muğla, is a magnificent holiday center with its beaches and nature. Bodrum, which is home to the highest number of blue flag beaches in Türkiye, offers quiet coves for relaxation, as well as popular beaches for fun.
Should the summer heat gets too much, Trabzon may be the most suitable summer holiday alternative for you. You can gather your energy for the new semester by having a rich Black Sea breakfast in the clean and cool air of Uzungöl.
With an abundance of colourful spring flowers, Uludağ is both the perfect place of rest, and a favorite winter vacation spot. If you are a fan of winter sports, especially skiing, you can experience the very best at Uludağ. You can be sure that after you are tired all day long, the pleasure of sujuk in bread in the snow will be an experience unlike no other.
Palandöken, Türkiye's second largest ski resort after Uludağ, offers its visitors a holiday opportunity full of oxygen, fun and adventure. You can visit Erzurum, where the ski season starts in November, for winter sports until the end of April.
Abant Lake, popular throughout the seasons, takes on a unique beauty in the winter. If you want to enjoy the peace and quiet away from the crowds of popular ski resorts, Lake Abant may be the best place for you. You can watch the breathtaking beauty of the snow-covered lake and enjoy the view more by taking a carriage ride through the snow. At night, you can stay in bungalow houses in the snow-covered forest.
Undoubtedly one of the most popular winter activities among young people is a journey on the Eastern Express. This train, which runs between Ankara and Kars, takes 1 day and 7 hours one-way. The train makes long stops along the way so that passengers can travel around the tourist areas. During this train trip, you can visit the Ani Ruins in Kars and Üç Kumbetler in Erzurum and take a sleigh ride on the frozen Çıldır Lake.
Yedigöller, where you can enjoy every single shade of red, yellow, and green in the autumn season, is one of the most ideal places for short camping trips. You can enjoy a great weekend with your friends with just a camping tent at very low cost.
Althoughnot very popular, Yalıboyu Houses attract the attention of visitors with the historical settlement along the banks of the Yeşilırmak. By examining the traditional architecture of these houses, you can learn more about traditional Turkish culture and daily life.
While studying in Türkiye, you should visit Mardin, which will take you on a journey through time with its magical architecture. Do not forget to include the Firdevs Mansion in your itinerary on this trip, as it will undoubtedly open your horizons in the field of urbanism and architecture.
Gastronomic tourism, which is becoming increasingly popular, allows you to get to know the culinary culture of the place being visited closely. Türkiye has a very rich culture in terms of gastronomy and culinary arts. During your student life in Türkiye, you should definitely try the cuisines of Gaziantep, Hatay, Afyonkarahisar and Kayseri, which are our UNESCO Gastronomy Cities. One of the best places where you can savour our traditional delicacies is the UNESCO Hatay Gastronomy House.
You can enjoy a feast at affordable prices in this restaurant, which does not miss a thing when it comes to its rich menu.
You can explore the depths of the forest by kayaking in İğneada, one of the most important floodplain forests in the world. The forest, which can be visited as a day trip from İstanbul, will be your favorite destination of the spring.
Salda Lake, which enchants with its nature, shines with the most beautiful shades of blue through forests of pine trees. Especially in spring, camping on Salda Lake with its magnificent atmosphere and soft crater sand is a great idea.
Drawing attention to the similarity of the lake to Jezero, a dried-up crater lake on Mars, NASA said, “You may not be able to travel to the Jezero crater, but you can go to the next best thing, namely Lake Salda”. Do not miss this unique experience.
Cave houses, churches carved into the rocks and underground cities create a magical atmosphere in Cappadocia. A horse tour is a wonderful option in Cappadocia, where you can spend time intertwined with history and nature.
You can also visit the pottery workshops during your trip and take brilliant photos while watching the balloons take off at sunrise.
Halfeti is like something out of a mysterious fairy tale, with stone houses, caves and mosques submerged under the waters of the Euphrates. This sunken city, which can be visited by boat, will be your source of inspiration.
When you go to Şanlıurfa, you should also visit Göbeklitepe, which is defined as point zero in history, and Balıklıgöl, known as the land of prophets.
İstanbul is the first place that comes to mind when you think of Türkiye. The ancient culture of İstanbul, the city of empires, palaces, mosques, churches, baths and cats, cannot be confined to books and research. The very best way to understand İstanbul is to truly experience it while you travel. It would be impossible to summarize all the places to see if this rich city in just one page.
We also recommend that you visit our İstanbul Beyoğlu Office, which is located on the most lively street of İstanbul.
However, before coming to this big city, we recommend that you determine the places you wish to visit by researching on the Internet and set aside at least a week to discover all the city has to offer.
Finally, we look forward to welcoming you to the Hamamönü YTB office in Ankara every term of the year. You can meet our other Türkiye Scholarship students while taking in the history in our building located in the most historic quarter of Ankara. The doors of our office, where a fun activity is organized every day, from world culinary days to cinema and art events, are open to all international students.