A Guide to Turkey for Property Investors

Marmara: Where Europe Meets Asia

Istanbul, Bursa and Yalova: three provinces, one sea, and the beating heart of modern Turkey.

The Marmara Region in Brief

The Marmara region wraps around the small inland sea that gives it its name, linking the Black Sea to the Aegean through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. It stretches across two continents, with Thrace on the European side and northwestern Anatolia on the Asian side. It is Turkey's most densely populated and most industrialised region, and it holds the country's economic and cultural centre of gravity. Three of its provinces show three very different sides of it: Istanbul, the megacity; Bursa, the first great Ottoman capital; and Yalova, the quiet green retreat across the water.

The Lycian Coast: Where Ancient Turkey Meets the Sea

A rugged stretch of the Mediterranean where mountains, ruins and turquoise bays share the same shoreline.

What Is the Lycian Coast?

The Lycian coast is not an administrative region. It is the historic area of ancient Lycia, on the Teke Peninsula in Turkey's southwest, and today it spans two provinces: Muğla in the west and Antalya in the east. Roughly, it runs from Fethiye and Ölüdeniz in the west to the mountains near Antalya in the east, taking in Kalkan, Kaş, Demre and Olympos on the way. Steep pine-covered mountains drop straight into the sea, and small harbours, hidden coves and ancient stones sit almost everywhere along the shore.

The Lycians and Their League

Lycia was home to an independent civilisation that appears in Bronze Age records from Egypt and the Hittite world. Ancient sources mention around 70 settlements, many in hard-to-reach spots on the coast or in the mountains. Six cities stood out: Xanthos, Patara, Myra, Pinara, Tlos and Olympos.

What made the Lycians unusual was their political system. Their city-states joined together in the Lycian League, in which each city sent representatives to an assembly and paid taxes according to its size. The League is often described as one of the earliest known federal unions, and later thinkers admired it. Even after Lycia came under Roman rule, the League kept control over many of its own religious and legal affairs. The Lycians also left behind a distinctive culture, most visibly in their rock-cut tombs carved into cliff faces and their own alphabet.

Trabzon: The Green Jewel of the Black Sea

Where misty mountains, ancient monasteries and a busy harbour meet on Turkey's northeastern coast.

The Black Sea Region in Brief

Turkey's Black Sea region, known locally as Karadeniz, is a long, narrow strip of coast running from the Marmara region in the west almost to the Georgian border in the east. Steep, forested mountains rise right behind the shoreline, and the coast gets far more rain than the rest of the country, which is why it is so green. Hazelnuts and tea grow on its slopes, fishing boats fill its harbours, and highland pastures known as yaylas sit high above the coast. Of all its cities, Trabzon is the most historic and the natural gateway to the eastern half.

A City With Ancient Roots

Trabzon began as Trapezus, a Greek colony founded in the eighth century BC by settlers from Sinope, on the shore of the Black Sea. According to the ancient writer Xenophon, the Greek mercenary army known as the Ten Thousand reached the sea here around 400 BC after its long retreat across Anatolia. The city later prospered under Rome and Byzantium, though it was sacked by the Goths in the third century AD.

Its greatest moment came after 1204, when Constantinople fell to the Fourth Crusade. Members of the Komnenos family escaped east and founded the Empire of Trebizond, which survived as a rich trading state until the Ottomans took the city in 1461. Because Trabzon stood at the end of routes running to Tabriz and Persia, it became one of the great Silk Road ports of the Black Sea. Its importance faded as railways and new ports changed trade patterns in the early twentieth century, and the city was briefly occupied by Russian forces between 1916 and 1918.

Turkey's Turquoise Coast: Blue Bays, Ancient Cities and Pine-Fringed Coves

On the map, Turkey's southwest looks like it is reaching out into the sea. Pine-covered mountains drop straight into clear water that shifts from green to deep blue, and between them lie old cities, small villages and coves the roads never reach. This is the Turquoise Coast, also known as the Turkish Riviera.

Quick Overview

• Location: It is not an official administrative region. The name is used for the coastline running roughly from Bodrum in the west to Antalya in the east, where the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean.
• Why the name: The colour of the water, which leans toward turquoise.
• What it is known for: Sailing on traditional wooden gulets, the Lycian Way hiking trail, and ancient ruins.
• Best time to visit: April to June and September to October, when it is warm and less crowded than in peak summer.

How to Divide Your Trip

The easiest way to plan is to split the coast into three parts, each with its own character.

Final Thoughts

The Turquoise Coast is more than a string of beautiful beaches. Cities thousands of years old sit beside modern harbours, and a trip here can mix swimming, hiking and ruins in the same day. Whatever your travel style, you will find a corner of it that suits you.

Turkey's Airports Guide: Istanbul First

If you are planning a trip to Turkey, the airport is the first thing you will meet. If you are thinking of buying property there, it also helps to know which airport serves the area you are considering. Turkey has dozens of airports, but most international journeys pass through Istanbul, so we start there and then move quickly to the other main gateways.

Quick Overview

• Istanbul has two passenger airports in use: Istanbul Airport (IST) on the European side and Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side.
• The old Atatürk Airport no longer handles commercial passenger flights.
• Traffic keeps growing: Istanbul's two air hubs together served a record 132 million passengers by the end of 2025.
• Getting into the city is easier than before: each airport now has a direct metro line to the city.

The Weather and Atmosphere of Turkey

Turkey sits at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and its climate is as varied as its culture. Because the country is large and has such diverse geography, you can experience several seasons in a single day's journey.

The coasts enjoy the mildest weather. The Aegean and Mediterranean shores, including Izmir, Bodrum, Antalya, and Marmaris, have long, hot, dry summers and gentle, rainy winters. Sea temperatures stay pleasant from May well into October, which makes these regions favorites for beach holidays.

The Black Sea region is the greenest and wettest part of the country. Rain falls throughout the year, feeding the lush hills and tea plantations, and summers are warm and humid rather than scorching.

Central Anatolia has a continental climate. Summers are hot and dry, while winters are cold and often snowy. Cities like Ankara and Konya can be bitterly cold in January but glorious in spring.

The east is the most extreme. Winters in places like Erzurum and Kars are long and harsh, with heavy snow and temperatures far below freezing, while summers are short and mild.

Istanbul blends several of these influences. Spring and autumn are especially lovely, with mild days, golden light, and the sound of ferry horns across the Bosphorus. Summers are warm and lively, and winters are cool, damp, and sometimes snowy.

The atmosphere matches the weather. In warm months, life moves outdoors: seaside cafés, bustling bazaars, and evening strolls along the water. In colder months, it moves indoors, to steaming glasses of tea, hearty soups, and cozy conversation.

For most visitors, April to June and September to October offer the best balance of comfortable temperatures and fewer crowds.