Go Bicycle Touring in Turkey
Turkey is country located between Western Europe and Eastern Europe. It is transcontinental and is bordered by eight countries – Bulgaria to the Northwest, Greece to the west, Georgia to the north east, Armenia, Iran and Nakhchivan to the east. To the southeast lies Iraq and Syria, then come the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas to the south, north and west respectively. Turkey has a population of 76.6 million people, and spans an area of 786,562 square kilometers. Turkey is also a country of incredible cultural diversity, and was at one time, one of the world’s greatest military powers, being the center of the Ottoman Empire.
From a cycling perspective, Turkey is a diverse and beautiful place to bike tour. From it’s incredible vistas along the Aegean Coast, heading inland to it’s mountainous region of Cappadocia, which offers terrific places to mountain bike as well as serene beige beauty of it’s dry, desert-esque hills and valleys. The region is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Kackar Mountains provide mountain bikers with yet another outlet for their adrenaline, with high peaks, fantastic wildlife, and ancient buildings.
Bike Tours in Turkey
Popular Bike Tour Destinations In Turkey
- The Turkish Lake District is a region located in Turkey’s north, between the Taurus Mountains. The region is beautiful, but as challenging as they come. This region favours the mountain bikers among you, as you travel on small rocky cliff-side roads and rough dirt and gravel terrain.
- The Aegean Coast lies high above the Aegean Sea. It’s coastal roads sweep and meander through varying degrees of altitude, from mountain olive groves to the flatter regions that are closer to the coast. This region is perfect for road and touring cyclists as there is no major coastal highway – it also mixes challenging climbs with fresh sea air, and experiencing the very best of Turkey’s coastal regions.
- Cappadocia is a region that, similarly to the Lake District, is mountain biking paradise. Cappadocia has many geological attractions for visitors, including it’s caves, interesting rock formations, and it features Turkey’s famous “Churches of Goreme” – which are several churches that have been carved out of the rock formations. The region isn’t largely paved, this offers mountain bikers the opportunity to stretch their legs on dirt single-track terrain as they admire the unique geology of the region.
- Ankara is the Turkish capital, and is home to approximately 4.5 million people. Ankara is Turkey’s commercial and industrial hub. Ankara is also home to many ancient reminders of Turkey’s imperial past, with one particular building – the Temple of Augustus and Rome – dating back to 20 BC. Cycling in Ankara is hectic and you often play dodge’ems with the drivers, but the roads are mainly flat, although climbs are required in order to visit some of the more ancient landmarks.
- Istanbul is Turkey’s largest city, and offers the visiting cyclist plenty to see and do. The roads are generally paved, providing optimal riding conditions for all types of cyclists. The city is home to many mosques, cathedrals, palaces, churches, as well as an industrial and commercial district. There are many famous landmarks in the city, most of which are religious in nature – such as the Grand Bazaar, or the Suleimaniye Mosque.
The Aegean coast is substantially less developed than the Mediterranean and is perhaps the best place to take a road biking holiday in Turkey. The absence of a major coastal highway, combined with a maritime geography of wooded peninsulas, inlets and islands and a blissful climate makes this a perfectly idyllic and intriguing area.
The program starts with two weeks course in Istanbul on Big History. Then they will cycle to the Iranian border with 100 to 120 km a day. Every 6th day the students will have a rest day. The route could be like the print screen of our excel file which you can find in the attachment.
Cappadocia is Turkey’s trail biking paradise – a volcanic landscape offering challenging and rewarding slick rock; lush, green singletracks and unforgettable caves, tunnels and canyons. Welcome to Turkey’s most awesome scenery: abounding with intense, technical ups and adrenaline fuelled rock garden descents Cappadocia is an MTB paradise.
Facts About Turkey
- Turkey exports 80% of the world’s hazelnuts.
- The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul has 4000 shops, 64 streets, and employs 25,000 workers.
- Although Christianity spread all over the world, the first Christian Church to be built by man, was built in Antioch, Turkey.
- Saint Nicholas, (Santa Claus) was born in Patara, Turkey.
- Most Turkish people didn’t have surnames until 1934.
- Many historical figures, such as Aesop, Homer, and St. Paul the Apostle were born in Turkey.
- Turkey is linguistically diverse, and due to it’s great population of Kurdish people, education is offered in both Turkish and Kurdish. Although there are many other minority languages spoken daily.
- Istanbul is home to the world’s second-oldest underground railway – it’s Tunel, began operations in 1875.
- Have you ever cycled from Paris to Berlin? If so, then you’ve covered the same distance as Turkey’s Black Sea coastline.
- If you find yourself in Turkey of a night, in need of somewhere to stay for a few, then you may be in luck! An old Turkish tradition says, “A stranger at one’s door is God’s guest for at least three days.”
