Holidays in Turkey in winter in 2020-2021. Reviews of tourists

Is it true that someone travels to Turkey not from May to October, but from December to February? Yes!

Although, they are probably in Istanbul or for skiing, an inexperienced person would think. No! In winter, Turkey also welcomes tourists to the Mediterranean coast, and they, tourists, in turn, actively use its hospitality. And insane discounts. 🙂

How to relax in a classy 5-star all-inclusive hotel for a ridiculous amount? Shift vacation dates a little - from summer to winter - and catch tours to Turkey online. It is convenient when all possible offers from tour operators are lined up and ranked depending on prices or hotel ratings. You compare, study, choose.

We trust several such services for the selection and booking of tours from all tour operators, with two of them we personally traveled abroad:

• Travelata
• Level.Travel
• Onlinetours

Favorable options are guaranteed. 🙂

New Year 2021 in Turkey

Holidays in Turkey in January 2021 is a good New Year vacation plan. Of course, you should understand that in winter on the coast, due to the weather, it is not time to swim and fry in the sun.

But do not rush to be disappointed, at your disposal any 5-star hotels and their spas, hammams, indoor pools, buffets, fitness rooms and, in addition, the sensitive attitude of the staff, because you are one of the few dear customers. And if you come with children, then even more attention will get. Want a room with sea / mountain / garden view? Please don't pay extra. 🙂

The New Year's program will die off, and tourists will once again plunge into seclusion, broken only by a rare "hello" from the European neighbors. Hotels in Turkey are especially popular with foreigners in winter. nowhere else can you find such an excellent value for money. It is economical, and the conditions are excellent.

By the way, those Russian tourists who went on vacation to Turkey in January leave positive reviews and note the undoubted advantages and features of such a vacation - there are few people, a reasonable budget and top-end service.

Choosing the "yourself" option? Then:

Hotels >>
Flights >>

Walking near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul

Tours to Turkey for the New Year

You can relax for the New Year 2021 in Turkey both independently and on a tour. Most often, the second option turns out to be cheaper than the first, because the country is "typically" tourist.

It should be noted that the closer to the date, the higher the prices for the New Year for everything: for vouchers, hotels, tickets. Therefore, as usual, it is better to think about a trip 2-3 months in advance and place a bet on early booking, saving up to 40% of the cost of the same tour a week before departure.

• Until December 27, prices for a weekly ticket for two on the coast of Turkey with a departure from Moscow - from 28,000 rubles, after - from 45,000 rubles.

Where to go to Turkey in winter?

Although seaside resorts and answer two main questions - where is it better to go with children and where is it warm in Turkey in winter (relatively) - the country is not limited to them alone.

What is just a mesmerizing winter Istanbul with its unusual combination of ancient Islamic sights and New Year's decorations, green palms and light snow, and must-have attributes in the form of fluffy cats and hot bagels!

Ski resorts Uludag, Palandoken are also worth a visit. Turkey would not be Turkey if there were no all-inclusive options on the budget Alps. 🙂 The older category will be attracted thermal springs in Pamukkale, Karahayit, Kangal, Yalova, where you can improve your health.

The weather incomparable with the Russian frosts, an interesting excursion without the Chinese, winter sales and more than affordable prices - in general, Turkey is very diverse in winter, and the potential for turning it into a year-round resort is enormous.

Bosphorus strait

Winter resorts

Turkey's beach resorts in winter move away from the seasonal influx of tourists, but never empty. The reason for this is the aforementioned “tasty” price tags and rather warm weather (+ 10 ° С… + 17 ° С).

In Antalya and Kemer, you can sometimes walk during the day even in a light T-shirt, but travelers keep a jacket and an umbrella with them, the period is still considered rainy, with cool nights. The sea in Turkey in winter is from + 16 ° C and above. It is preferable to swim in the hotel pool, if you do not consider yourself a walrus. There is also a place for entertainment: in Belek, for example, the golf season flares up.

Vacationers from all over Europe are gathered by the thermal resorts of Turkey. In winter, you can take a course of health-improving therapy with fish, salts, mineral waters for various types of diseases. They are located throughout the country, and some are widely known. Both from Istanbul and Antalya it is possible to take a 1-2 day trip.

Ski vacation

Of course, the mountain resorts of Turkey are the busiest in winter.

The popular center of ski tourism - Uludag - is chosen mainly by beginners in the conquest of snow trails and, for the most part, Russians. You won't be able to catch the adrenaline here, because the descents are simple and dispose of all comers to non-traumatic training. Snow in Turkey on the slopes in Uludag lies for three winter months.

As a rule, vouchers to local hotels include the cost of using their own lift, but equipment and an instructor must be rented. Active waste of calories on skiing and no less active compensation for them with a buffet - how do you like this prospect? 🙂

By the way, ski holidays in Turkey have become more diverse since 2018 - a new direction has opened called Erciyes, near the city of Kayseri.

In any case, skiing is much cheaper than in Austria or Switzerland. So, a day ski pass on Erciyes costs 70 Turkish lira (1200 rubles).

Turkey at the end of November (our blog from Istanbul)

Istanbul in winter

The alternation of cloudy, rainy and clear, but windy days is quite typical for the city from December to February. The temperature rarely drops to 0 ° C, and not everyone will be lucky enough to see the snow falling over the Bosphorus.

So the average tourist's program is traditional: sightseeing, imbuing with oriental flavor, scaring away seagulls, stroking seals. It will differ only in liters of pomegranate tea and Turkish coffee drunk and photographs with a scarf wound up to the nose. Yes, and even a little more shopping expenses - in winter there are huge sales and mega-discounts!

A real New Year's holiday - with Christmas trees, festivals, a noisy crowd of cheerful citizens in Santa Claus hats, fireworks and discos - in Istanbul. Christmas holidays are celebrated here in a Western manner, and a good half of those celebrating are foreigners who arrive exactly by the end of December.

What to do in Turkey in winter?

Imagine the impossible: a tourist finds himself in Turkey in winter and seems uninterested in activities such as:

• relaxation in an all-inclusive hotel
• dashing downhill skiing on the slopes
• running shopping
• soaking in hamams
• absorption of sea air
• enjoying spa treatments

What is left than to entertain? Excursion!

Sightseeing holidays in winter

Turned off Istiklal Street to look at Galata Tower

Excursions in Turkey are cheaper in winter due to lower demand. The queues for iconic places are getting shorter for the same reason.

In December and January, there is no longer a large influx of vacationers, and you can safely get acquainted with the sights of Turkey. The weather, in principle, is suitable for educational walks, and there is something to see here.

In Istanbul alone, acquaintance with ancient castles, ancient mosques and museum exhibits will take at least three days. If it suddenly starts to rain, the excursion can be done by bus:

For an unusual experience, in December it is worth visiting the ancient town of Konya, where pilgrims and ordinary tourists come to see the dance of dervishes - Muslim monks circling in a trance. In early January, camel fights take place near Izmir (in Selcuk). Yes, they can do more than just spit. 🙂 In the same place, in Izmir, there are the ruins of libraries and temples of ancient Ephesus.

The Mediterranean coast is not deprived of historical interest either. Near Antalya are ancient Phaselis and Olympos, what remains of the Lycian kingdom. In Pamukkale - the famous Cleopatra pool, and in Bodrum - the mausoleum of King Mavsol.

Hotels in Turkey in winter 2020-2021

Hotels in Turkey, operating in the winter at sea, from the category of five-star with the appropriate service and maintenance. Since during the cold season tourists are not averse to swimming, and they must be entertained with something in the absence of heat, usually these are SPA hotels with a heated indoor pool (and, of course, all inclusive).

Top five for the winter:

• 5 * Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort, Belek
• 5 * Ela Quality Resort, Belek
• 5 * Titanic Deluxe Belek, Belek
• 5 * Adalya Elite Lara, Antalya
• 5 * Alva Donna Beach Resort Comfort, Side

And here is a list of hotels with heated OUTDOOR pools (agree, this is a different matter):
* the list will be updated

• 5 * Alva Donna Exclusive, Belek
• 5 * Bellis Deluxe, Belek
• 5 * Alva Donna World Palace, Kemer
• 5 * Alva Donna Beach Resort Comfort, Side
• 5 * Long Beach Resort & Spa Deluxe, Alanya

The prices at this time are more than budgetary and cannot be compared with the season. Accommodation, SPA procedures and hammam will cost half the price. In addition, hotels in Turkey in winter receive mainly tourists from Europe, and such a contingent provides peace and quiet without incidents.

On average, a double room in a 5 * hotel costs from 2500 rubles per day, 4 * - from 1300, 3 * - from 500 rubles.

Turkish hotels arrange parties for their guests for the New Year, the holiday is celebrated in a noisy company. It is worth choosing a place of accommodation for a winter holiday in advance: prices will be more attractive.

What is the weather in Turkey in winter at the resorts?

What is the winter in Turkey? Very controversial. The warmest of all is on the southern coast: in the sun it can even be + 17 ° C ... + 19 ° C, and the water warms up to + 16 ° C ... + 17 ° C. It rains instead of snow, but clear days are not uncommon.

The coldest weather in Turkey for the New Year is in the western and northern resorts, the temperature drops to + 5 ° C. There is snow in the mountains, and at night the thermometer drops to -10 ° С. Weather data from Yandex service.

Turkey in December 2020

Reviews of tourists about their holidays in Turkey in December boil down to the fact that this is the best time for good shopping. In the clothing markets, you can buy cheaply not only clothes and shoes, but also home textiles for which this country is famous. Turkey illuminates December 31 with colorful fireworks, indulges in delicious cuisine and amuses with a multinational company in which they celebrate the New Year.

• Prices for tours to Turkey in December start at 22,000 rubles for two people for 7 days

December weather

It is quite comfortable on the coast: at the beginning of December it is still warm, but it gets colder only at the end of the month. In general, the weather in Turkey in December is the most “mild” of all winter months. You can dress lightly during the day, but it is windy and damp in the morning and evening.

In Alanya and Kemer, especially brave people take sun baths at noon, and no-no, they check the sea for the degree of suitability for swimming. The water in Turkey in December is not the same, but its temperature can reach + 18 ° С.

In Antalya and Belek it is cooler, while in Istanbul it often rains and almost always winds. Based on the weather in December at a particular resort, it is much easier to make a choice. 🙂

True, on New Year's Eve, natural disasters also happen: for example, in December 2020, in resort Turkey there was such a strong storm with a downpour that it flooded the center of Marmaris and flooded Kemer and Belek.

In my opinion, Turkey in late autumn is ideal, especially its parks

Turkey in January 2021

Turkey in January, especially in the second half of it, takes a break from the bingers and pays all attention to visiting guests.

Turkey accepts the most tourists on January 1 and for the New Year holidays: if you want to buy a ticket for these days, book it back in November. But towards the end of the month, you will save a significant amount that you can spend on sales or in spa centers. January is a good time to relax in thermal and ski resorts.

• Tours to Turkey in January are rapidly falling in price after the 10th. So, the prices for vouchers are from 35,000 rubles per week in a 5 * hotel for two

January weather

The weather in Turkey is the coldest in January. In Istanbul, there are even slight frosts and snow, and an icy wind often blows.

In resort areas, the air temperature also drops by 2-3 degrees, it is very damp, and at night and cold - about + 5 ° C. The water temperature in January for bathing is already categorically unsuitable, but it is rarely below + 15 ° C ... + 16 ° C.

Turkey in February

By the way, we do not recommend hoping for last minute deals. Many hotels are closed in winter - preparations are underway for the new season - and the weather is far from ideal. But nothing will prevent you from having a good rest.

Tourists leave positive reviews about February Turkey: there are beautiful tracks with clean snow in the mountains, the sights do not lose their mystery, the cuisine is traditionally delicious, there are few people and everything goes for a penny, from a hotel room to a taxi ride.

Holidays in February are especially attractive for those who do not like the hustle and bustle: families with children and student companies very rarely come.

• Turkey in February 2021 - from 30,000 rubles for 7 nights for two

Weather in February

The weather in Turkey in February begins to improve a little: less precipitation, and less often strong winds. The temperature, in comparison with January, remains at the same level and increases towards the end of the month. If you plan to rest at this time, warm clothes will come in handy, spring will come only in a few weeks.

Turkey in winter - when and where is vacation cheaper?

Having analyzed the approximate dynamics, the cost of a tour to Turkey in December (end) and in January (beginning) is the highest for the entire winter season. Two weeks after date X, the tour package will be significantly cheaper. Reviews of tourists boil down to the fact that holidays in Turkey for the New Year should be booked a few months earlier, even despite the status of a non-seasonal destination.

The prices for tours to Turkey on the "all inclusive" system will be the most budgetary ones to Antalya, Kemer and Side. Belek and Bodrum will cost a little more. Prices for holidays in the ski resorts of Turkey in winter, of course, are higher and range from 62,000 to 95,000 rubles for 7 days, depending on the level of service and the chosen hotel.