Turkey is a paradise of sun, sea, mountains and lakes that offers a holidaymaker a complete change from the stress and routine of everyday life. From April to October most places in Turkey have an ideal climate perfect for relaxing on a sandy beach or enjoying the tranquility of its mountains and lakes.

Turkey is 814,578 sq km in area. The European and Asian regions are separated by the Istanbul Bogazi (Bosphorus), the sea of Marmara and the Canakkale Bogazi (Dardanells). Anatolia is a high plateau rising progressively towards the east, broken up by the valleys of about 15 rivers, including the Dicle (Tigris) and the Firat (Euphrates). There are numerous lakes and some, such as Lake Van, are as large as inland seas. In the north, the mountains along the eastern Black Sea coast run parallel to the sea; in the south, the Taurus Mountains sweep down almost to the narrow, fertile coastal plain.

Turkey enjoys a variety of climates, ranging from the temperate climate of the Black Sea region, to the continental climate of the interior, then, to the Mediterranean climate of the Aegean and Mediterranean coastal regions. The coastline touching the four seas that border the country is 8,333 km in length.

The Aegean and Mediterranean coasts have mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The Anatolian plateau is cooler in summer than the coastal areas and quite cold in winter, dominated by continental climatic conditions with extreme annual temperature variation. The Black Sea coast is mild and rainy in summer, chilly and rainy in winter. Mountainous eastern Turkey is very cold and snowy in winter and only pleasantly warm in summer. The south-east is dry and mild in winter, very hot in summer with temperatures above 45°C are not unusual.