Türkiye (Turkey) in December

Cold, wet Istanbul with low hotel rates; snowy Cappadocia; New Year spikes prices.

• Istanbul and Marmara · Istanbul, Bursa, Edirnerainy

  Wet, windy winters with occasional snow; humid 30 °C summers; May and September–October are the easy windows.

• Aegean coast · İzmir, Selçuk (Ephesus), Bodrum, Çeşmerainy

  Sea is swimmable June–October; inland ruins reach 38 °C in July–August — visit at opening.

• Mediterranean coast · Antalya, Kaş, Fethiye, Alanyarainy

  Longest beach season (May–October); winter storms bring heavy rain; the Lycian Way is best in spring and autumn.

• Central Anatolia · Cappadocia, Ankara, Konyacool

  High, dry plateau: snow and −10 °C nights in winter, hot days but cool nights in summer; balloons fly all year when wind allows.

• Black Sea · Trabzon, Rize, the Kaçkarcool

  Rain in every month; summer is the only reliable time for the high plateaus (yayla).

• East and south-east · Kars, Van, Mardin, Şanlıurfacool

  Kars and Van have hard winters; Şanlıurfa and Mardin pass 40 °C in summer.

Crowds · Türkiye (Turkey)

Low

Prices · Türkiye (Turkey)

Low

• Layers: a fleece or light jacket
• A rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that dry fast

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