Good Travel Guidebooks to Turkey

For maps of Turkey, click here.

A Handbook for Living in Turkey

My friend, former-coauthor and TTP colleague Pat Yale has written the definitive book for those intending to buy a house and live in Turkey. It answers all the questions: buying, restoring, finding and directing workers, buying furnishings, gaining legal residency, opening a bank account, etc. More…

Istanbul’s Bazaar Quarter: Backstreet Walking Tours

Who isn’t interested in seeing the real Istanbul, from the Grand Bazaar to the Spice Market? This guide doesn’t just take you through the markets, but into them, and introduces you to individual artisans and their wares. More…

Sinan Diaryz: A Walking Tour of Mimar Sinan’s Monuments

The Ottoman Empire‘s greatest architect has left us a treasury of wonderful works. This book is the key that opens it. More…

The Road to Ruins: Lycian Turkey, Fethiye to Kaş

Tricia Emptage‘s comprehensive, enlightening and humorous guide to ancient ruins and modern village life along Turkey’s Lycian Mediterranean coast. More…

*Lycia**, a Complete Archaeological Guide*

Turkey’s Mediterranean coast from Fethiye to Antalyaincludes spectacular scenery and nearly a hundred ancient cities. This authoritative, comprehensive, high-quality 300-page guide shows you them all. More…

Lonely Planet Turkey

Ah, what can I say? I wrote the original edition (1985)and the six editions that followed. It’s now in other authorial hands, but is still the best-overall practical on-the-road guide for budget travelers, with some suggestions for more upscale travel. More…

Lonely Planet Istanbul

I wrote the original edition of this one, too, though other authors now update it. It’s a good, comprehensive guide to the city with lots of maps, photos, and a wider range of hotels and restaurants than Lonely Planet Turkey. More…

Rough Guide Turkey

A worthy competitor to Lonely Planet Turkey, its committee of authors covers the country in depth and with attitude (sometimes a bit too much of both?)

Rough Guide Istanbul

A fine guide to the city, though it follows the current guidebook fashion of going too far off the tourist track, recommending places and activities that might be enjoyed by someone who has moved to the city for a few months, but might be a bit too obscure and time-consuming for someone who has but a few days here.

Frommer’s Turkey

I wrote the first seven editions of this guide, but the current book is a completely rewritten effort. Extensive descriptions of hotels and restaurants make it easy to pick those special places to stay and to dine that make your trip memorable.

Dorling Kindersley Istanbul

Beautifully designed and lavishly illustrated, this fine cultural, historic and artistic guide is a great way to learn about the city. The practical information tends to be less up-to-date and useful than that in Lonely Planet Istanbul or Rough Guide Istanbul, but the cultural stuff is much better.