Everyone knows that above ground family holidays, Turkey offer plenty of opportunity for sun, sea and sand. However, if the bright sun is dazzling your eyes or you’re simply looking for something a little more unique, why not head underground?
Istanbul’s Cisterns
Istanbul is a sprawling mass of beautiful Byzantine cisterns that exist from the time when Istanbul was known as Constantinople and even James Bond has paid them a visit. The city has hundreds of gloomy cisterns, but the grandest of all these and the only one worth visiting on your family holidays Turkey is the Basilica Cistern, also known as the Sunken Palace Cistern. The Basilica Cistern covers 2.4 acres and can hold over 21 million gallons of water. Its sheer size means that it is easy enough to get lost in; so keep an eye on your little ones.
Although, when James Bond visited in the film “From Russia with Love”, we imagine that getting lost, or remaining hidden, was his main intention. In a scene, Sean Connery is seen sailing past a forest of marble columns and these are in the Basilica Cistern.
Underground Cities in Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a must visit destination on your family holidays. Turkey’s mass of fairytale chimneys are more commonly viewed from above ground where hot air balloons are the common means of transport. If you want a slightly more unique Cappadocian experience then why not head underground? Subterranean towns extend seven to eight levels into the ground and the largest and most impressive of these towns is Kaymakli. This ancient Hittite city consists of rolling doors that prevent intruders from entering and even elaborate churches carved into the rock. These underground cities are unusually cool and can provide a welcome respite to Turkey’s immense summer heat.
Caving in Turkey
If your family has a feel for action and adventure, then family holidays in Turkey are the perfect place to get adventurous. Almost one third of Turkey is covered by underground caves and the best place in the country for caving is the Taurus region. This region begins at the Aegean Cost and continues through to Iran and the east. Caving is also known as spelunking and with over 40,000 caves; Turkey is a spelunker’s paradise. The longest cave is Pinzrozu Cavern, located 16km west of Beysehir Lake. However, the deepest cave is the beautiful Cukurpinar Sinkhole in Anamur.
Stay Under the Sea
If you still haven’t had enough of Turkey’s underground, then why not stay underneath the sea on your family holidays, Turkey? Istanbul’s underwater hotel has been rumoured since 2008, but whispers are that it’s due to open at the end of 2010. The seven star hotel will consist of a number of underwater capsule rooms each 550 square feet. The resort is owned by Poseidon Resorts, who are building a similar resort in Fiji. However, the Turkish hotel will sit on the Bosphorus Strait, with the Sea of Marmara to the South. All rooms will have excellent underwater visibility and guests may be able to make out reef sharks, dolphins and sea turtles swimming past their bedtime windows.
Author Resource:-
Davide Smith is the Destination Expert for Bargain Holidays Online, a unique holiday website which specialises in cheap,last-minute deals for family holidays Turkey(http://www.bargainholidaysonline.com/?page=family-holidays-turkey)as well as giving you access to over 20 million other bargain holiday
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.newworldproducts.org/Articles/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites