Top Five Things to Do in Turkey (For Teens)

1. Hot Air Balloons in Cappadocia:

   If I were to pick one thing to do in Turkey, I would 100% pick the hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia! At first, I was questionable about the hot air balloon ride, but I did it anyway. Step one, we had to wake up at 4:00 AM to watch the sunrise while on the hot air balloon. I hate waking up early so when my dad woke me up everyone was already dressed and ready to go while I was still lying in bed trying to wake up. I managed to get up and get dressed right in time when the van arrived to pick up my family and grandparents for the ride. The shuttle bus picked up other people at other hotels that they stayed at and then got dropped off at a specific cafeteria where you eat a little snack or coffee and get told what hot air balloon you are in. Step two, climb into the basket. I was surprised to find out that 20 people could fit in the hot air balloon basket with us! We got picked up again to drive to the place where all the hot air balloons take off and got on our assigned hot air balloon with some other people. The basket was huge, and it was very sturdy. Step three, take off. We immediately took off with all the other hot air balloons and it was very smooth and magical seeing all the hot air balloons lighting up in the sky. At one point we went so high up in the sky I got a little bit scared. It was so dreamy and amazing! I couldn’t stop taking pictures and videos! The guy that was also controlling the hot air balloon was also very funny! Step four, land. Soon we went to land, and I expected a smooth landing just like how we took off and how all the other hot air balloons did it. But ours was different. We instantly realized our driver was having a hard time landing because the wind had sped up. About 20 minutes later we finally tried to land. The balloon started to go down fast, and the driver yelled “get down!” We all immediately ducked down into the basket, and we hit the ground on our sides. We all almost flipped over while the basket was tipping over. It was a mess! The funny part was that my mom was yelling the loudest the whole time, so she got pulled out of the hot air balloon first fast! In the end we were all safe and no one got injured. We were greeted there with medals for riding that hot air balloon. The driver said that every rough landing is about 1/100, so we were really lucky! That shouldn’t discourage you from doing it though. It was really safe, and a fun adventure and I would love so much to do it again in the future.

   
   
   
   

   

   
   

   

   Crash landing on our side!

   
   

2. The Grand Bazaar Market in Istanbul:

   The Grand Bazaar is one of the more fun and interesting places I have been to. This colorful market has tons of different little shops, but it is totally different from one of the malls or markets that you would see in the US. The Grand Bazaar is crowded with people. There are so many different little shops to see. We almost got lost in this bustling center because everything looked the same! An example of some of the little stores you can see are tea shops, Turkish delights, colorful lamps, rugs, pottery, jewelry, souvenirs and so on! Did you know that Turkey loves tea and coffee? Turkish people drink tea or coffee after every meal and at any time of the day. While in the Grand Bazaar we got to try many sweets and teas! All of it was delicious but be aware if you ever visit and make sure you compare prices for each store! All the Turkish delights, tea and jewelry made us want to buy right away but luckily, we were patient and got the best deals. Even though we hate bargaining, we had to! The Grand Bazaar is a place you want to visit if you come to Turkey!

   
   
   
   

3. Go to a Turkish Bakery or a Sweet Treat Store:

   There's so many little shops and bakeries to choose from! Especially in the Grand Bizarre that I mentioned earlier. The little shops have lots of tea, Turkish delights, Turkish desserts, baklava, dried fruits and much more. If you desire, you can also ask to try some by having a taste test! I enjoyed trying all the different teas and sweet treats. But what I recommend is getting a food tour guide to take you around to the best places. Especially if you are going through the bizarre too, I definitely recommend a guide so that you don't get lost! Our family bought some pomegranate and apple tea along with some pistachio Turkish delights which were incredible and a variety of Turkish desserts to gift to some friends and family members! Every shop is unique and delicious and if I could, I would go to all of them and try every single thing!

   
   
   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   
   
   

   4. Visit Love Valley Cappadocia Fairy Chimneys

   While in Cappadocia after doing the hot air balloon ride, I would go to Love Valley where there are “fairy chimneys” as people call them. Once I walked into the big valley with many rock formations, I was shocked. How were all these beautiful and cool rock formations created? Little did I know is that they were created over time when there were a lot of volcanic eruptions and the top part of these “fairy chimneys” were made of volcanic ash and the bottom part which is soft, is carved by the wind and water! It is unbelievable to see these standing. There is also a lot of Christian history here so I would recommend a guide. Christians would hide in this rock caves to worship freely since they were being persecuted by the Romans. It was really fun to observe and walk around Love Valley. There are also some little huts or houses made from the rock that I got to explore! If you have a chance to go to Cappadocia, I would go to Love Valley because it is fun, interesting and a really cool place to take pictures and look around.

   
   
   

   

   

   
   
   

   5. Take the Bosphorus Cruise in Istanbul:

   Lastly, I recommend the Bosphorus cruise. Taking the Bosphorus cruise was really pretty. I got some cool pictures of the mosques and buildings on the water while traveling the Bosphorus Strait that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. The Bosporus Strait was also used for trading goods from Asia to Europe and from all over! On the cruise they also provide free snacks and drinks along with an intercom that is always speaking and talking all about the history and interesting facts about the Bosphorus! It was a cool experience and although it was only an hour, I still had a fun time looking at the pretty views and listening to the interesting history of Turkey and the Bosphorus Strait!