Best Places To Visit
– Turkey
– UAE
Best Time To Visit
Depending on what you are visiting The Middle East for, the weather is always very nice and hot. Some months are more bearable than others, depending on what you like.
Best Food To Eat
– Meze
– Koftas
– Kebabs
– Baklava
History, food and culture.
Made up of 16 countries, the Middle East is probably the most untravelled region in the world in terms of leisure tourism, due to decades of wars and turmoil. However, there are amazing destinations for travellers throughout.
Dubai is a mecca for international travel and over-the-top luxury, where the Burj Khalifa will blow you away. Turkiye is sprawling across two continents Europe and Asia but is also considered part of The Middle East.
Intro & Culture
CURRENCY
There is a wide range of currencies used across the Middle East. Cash is widely used, whilst cards may be accepted in hotels and restaurants. Make sure you have enough cash on you, especially for shopping in the bazaars where you can haggle for the best price.
I usually use my Monzo card when purchasing things when I travel. Monzo is an app based bank account and contactless card (there are lots of similar ones to choose from though). It doesn’t charge you for purchases abroad and you are given a certain amount of free withdrawals a month. It also alerts you once you’ve used the card and gives you the current exchange rate and location on purchases too.
Top Tip: Download the app “Currency Plus” to get currency conversions on the go. It updates daily and when connected to WiFi or Network to give you the latest conversion and you can have multiple currencies shown in one go.
Download here: Apple App Store // Google Play Store
LANGUAGE
In The Middle East, they can speak English but different parts will speak their own language and own dialect. Most countries speak Arabic or even French.
TIMEZONE
The time zones in The Middle East range between 2 hours ahead and 4 hours ahead of the UK.
UTC+02:00 (EET/IST/PST): Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Cyprus (standard time).
UTC+03:00 (AST/TRT): Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, Bahrain, Turkey, and summer time for countries in the UTC+02:00 zone.
UTC+03:30 (IRST): Iran Standard Time (year-round).
UTC+04:00 (GST): UAE, Oman, and parts of the Caucasus region.
CUISINE
Food and eating out in The Middle East is amazing. There are so many different restaurants around which cater for different cuisines and tastes – everything from Indian, Italian and American but definitely try the local cuisines.
01. When using public transport, buy an Istanbul Card – I have heard great things about the Istanbul Card and for using it on public transport. These are available from many kiosks around the city, which you can top up and use on public transport to save you some money as it gives you double what you pay for.
02. Bargain lots in the bazaars and souks – We visited one of the main bazaars in Istanbul to do some shopping and you really have to bargain with them to get a good deal. Both my Dad and I bought fake Converse shoes which were amazing and we really bargained to get a good price.
03. Eat at cheap but good restaurants – there are quite a few restaurants around that will serve really good food but at super cheap prices. If you are looking to save money, these are the ones to go for. They usually have a cafeteria style layout to them. I definitely recommend eating tagines and kebabs, so you try the yummy cuisine!
04. Stay in hostels if you don’t mind that – If you don’t mind staying in a hostel, they are the best ways to save money on accommodation. Most of them in Türkiye are really nice, or if you are very lucky you can find a really good deal on a nice hotel.
Budget Tips
Suggested Daily Budget – 24-28 EUR / 21-25 GBP (Note: This is a suggested budget assuming you’re staying in a hostel, eating out a little, cooking most of your meals, and using local transportation. Using the budget tips below, you can always lower this number. However, if you stay in fancier accommodation or eat out more often, expect this to be higher!)
Travel Tips
VISAS
Most of the time you won’t need a visa if you are from the UK, but definitely check before you travel just to be sure.
Check if you need a Visa or other documentation here…
With iVisa, all of your travel document requirements are all in one place. They help give you that piece of mind when checking you have everything you need to enter a country without any hassle.
You can apply for everything from visas, tourist cards, invitation letters and health declaration forms for COVID-19 differently from their website. It’s very quick and easy to use and they are very fast at processing your applications, some things can even be FREE for whichever travel document you need. You can even pay for speedy processing and delivery if you are in a rush.
INJECTIONS
You do not need any injections to visit The Middle East, no matter where you are coming from.
READ MORE: A Guide to Vaccinations And Visas Around The World
CAPITAL/CITY
The capital of The Middle East varies depending on where you are travelling to.
The capital of Turkiye is Ankara which I have been to Turkiye but to the city Istanbul.
Other capitals include..
Tehran, Iran.
Baghdad, Iraq.
Damascus, Syria.
Beirut, Lebanon.
Jerusalem, Israel.
Amman, Jordan.
and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
ACCOMMODATION
There are so many hotels and accommodation across the the Middle East depending on where you are planning to stay. These can vary from major hotel chains, AirBnB’s, homestays or hostels. Make sure you check out AirBnB and also TripAdvisor for booking your hotel or hostel.
ACCOMMODATION I’VE STAYED IN
• Emine Sultan Hotel, Istanbul
DRIVING
I would recommend using public transport whilst visiting the Middle East, unless you are confident in driving there.
FLIGHTS
Flights the Middle East can be from any major city across the world or from having a stopover in a major city if you are coming from somewhere smaller. Be sure to search Skyscanner to find your best time to fly.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
There is plenty of public transport around the Middle East to help you get around.
Packing Tips
WHAT TO WEAR
Dress appropriately for visiting the Middle East and be considerate to religion and cover up any unnecessary skin including cleavage and shoulders, especially when entering a place of worship.
WEATHER
The Middle East has a very hot and dry climate with lots of sunshine and high temperatures all year-round. The best time to visit the Middle East is during the winter when temperatures have cooled to more comfortable levels. January has an average high of 16°C, making it one of the coldest months of the year.
Activities
THINGS TO SEE & DO
There is so much to do depending on where you are in the country. There is all of your typical tourist attractions plus a few quirky corners of the city that not most tourists know about which I love.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST
• Hagia Sophia Museum, Turkiye
• Blue Mosque or Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Turkiye
• The Galata Bridge, Turkiye
• Basilica Cistern, Turkiye
• Grand Bazaar, Turkiye
• Maiden’s Tower, Turkiye
• Vildiz Palace, Turkiye