When looking for a destination for their next winter sports holiday, most ski fans and snowboarders don’t think of Turkey. After all, the country in southeastern Europe is better known for beach vacations and exciting city trips. In addition, Turkey has much more to offer during the winter and has attractive destinations for winter sports enthusiasts. There are numerous winter sports centres to choose from here and impress with modern lifts, good accessibility, comfortable hotels in the area and a wide range of leisure activities.
The most beautiful destinations for winter sports in Turkey
Similar to the heart of Europe, the best time to travel to Turkey for winter sports is between mid-December and March. In the modern ski resorts, snow cannons sometimes ensure a high level of snow reliability, even in the off-peak times of the Turkish ski season. Around the slopes there are gastronomic establishments where you can stop for a bite to eat after skiing. Ski schools with courses for beginners and special offers for children are also available in some ski resorts. The right winter sports equipment can be rented on site. The five ski resorts in Turkey presented below offer everything a winter sports heart desires.
Kartalkaya Ski Resort
Modern ski resorts in Turkey include the ski resort
Kartalkaya in the Black Sea region. A total of 18.5 kilometres of slopes are available here. They are evenly distributed on easy, intermediate and difficult slopes. Therefore, Kartalkaya is suitable for both beginners in skiing and experienced skiers. With the eight existing lifts, winter sports enthusiasts can reach the starting point of the slopes. By the way, they extend up to an altitude of 2,195 meters. The nearest larger town in the vicinity of the Kartalkaya ski resort is Bolu, 38 kilometres away. Here you will find a variety of modern hotels, varied gastronomy and shopping facilities.
Erciyes Ski Resort
The Ski Resort Erciyes is also one of the most frequented Turkish ski resorts. Here, winter sports holidaymakers can look forward to 34 different slopes. Most of the runs are suitable for beginners and advanced skiers. After all, six black slopes challenge even experienced skiers. The Erciyes ski resort extends over the slopes of Mount Erciyes, from which it owes its name. It reaches a total altitude of up to 3,920 meters. Due to this altitude, the ski season starts at the end of November and lasts until May. Compared to other winter sports hotspots in Turkey, the area around the ski resort has some low-cost hotels and is therefore popular with young couples as well as families with children.
Ski Center Uludağ
In the immediate vicinity of the resort of Bursa and thus not far from Istanbul , the Uludağ Ski Center promises fun on the slopes on 20 different slopes with a total length of 35 kilometers. Modern climbing facilities take winter sports enthusiasts comfortably to the starting points of the slopes. By the way, they are between one and a half and two kilometers long. In addition to the offers for skiers and snowboarders, Uludağ also has several marked trekking routes. During the winter season, the beauty of the snow-covered landscape can be experienced on foot on these routes. However, this requires a certain basic level of fitness.
Ski Center Davraz
Southwest of the city of Isparta is another ski area with a small range of slopes. We are talking about the Ski Center Davraz, which can be reached from Antalya after a good hour and a half by car. Although the ski season is somewhat shorter in the area, there is a high level of snow reliability between the end of December and the beginning of March. So far, winter sports enthusiasts can look forward to 13 slopes in the Davraz ski area. Eight of them are aimed at advanced skiers, two others have been designed for beginners and three ski slopes are suitable for experienced skiers. Due to the growing popularity of the Ski Center, especially among weekend trippers from Antalya, an expansion of the range of slopes is being considered. Also among the highlights in the Davraz ski area is a toboggan run, which can be used by young and old toboggan fans.
Ski resort Palandöken
On the snowy slopes of Palandöken Mountain in eastern Anatolia lies the Ski Center Palandöken. The optimal accessibility also for holidaymakers from Germany makes it an attractive destination for a winter holiday. The nearby town of Erzurum is about 13 kilometers north of the ski resort. From the city’s airport, a car ride to the lifts takes only about 20 minutes. An extensive network of slopes with 22 runs begins at the mountain stations. Eight each fall into the blue and red categories. The two Olympic slopes for experienced winter sports enthusiasts will be supplemented by four natural runs. In the Palandöken ski area, the longest run is an impressive twelve kilometres long and overcomes a difference in altitude of 1,000 metres. This makes it the longest ski slope in all of Turkey.
