group 1: Ankara, Bursa, Edirne, Eskisehir, Afyon, Kocaeli, Kirikkale, Konya, Samsun, Zonguldak.
And if the town I select from group 1 is full, I should select from group two:Adana, Ayd?n, Bolu, Gaziantep, Isparta, Manisa, Mersin, Tokat, Erciyes, Sivas.
I want a town like Istanbul( I know that none of this can do that but still) which is a touristic and interesting city, mysterious and beautiful.
So?
Covert Oracle wrote everything possible.
Google the cities, learn more.
Stay away from Kocaeli, K?r?kkale, Konya, Erciyes, S?vas.
(Go to Konya as a torist but not as a student.)
?stanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Eski?ehir, Adana, Mersin are places I'd agree to send my sons to.
Edirne is close to Istanbul, so you can have a chance to explore ?stanbul while you live in Edirne.
I don't know enough about some of the cities like Isparta, Ayd?n, Manisa, Samsun etc etc.
Good luck.
Okay I am a prof on this :D
I'm a born and raised Istanbulite and currently going to university in Ankara and traveled around a lot. So listen to me carefully :D
In group one, the biggest city is Ankara. It is not totally a city like Istanbul but it is a big city with a population over five million and has a nice night life. There is no much to do touristy but Ankara is a really modern city with many museums and cafes. It has a really different culture than Istanbul. The first time I came to Ankara, I was really disappointed because I had thought life would be as colorful as in Istanbul and being away from the sea and the big green forests made me feel like less at home. I was really bored. But once I have got to know the city and have made a lot of friends, I actually started to like. One of the advantages and nicest things of Ankara is that even if it is a big city, it is really simple and easy to get around.
Bursa is the old capital of the Ottoman Empire. I have been there several times. For me, Bursa is like miniature version of Istanbul. It is very greenish and has sea and it has a lot of amazing scenes, historical sites, diversity etc. But if you ask me, I wouldn't really live that long in Bursa because the nightlife is really restricted to few places and it is considerably a conservative place.(But don't get me wrong it is not a xenophobic city. In fact the people are very welcoming since a huge part of Bursa people are actually from Balkans, mostly from Bulgaria and Greece)
Eski?ehir is city right next to Ankara. Now let me tell you this. Eski?ehir is not as big as Ankara or Bursa, but in Turkey, we say that Eski?ehir is the best city for a student. You will definitely love the atmosphere there. The cafes, nightlife and even the streets... they are awesome. And the fact the big number of Eski?ehir are university students, so you can think that it is like a big campus city.
Kocaeli is a city right next to Istanbul's Anatolian side. It is an industrial city. I don't have much experience there but I don't think the life is good there as it is in Bursa, Ankara or Eski?ehir.
Now you're totally forgetting about Afyon, K?r?kkale and Konya because those cities are very boring for an international student. Konya is a big city with many touristic areas but it is highly conservative and you won't have enough to do.
Edirne is slightly better comparing to them. It is very near to Istanbul and it will take two hours or so to visit Istanbul. My friend who studies there always come home to Istanbul at the weekends. It is also a very open minded place where you will be free to enjoy around. It is not a big city but it has nice cafes and towns. You can try.
Zonguldak is in Black Sea Region. More like a town than a city. It is a really cute city but you would most probably die of boredom there. It's like Maine in there.
And the only good cities that are big and have many opportinities in Group B are Adana, Ayd?n and Mersin. Ayd?n is a very touristic place with many European residents. Mersin and Adana are Mediterranean cities. They are really big and much to see. Especially the sea costs and the old towns.
Why Nev?ehir is not on the list? It is the most beautiful city in Turkey. If you can go there then go there.
Zonguldak would be interesting. It's on the Black Sea.
?zmir or Eski?ehir
