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The best of Turkey
A curated pick of the best destinations in Turkey by category, from top cities and ancient sites to beaches and nature, each linked to its guides and walking tours.
Or browse by province, district and neighbourhoodTop cities and regions
İstanbul
Two continents, the historic peninsula and the Bosphorus neighbourhoods in one city.
City pageKapadokya
Fairy chimneys, underground cities and balloon-filled valleys.
City pageAntalya
The old town, waterfalls, ancient cities and a long Mediterranean coast.
City pageİzmir
The Aegean city, with Ephesus, Cesme-Alacati and Sirince nearby.
City pageMuğla (Bodrum, Fethiye, Marmaris)
The Bodrum peninsula, Oludeniz, Dalyan and the Datca bays.
City pageMardin
A stone-house old town looking over the Mesopotamian plain.
City pageTrabzon
The Sumela Monastery, Uzungol and the Black Sea highlands.
City pageBursa
Ottoman mosques, Uludag, Cumalikizik and Iznik.
City pageÇanakkale
Troy, Gallipoli, Assos and Bozcaada island.
City pageGaziantep
The food capital, with Zeugma, the castle and baklava and kebabs.
City pageŞanlıurfa
Gobeklitepe, the sacred Balikligol pools and Harran.
City pageKonya
The tomb of Mevlana, the Seljuk monuments and Catalhoyuk.
City pageRize
The tea gardens, Ayder and the Firtina valley highlands.
City pageKars
The ruins of Ani, the Russian-era stone centre and frozen Lake Cildir.
City pageVan
Akdamar Island, the Urartian castle, Hosap and the famous breakfast.
City pageAdıyaman (Nemrut)
The colossal stone heads of Mount Nemrut and the Commagene route.
City pageEdirne
The Ottoman capital before Istanbul, with the Selimiye and the bazaars.
City pageBalıkesir (Ayvalık, Kaz Dağları)
The Ayvalik-Cunda stone streets, Mount Ida and the Marmara islands.
City pageHatay (Antakya)
Roman mosaics, St Peter’s and a UNESCO gastronomy kitchen, recovering after the earthquake.
City pageAdana
A Roman bridge still in use, a huge mosque and the country’s most famous kebab.
City pageMersin
Kizkalesi, the sinkholes, ancient cities and 300 km of coast.
City pageAmasya
Riverfront Ottoman houses under royal tombs cut into the cliff.
City pageKayseri
A basalt citadel under Erciyes, Seljuk tombs in the traffic, and pastirma.
City pageErzurum
Seljuk stone at 1,900 m, skiing at Palandoken and cag kebabi.
City pageArtvin
The Karagol lakes, the Macahel biosphere valley and forests that turn in autumn.
City pageÇorum (Hattuşa)
The UNESCO-listed Hittite capital, the Yazilikaya rock sanctuary and leblebi.
City pageSivas
Seljuk medreses on one square, and the UNESCO-listed Divrigi portals.
City pageMalatya
UNESCO-listed Arslantepe, the Levent valley and the world’s apricot centre.
City pageAğrı (Doğubayazıt)
The Ishak Pasha Palace and Mount Ararat, Turkey’s highest mountain.
City pageAksaray (Ihlara)
The Ihlara valley, the best walk in Cappadocia, and its rock churches.
City pageBitlis
The Nemrut crater lake and the Seljuk headstones of Ahlat.
City pageBolu
Autumn at Yedigoller, Lake Abant and the Ottoman towns.
City pageKütahya
The Temple of Zeus at Aizanoi and a living tile tradition.
City pageOsmaniye (Karatepe)
An open-air museum where Late Hittite reliefs stand at the gates they were carved on.
City pageKastamonu
The UNESCO-listed Mahmut Bey Mosque at Kasaba, timber mansions and the Kure canyons.
City pageAfyonkarahisar
A castle on a volcanic plug, the UNESCO-listed wooden-columned Great Mosque and the Phrygian valleys.
City pageIsparta
Lake Egirdir, the rose harvest season and the Pisidian cities.
City pageSinop
Anatolia’s northernmost point, the historic prison and the Hamsilos inlet.
City pageNiğde
The Gumusler frescoes and the Nigde face of the Aladaglar.
City pageSamsun
The Bandirma ferry, the Amazon Village and the Kizilirmak delta birdlife.
City pageTop ancient sites and museums
Efes Antik Kenti
A Roman city with the Library of Celsus and a great theatre.
City pageAyasofya ve Topkapı Sarayı
The Byzantine-Ottoman core around Sultanahmet.
City pageHierapolis ve Pamukkale
The ancient thermal city above the white travertine terraces.
City pageTroya
The city of Homer’s epic and its layered excavation.
City pageSümela Manastırı
The famous Black Sea monastery carved into a cliff face.
City pageAnıtkabir
Ataturk’s mausoleum and museum.
City pageSafranbolu Osmanlı evleri
The UNESCO-listed timber Ottoman houses and bazaar.
City pageAssos (Behramkale)
An Aegean ancient city with the Temple of Athena and a stone village.
City pageGöbeklitepe
The world’s oldest known temple site, dated to around 9600 BC.
City pageZeugma Mozaik Müzesi
One of the largest mosaic museums in the world, home to the Gypsy Girl.
City pageMevlana Müzesi
The tomb and museum of Mevlana (Rumi).
City pageÇatalhöyük
An early Neolithic settlement dated from around 7500 BC.
City pageAni Harabeleri
The abandoned medieval Armenian capital on the steppe, UNESCO-listed.
City pageNemrut Dağı
A Commagene king’s funerary sanctuary at 2,150 m, with fallen stone heads.
City pageAkdamar Kilisesi
A 10th-century church on a lake island, carved with stone reliefs outside.
City pageSelimiye Camii
The mosque Sinan called his own masterwork, UNESCO-listed.
City pageHatay Arkeoloji Müzesi
One of the world’s great Roman mosaic collections, reopened in 2025.
City pageKral Kaya Mezarları
Pontic royal tombs cut into the cliff above the Yesilirmak.
City pagePanorama 1453 Tarih Müzesi
A 360-degree painted panorama of the 1453 conquest, beside the land walls.
City pageHattuşa
The Hittite capital, where the Treaty of Kadesh was found, UNESCO-listed.
City pageArslantepe Höyüğü
One of the oldest known palaces, from the 4th millennium BC, UNESCO-listed in 2021.
City pageDivriği Ulu Camii
The strangest stone portals of the middle ages, UNESCO-listed, reopened in 2024.
City pageÇifte Minareli Medrese
The 13th-century Seljuk medrese that is Erzurum’s emblem.
City pageİshak Paşa Sarayı
A late-18th-century local dynasty’s palace under Mount Ararat.
City pageKaratepe-Aslantaş
Late Hittite reliefs and a bilingual inscription, still at the gates they were carved on.
City pageAizanoi Zeus Tapınağı
The best preserved Temple of Zeus in Anatolia, at Cavdarhisar.
City pageAhlat Selçuklu Mezarlığı
The largest surviving Turkish-Islamic cemetery, with thousands of carved stones.
City pageTop beaches and bays
Ölüdeniz
The famous blue lagoon and paragliding spot.
City pageKaputaş Plajı
The turquoise cove on the Kas-Kalkan road.
City pagePatara Plajı
A very long protected sandy beach behind the ancient city.
City pageİztuzu Plajı
The loggerhead-turtle nesting beach at Dalyan.
City pageÇıralı ve Olimpos
The Chimaera flames and a calm protected shore.
City pageKleopatra Plajı (Alanya)
The wide city beach below the castle.
City pageSalda Gölü
A crater lake with white sand and turquoise water.
City pageAmasra
A Black Sea town with two harbours and a castle.
City pageTop nature and landscapes
Kapadokya vadileri
Walking the Pigeon, Red and Love valleys.
City pagePamukkale travertenleri
The white terrace pools formed by thermal water.
City pageUzungöl
A mountain lake among pine forests.
City pageSaklıkent Kanyonu
A cold-water gorge between high walls.
City pageUludağ
The ski-and-nature mountain above Bursa.
City pageBozcaada
An Aegean island of vineyards, beaches and a castle.
City pageDatça yarımadası
A thin peninsula of quiet bays with Knidos at its tip.
City pageAyder ve Fırtına Vadisi
Tea-covered mountains, hot springs and a green valley with stone bridges.
City pageKaz Dağları
Mount Ida of myth: forest, waterfalls and the olive groves below.
City pageÇıldır Gölü
A high plateau lake that freezes in winter, with sledges and ice fishing.
City pageManyas Kuş Cenneti
A national park on the migration route, with birdwatching towers.
City pageCennet ve Cehennem obrukları
Giant collapse sinkholes: a chapel at the bottom of one, no way into the other.
City pageAladağlar Milli Parkı
The steepest part of the Taurus range, with summit and canyon routes.
City pageIhlara Vadisi
A canyon the Melendiz cut through tuff, with frescoed rock churches in its walls.
City pageYedigöller Milli Parkı
Seven landslide-formed lakes, and the country’s most photographed autumn forest.
City pageNemrut Krater Gölü
One of the world’s largest crater lakes, in a caldera above Lake Van.
City pageAğrı Dağı
Turkey’s highest point at 5,137 m; climbing needs a permit and a guide.
City page