Less Touristy Places in Turkey That Are Worth the Trip

Short Answer

Almost everyone who visits Turkey sees the same five or six places: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus, Pamukkale and the Antalya coast. Most of the other 81 provinces have a real subject too, and none of the queues, timed entries or tourist pricing.

• The eastern line of Ardahan, Tunceli and Hakkari is the most dramatic landscape in the country, with the thinnest infrastructure.
• Bayburt has a contemporary art museum in a village. Kilis has underground water buildings found nowhere else in Turkey.
• What these places share is a lack of signage and visitor centres. Asking directions in the village is the normal method.
• Season is not a preference out here. Most eastern provinces are effectively shut from November to April.

Why they are overlooked

These places are not unknown because they are dull. They are unknown because getting there takes time and the infrastructure is thin. Some provinces have no airport, and those that do run few flights. Hotels are concentrated in the provincial capital, and the range of restaurants is narrow.

What you get in exchange is real: no crowds, no tourist pricing, and nothing arranged for your benefit. It is a trade. If comfort comes first, the coast and the classic route are the better answer. If seeing a place before it has been packaged matters to you, this is where to look.

Three eastern provinces: Ardahan, Tunceli, Hakkari

**Ardahan** sits above 1,800 metres, with Russian-period stone buildings in the centre and a lake that freezes. When Lake Cildir freezes hard enough, horse sleighs run on the ice, though it does not happen every winter. The real stop is Seytan Castle: an early medieval fortress on a rock with cliffs on three sides, holding the four walls of a church inside. Detail in the Ardahan travel guide.

**Tunceli** is one of the least populated provinces and people come for the landscape. The springs where the Munzur rises from the base of a rock face are also a place of pilgrimage, so behave accordingly. Pertek Castle, its surroundings drowned when the Keban reservoir filled, now appears to rise straight out of the water. The Tunceli guide lists thirteen stops.

**Hakkari** holds the second highest summit in Turkey. The Cilo and Sat mountains, with their glacial lakes, were declared a national park in 2020. This is serious mountain country rather than a day trip, and the Hakkari guide is honest about distances and season.

The unexpected stops

**Bayburt has a contemporary art museum in a village.** The Baksi Museum keeps regional craft and current art under one roof, and it does this not in a provincial capital but in a village. The same province has an underground settlement of twenty rooms cut into tuff.

**Kilis has kastels.** These are underground water buildings that split channelled water into cisterns and washing rooms, and nowhere else in Turkey has them at this scale. The same province holds one of the largest mounds in the country, with a base of 460 by 320 metres.

**Kirikkale has a Hittite excavation in progress.** A walled settlement on a rocky hill in the bend of the Kizilirmak, with a pointed-arch Seljuk bridge dated to the 13th century right beside it. It works as a day trip from Ankara.

Quieter versions of the famous places

If you do not want to go far, several well-known destinations have calmer equivalents.

Safranbolu and Amasya deliver Ottoman streets without the Cappadocia crowds. Mardin is one of the most walkable centres in the country thanks to its stone lanes, with Midyat on the same line. Ayvalik and Cunda give you an Aegean alternative outside the density of Bodrum and Cesme.

For comparisons of this kind, the most walkable cities in Turkey explains which centres can be walked end to end.

What to know before you go

A car is close to essential. Minibuses reach the district towns, but castles, lake shores and viewpoints are not on any public route. Do you need a car in Turkey works through that by region.

Accommodation is limited to the provincial capital and there is not much of it. Weekday business travel can fill it, so check ahead.

Carry cash. Card acceptance is patchy in small towns and villages. For payment habits generally, see tipping, bargaining and paying in Turkey.

Do not expect signage. Most ruins have no information board, and maps do not always lead to the right place. Asking in the village is the normal and effective method here.

Planning FAQ

**Are these regions safe?** The main routes are ordinary tourism territory. For some border districts and mountain areas, official advisories change from period to period, so check your own government's current guidance. For the general picture, see is Turkey safe for travel.

**How many days should I allow?** At least two full days for one eastern province, four or five if you combine two. Distances are longer than they look on paper.

**Is English spoken?** Much less than in the tourist centres. Set up a translation app for offline use, because there are stretches with no phone signal.

**When should I go?** June to September for the east. For inland and southern provinces such as Kilis and Kirikkale, spring and autumn are more comfortable and the summer heat is severe.

**What is the food like out here?** It changes by region, and the differences are substantial. What to eat in Turkey separates it region by region.