The Most Walkable Cities in Turkey

Short Answer

Some places in Turkey only make sense on foot. Three things make a town walkable: the sights sit close together, the streets between them are worth seeing, and the ground can actually be walked.

• The most walkable centres: Mardin, Safranbolu, Amasya, Alanya old town, Antalya Kaleici, central Bodrum, Ayvalik and Cunda.
• Istanbul as a whole is not walkable, yet district by district it is the best walking city in the country.
• Cappadocia is valley walking rather than town walking, and the walking is the experience.
• Ankara and Izmir work on particular stretches rather than as whole cities.

Istanbul, walkable one district at a time

Treating Istanbul as a single walk produces nothing but exhaustion. At district scale, though, it is the richest walking city in Turkey.

On the historic peninsula the line from Sultanahmet through Eminonu to Suleymaniye is entirely walkable, with two thousand years layered along it. Between Galata and Karakoy there is a lot of slope but very little distance. The shore path from Kadikoy to Moda is flat and shaded, and on the European side the coastal road from Ortakoy to Bebek is the city's most comfortable long walk.

Ferries are part of walking here. You cannot walk between the two sides, but a ferry shortens the distance and turns it into a view. For the district-level detail, see the Istanbul guide.

Small centres you can walk end to end

**Mardin** leads this list. The old town runs along a single slope, with stepped passages linking the main street to the lanes below. Cars cannot get in anyway, so walking is not a preference but the only option. In return you get a run of terraces looking out over the Mesopotamian plain. The Mardin guide covers the route in detail.

**Safranbolu** is walked inside a preserved set of Ottoman houses. The market, the mansions and the viewpoints on the hill are minutes apart, stop by stop in the Safranbolu guide.

**Amasya** sits on both banks of the Yesilirmak, with a riverside path, rock tombs on the opposite slope and Ottoman houses all on the same line.

**Antalya Kaleici** and **Alanya old town** are old harbour towns in scale: narrow lanes, gates in the walls, sea views, everything within a walk.

**Ayvalik and Cunda** are stone-paved places to walk slowly. You cross to Cunda by causeway, but a car is pointless once you are on the island.

Routes where walking is the whole point

In Cappadocia the valleys can only be understood on foot. The paths around Pigeon Valley, Red Valley, Love Valley and Goreme pass through ground no vehicle reaches, and walking inside the tuff is the experience itself.

The Lycian Way is the country's best-known long-distance path, and you do not have to walk all of it. Half-day sections are easy to take around Kas, Kalkan and Cirali.

On the Black Sea coast the highland tracks are open to walkers but the distances are long, so it makes sense to drive up and start the walk from the plateau.

What spoils walkability

To be honest about it, pavement culture in Turkey is weak. Parking on pavements is common, widths are inconsistent, and cars do not stop at crossings. In the big cities this can turn a walk into an exercise in attention rather than pleasure.

Surface is the second issue. Most old towns are stone: cobbles, uneven steps, sloping lanes. It photographs well, but footwear makes a real difference.

Season is the third. Walking the coast at midday in July and August is no pleasure, while the same route at seven in the morning or six in the evening is a different experience entirely.

City by city, briefly

In Ankara the line through Anitkabir, the castle and Ulus is walkable, though the city as a whole was built at car scale. In Izmir the Kordon from Konak to Alsancak is a long flat waterfront walk, and the Kemeralti bazaar is a walking world of its own. In Bursa, Cumalikizik village and the area around the Grand Mosque are walkable, with public transport for the gaps.

In Gaziantep the coppersmiths' bazaar and the castle surroundings are compact. In Sanliurfa the pools, the bazaar and the museum sit within walking distance of each other, though summer heat dictates the schedule.

Planning FAQ

**Which is the most walkable city in Turkey?** At small scale, Mardin and Safranbolu. At large scale, Istanbul, as long as you choose one district at a time.

**How much walking should I plan per day?** In old towns even six to eight kilometres can be tiring because of gradients and steps. The same distance along a flat waterfront is easy.

**Is walking possible in summer?** Yes, if you choose the hours. Early morning and late afternoon are comfortable; midday on the coast and in the southeast is not.

**What shoes?** Closed shoes with grip. Smooth-soled sandals on stone lanes are the most common complaint.

**Can I see the routes before I go?** Yes. The 4K walking films show the routes at street level without cuts, which is the most practical way to judge gradient, surface and crowds before you arrive.