Turkey, rich in history and with a landscape that includes beaches and soaring mountains, has served as a gateway between Europe and Asia for thousands of years. Turkey is a richly diverse country due to its role as a trading and cultural exchange hub. The country's mouthwatering culinary landscape, as well as the innumerable religious monuments and archaeological sites, bear witness to the country's wealth of culture and breadth of influences.
Istanbul, once the capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, is a popular tourist destination, but there are many other wonderful places to visit. You could spend your time here staying in boutique hotels inside caves and floating in hot air balloons above Cappadocia's otherworldly landscape, wandering through the Greco-Roman world in Ephesus, or simply soaking up the sun at luxury beach resorts along the Aegean Sea. Here are the top places to visit in Turkey:
10. Ankara
Ankara, Turkey's capital, is a sprawling, modern city filled with government buildings, commercial businesses, universities, and foreign embassies. Ankara, located in the heart of the country and the Anatolia region, is an important transportation hub that connects nationals and tourists to other major destinations in Turkey. Ankara, on the other hand, is not all business. This bustling city also has some historic sites as well as arts and culture.
9. Mardin
Mardin's Old City is easily explored on foot. The maze of meandering streets takes visitors past terraced houses and popular sites such as the Deyrü'z-Zafaran Monastery, one of the world's oldest monasteries, and the Sultan Isa Medresesi, a medieval monument that once served as an astronomical observatory. Zinciriye Medresesi, an Islamic school built in the 14th century, has beautiful courtyards and artwork.
8. Konya
Konya is a large city in Turkey's Central Anatolia Region and one of the world's oldest cities, best known for its remarkable Seljuk architecture and Whirling Dervishes. Under the rule of the Seljuk Dynasty in the 12th and 13th centuries, Konya flourished as a capital city. Attractive buildings from that era, such as the Alaeddin Mosque, which houses the tombs of several sultans, can still be seen today. Another well-known example is the Ince Minare Medrese, which is now a museum displaying Seljuk and Ottoman artifacts.
7. Antalya
Antalya, located on the beautiful Turkish Riviera on the Mediterranean coast, is a large, vibrant city that welcomes tourists with a variety of resorts, hotels, bars, and restaurants. Beautiful beaches and lush green mountains dotted with ancient ruins frame the city's spectacular scenery. Antalya has something for everyone, from swimming and sailing to mountain climbing, sightseeing, and family fun.
6. Marmaris
Marmaris, one of Turkey's most popular seaside resorts, is surrounded by pine-clad mountains, sandy white beaches, turquoise waters, and historic architecture. This stunning cruise port, located along the Turkish Riviera in southwest Turkey, is a tourist paradise with exceptional sightseeing opportunities, water sports, fantastic dining, and buzzing nightlife.
Visitors will be spoiled for choice in Marmaris because there is so much to see and do. A stroll through the cobblestone streets of the old quarter reveals the attractive architecture and a visit to Suleyman the Magnificent's 16th-century Castle. Several boat tours take visitors around the picturesque bays and neighbouring villages.
5. Side
Side is a picturesque town of classic ruins and modern-day resorts overlooking sandy white beaches. It was a major port in ancient Pamphylia and was occupied by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. Side, located on a small peninsula on Turkey's Mediterranean coast in the Antalya Province, offers fantastic sightseeing, nightlife, and outdoor adventure.
The main draw of Side is an excavated site of ancient Hellenistic and Roman ruins, which includes the remains of a colossal amphitheater, an agora, a Byzantine basilica, public baths, marble columns, and various temples. The Roman baths have been restored and now house a museum with a collection of Roman statues and artifacts. The Temple of Apollo, which overlooks the beach, is a spectacular sight, especially at sunset.
4. Bodrum
Bodrum, in Turkey's southern Aegean region, is the site of the ancient fortified city of Halicarnassus, which once housed marble buildings, temples, statues, paved streets, and the Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The city remained a quiet fishing village after it fell into ruins until the twentieth century when Turkish intellectuals popularised it through their writings. Bodrum's intriguing ruins, stunning beaches, and cliff-top resorts now draw visitors from all over the world.
3. Ephesus
Ephesus, Europe's most complete classical metropolis, is an ancient site in Aegean Turkey. Ephesus was one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire by the 1st century BC, and it was home to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Temple of Artemis. Ephesus' ruins are well preserved and part of a large archaeological site, making it one of Turkey's most popular tourist destinations.
Ephesus was declared a Roman settlement in 133 BC, but it did not reach its peak for another 200 years. Ephesus once had more than 250,000 permanent residents when it was the capital of Roman Asia Minor. St. Paul lived in Ephesus and promoted Christianity as well as many other religions.
2. Cappadocia
Cappadocia, located in Turkey's Central Anatolia, is best known for its fairytale landscape of unusual formations such as chimneys, cones, mushrooms, and pinnacles. Natural processes such as ancient volcanic eruptions and erosion have all sculpted these strange formations over time, with some reaching heights of 130 feet (40 meters). Humans, however, added remarkable touches to the landscape thousands of years ago by carving out houses, churches, and underground cities from the soft rock.
As early as 1800 BC, Hittites, and other residents carved out underground tunnel complexes to protect themselves from invading Persians and Greeks. Christians fleeing religious persecution from Rome sought refuge in Cappadocia's tunnels and caves much later in the 4th century AD.
1. Istanbul
Istanbul, once the capital of the Ottoman and Byzantine Empires, is now Turkey's largest city and one of the world's largest. Istanbul is the only city in the world that stretches across both sides of the Bosphorus, a narrow strait connecting Asia and Europe. Istanbul is one of the world's top tourist destinations due to its impressive architecture, historic sites, dining, shopping, nightlife, and exotic atmosphere.
The Old City is home to the majority of the city's historic sites, including the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace. New City is another important district, known for its modern attractions, skyscrapers, and shopping malls.
