Destinations
Regions
Aegean Turkey Greek and Roman ruins between azure sea on one side and silvery olive groves on the other |
Black Sea Turkey Heavily forested mountains offering great outdoor sports such as trekking and rafting |
Central Anatolia Tree-poor central steppes with the national capital, Hittite and Phrygian ruins, and moon-like Cappadocia |
Eastern Anatolia High and mountainous eastern part with harsh winters |
Marmara Region The most urbanized region with Byzantine and Ottoman monuments in some of the country's greatest cities |
Mediterranean Turkey Mountains clad with pine woods ascending right from the heavily-indented coastline of the crystal clear sea |
Southeastern Anatolia Semi-desert Middle-Easternmost part of the country |
Cities
- Ankara — the capital of Turkey and its second largest city
- Antalya — the fastest growing city, hub to an array of beach resorts
- Bodrum — a trendy coastal town in Southern Aegean which turns into a crowded city in season when it serves as a playground for Turkish and international holidaymakers alike, featuring a citadel, Roman ruins, trendy clubs and a number of villages surrounding the peninsula each with a different character from classy to rustic
- Edirne — the second capital of the Ottoman Empire
- Istanbul — Turkey's largest city, the former capital of both the Ottoman and Byzantine Empires, and the only major city in the world to straddle two continents
- Izmir — Turkey's third largest city, hub to an array of beach resorts
- Konya — a quite large city that is the heartland of mystic Sufi order, the site of Rumi's tomb, and with some elegant Seljuq architecture, all surrounded by vast steppes
- Trabzon — the wonderful Sumela Monastery is just outside the city and it is a great gateway to exploring the Turkish Northeast
- Urfa — a city with beautiful architecture and extremely friendly locals at the gates of Eastern World; where Kurdish, Arabic, and Persian cultures mingle
Other destinations
- Ani — impressive ruins of the medieval Armenian capital in the far east of the country; known as the city of 1000 churches
- Cappadocia — an area in the central highlands best known for its unique moon-like landscape (the "fairy chimneys"), underground cities, cave churches and houses carved in the rocks
- Ephesus — well-preserved ruins of the Roman city on the west coast
- Gallipoli — site of 1915 Anzac landing and many WWI memorials
- Mount Nemrut — a UNESCO World Heritage site with head statues dedicated to ancient gods on its summit
- Ölüdeniz — incomparable postcard beauty of the "Blue Lagoon", perhaps the most famous beach of Turkey which you will see on any tourism brochure
- Pamukkale — "the Cotton Castle", white world of travertines surrounding cascading shallow pools filled with thermal waters
- Sümela — stunning monastery on the cliffs of a mountain, a must-see on any trip to the northeast coast
- Uludağ — a national park featuring school textbook belts of different types of forests varying with altitude, and the major winter sports resort of the country
Turkey - Travel guide
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