Mediterranean — the Turquoise Coast

Side & Aspendos

A Greco-Roman port town on a small peninsula, where the marble columns of the Temple of Apollo frame the sunset over the sea. Nearby Aspendos preserves the best-kept Roman theatre in the world — still hosting performances.

Where: Manavgat, east of Antalya
Best time: Apr–Jun & Sep–Nov; sunset at the temple
Getting there: 75 km east of Antalya airport; buses and dolmuş run via Manavgat. Aspendos and the Manavgat waterfalls are on the way.
Eat & drink: Fish restaurants ring the old harbour below the temple; inland, Manavgat is known for its grilled river trout and çöp şiş skewers.
Tip: The ruins are woven through the modern village — stroll the colonnaded street down to the old harbour.

The story

Side was Pamphylia's great port — slave market, pirate haven, and by Roman times a city rich enough to pave its main street in marble and line it with colonnades. Cleopatra and Mark Antony are said to have met here. The ruins were never abandoned: a fishing village grew up inside them in the 19th century, so today you walk past a 15,000-seat theatre and Byzantine basilica to reach pension gardens and beach bars.

At the very tip of the peninsula, five re-erected columns of the Temple of Apollo frame the sea — at sunset the most romantic single view on the Turkish Mediterranean. Twenty minutes inland, the theatre of Aspendos is the best-preserved in the Roman world, its stage building still standing to the full 41 rows; catch an opera or ballet there on a summer night if you possibly can.

In pictures

Aspendos — the Roman world's best-kept theatre

Region by region

What to see, region by region

Seven regions, 20 hand-picked places. Jump to a region:

Marmara & Istanbul

Two continents, three empires — and the walls of Troy

The 6th-century exterior with its Ottoman minarets

UNESCO

Hagia Sophia

Built in 537 AD as the greatest cathedral of Byzantium, later an imperial mosque — for almost a thousand years this was the largest enclosed space on Earth. Its floating golden dome and layered history make it Türkiye’s single most famous building.

Where: Sultanahmet, Istanbul

Best time: Apr–Jun & Sep–Nov; go right at opening

Tip: Foreign visitors tour the upper gallery (ticket ≈ €25); closed to tourists during prayer times.

UNESCO

Blue Mosque & Sultanahmet

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, crowned by six minarets and lined with 20,000 handmade İznik tiles, faces Hagia Sophia across a rose garden. Around it lies the old imperial quarter: Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern and the Grand Bazaar’s 4,000 shops.

Where: Sultanahmet, Istanbul

Best time: Year-round; dusk for the best photos

Tip: Entry is free, outside the five daily prayers. Dress modestly; scarves are provided at the door.

The Genoese tower over Galata's rooftops

Galata & the Bosphorus

Cross the Galata Bridge past anglers and fish sandwiches, climb the 14th-century Genoese tower for a 360° panorama, then take a ferry up the strait that separates Europe from Asia — the cheapest world-class cruise anywhere.

Where: Karaköy / Beyoğlu, Istanbul

Best time: Year-round; sunset ferry is magical

Tip: Use an Istanbulkart for ferries, trams and metro — public ferries beat pricey tourist cruises.

The wooden horse on Çanakkale's waterfront

UNESCO

Troy

The legendary city of Homer’s Iliad, where archaeologists found nine cities stacked over 4,000 years. Walk the ancient walls, pose with the wooden horse, then dive deeper at the striking modern Troy Museum next door.

Where: Near Çanakkale, Dardanelles

Best time: Apr–Jun & Sep–Oct

Tip: Combine with the moving Gallipoli battlefields across the strait for a full day of history.

Aegean Coast

Marble cities of antiquity, thermal terraces and whitewashed harbours

UNESCO

Pamukkale & Hierapolis

The "Cotton Castle": a hillside of dazzling white travertine terraces filled with warm, mineral-rich water. On the plateau above sit the ruins of Roman Hierapolis, where you can swim among sunken ancient columns in Cleopatra’s Pool.

Where: Near Denizli, Aegean region

Best time: Early morning or golden hour; avoid midday heat

Tip: Shoes come off on the terraces — bring a bag for them and non-slip confidence; the stone can be slick.

UNESCO

Ephesus

The best-preserved classical city of the eastern Mediterranean. Walk marble streets past the two-storey Library of Celsus, terraced Roman houses with intact frescoes, and a great theatre that once seated 25,000 spectators.

Where: Selçuk, near İzmir

Best time: Mar–May & Sep–Nov; first hour after opening

Tip: Hire a guide or audio guide — the stones come alive. Don’t skip the Terrace Houses (separate ticket).

Bodrum

Whitewashed houses and bougainvillea spill down to a bay guarded by the Castle of St. Peter, home to a world-class Museum of Underwater Archaeology. Ancient Halicarnassus’ Mausoleum — one of the Seven Wonders — once stood here.

Where: Bodrum Peninsula, Aegean

Best time: May–Oct; liveliest in high summer

Tip: Charter a traditional gulet for a "Blue Cruise" along the coast — even a one-day trip is worth it.

Mediterranean — the Turquoise Coast

Pine-fringed lagoons, Lycian ruins and 300 days of sunshine

Ölüdeniz & Fethiye

A still, turquoise lagoon curling around a white spit of sand beneath pine-covered mountains — Türkiye’s most photographed beach. Tandem paragliders launch from 1,900 m Babadağ and spiral down over the bay; the Lycian Way starts nearby.

Where: Fethiye, Turquoise Coast

Best time: May–Oct; June & September are ideal

Tip: Book paragliding for morning slots (calmer air) and take a boat day-trip to Butterfly Valley.

Aspendos' Roman theatre, an easy day-trip east

Antalya

The capital of the Turkish Riviera: an Ottoman old town (Kaleiçi) wrapped around a Roman harbour, waterfalls that plunge straight into the sea, and long beaches backed by the Taurus mountains. Perge, Aspendos and Side are an easy drive away.

Where: Mediterranean coast

Best time: Apr–Jun & Sep–Nov; swimming into November

Tip: See the Lower Düden waterfall from a boat, and catch a summer concert in the Roman theatre of Aspendos.

Side & Aspendos

Where: Manavgat, east of Antalya

Best time: Apr–Jun & Sep–Nov; sunset at the temple

Tip: The ruins are woven through the modern village — stroll the colonnaded street down to the old harbour.

Central Anatolia

Fairy chimneys, underground cities and the home of the whirling dervishes

UNESCO

Cappadocia

A surreal volcanic landscape of fairy chimneys, hidden Byzantine cave churches and entire underground cities. At dawn, more than a hundred hot-air balloons drift over the valleys of Göreme — one of the world’s great travel spectacles.

Where: Göreme / Nevşehir, Central Anatolia

Best time: Apr–Jun & Sep–Nov for flights

Tip: Book balloons ahead and allow 2–3 mornings — flights are cancelled in wind. Stay in a cave hotel.

Konya & the Mevlâna

The spiritual heart of Türkiye, where the 13th-century Sufi poet Rumi taught and is buried beneath a turquoise-tiled dome. His mausoleum-museum and the mesmerising sema ceremony of the whirling dervishes draw pilgrims from every faith.

Where: Konya, Central Anatolia

Best time: Year-round; Rumi festival in December

Tip: See an authentic sema ceremony (Saturdays at the Mevlâna Cultural Centre) and try etli ekmek, Konya’s metre-long flatbread.

Black Sea

Cliff monasteries, tea gardens and perfectly preserved Ottoman towns

Sumela Monastery

A Greek Orthodox monastery founded in the 4th century, clinging impossibly to a sheer cliff 300 metres above a misty forest valley. Inside, restored chapels are covered in vivid frescoes; outside, the Black Sea’s greenest scenery.

Where: Altındere Valley, near Trabzon

Best time: May–Oct; often shrouded in atmospheric mist

Tip: Combine with the alpine lake of Uzungöl and a çay (tea) stop — this region grows all of Türkiye’s tea.

UNESCO

Safranbolu

A perfectly preserved Ottoman merchant town of timber-framed mansions, cobbled lanes, a 17th-century caravanserai and artisan bazaars — named after the saffron that still grows in the surrounding fields.

Where: Karabük, ~2h from Ankara

Best time: Apr–Oct; lovely under winter snow too

Tip: Sleep in a konak (Ottoman mansion), try saffron lokum, and climb to Hıdırlık hill for the rooftop view.

Uzungöl

A mirror-still mountain lake at 1,090 m, with a slender-minaret mosque at the water’s edge and spruce forest climbing into the mist — the Black Sea’s postcard view and a cool escape even in high summer.

Where: Çaykara, Trabzon

Best time: May–Oct; misty mornings are the magic

Tip: Sleep over — the lake is quietest before the day-trip buses arrive and after they leave.

Eastern Anatolia

High plateaus, a ghost capital and church islands on a soda lake

The church of St Gregory above the gorge

UNESCO

Ani

The haunting ruins of a medieval Armenian capital — the "City of 1,001 Churches" — scattered across a grassy steppe on the very edge of Türkiye. A thousand years ago it rivalled Constantinople; today you may have it almost to yourself.

Where: 45 km from Kars, Northeast

Best time: May–Sep; winter is stark but beautiful

Tip: Allow at least half a day and wear good shoes — the site is vast. Kars is famous for honey and gravyer cheese.

Lake Van & Akdamar

Türkiye’s largest lake — a vast, soda-blue inland sea ringed by volcanoes. A short boat ride brings you to Akdamar Island and its 10th-century Armenian Church of the Holy Cross, carved with vivid biblical reliefs.

Where: Van, far East

Best time: May–Sep; almond blossom in April

Tip: Start the day with a legendary Van breakfast — dozens of little plates of cheeses, honey and kaymak.

Southeastern Anatolia

Mesopotamia: the world’s first temple and cities older than history

UNESCO

Göbekli Tepe

The oldest known monumental temple on Earth, raised by hunter-gatherers around 9600 BC — some 6,000 years before Stonehenge. Rings of T-shaped megaliths carved with foxes, vultures and scorpions are rewriting the story of civilisation.

Where: Near Şanlıurfa, Southeast

Best time: Mar–May & Oct–Nov; summers are scorching

Tip: Pair it with Şanlıurfa’s superb Archaeology Museum and the carp pools of Balıklıgöl in the old town.

UNESCO

Mount Nemrut

On a 2,134 m summit, a forgotten king of Commagene built his tomb-sanctuary guarded by colossal stone heads of gods and eagles. At sunrise and sunset the toppled statues glow orange above a sea of mountains — pure otherworldliness.

Where: Adıyaman, Eastern Taurus

Best time: May–Oct (road closed by snow in winter)

Tip: Go for sunrise, bring warm layers even in August — the summit wind is icy. Base yourself in Kahta or Karadut.

Mardin

Honey-coloured stone houses cascade down a hillside above the endless Mesopotamian plain. Minarets, ancient Syriac monasteries, silver filigree workshops and courtyard cafés make this Türkiye’s most atmospheric southeastern town.

Where: Southeastern Anatolia

Best time: Mar–May & Sep–Nov

Tip: Visit Deyrulzafaran (Saffron) Monastery at golden hour and stay in a restored stone mansion hotel.

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Good to know

Practical tips for your trip

A few things that make travelling in Türkiye easier — from visas and money to mosque etiquette.

Visas & entry

Many nationalities enter visa-free or with a quick e-Visa from the official site evisa.gov.tr. Check your passport’s rules before booking.

Money

The currency is the Turkish lira (₺). Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but keep small cash for bazaars, taxis and tips — and haggling in bazaars is expected.

Mosque etiquette

Mosques are free to visit outside prayer times. Shoulders and knees covered, shoes off at the door, headscarves for women (usually provided). Keep voices low.

Getting around

Distances are big: cheap domestic flights (THY, Pegasus, AJet) link all regions, intercity buses are excellent, and high-speed trains connect Istanbul, Ankara and Konya.

Museum Pass

The official Museum Pass Türkiye (muze.gov.tr) covers hundreds of state-run sites — Ephesus, Göbekli Tepe, Topkapı and more — and lets you skip ticket queues.

Food & tea culture

Say yes to çay — tea is the language of hospitality. Try a full Turkish breakfast, street simit, pide, meze by the sea and baklava with pistachio from Gaziantep.