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Turkey
A richly historical land with some of the best cuisine you will ever taste, scenery from beaches to mountains and the great city of İstanbul.
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Must-see attractions for your itinerary
Sultanahmet
Right in the heart of İstanbul’s historic center, this sacred Byzantine building remains an important symbol of power.
Sultanahmet
Topkapı is the subject of more colourful stories than most of the world's museums put together. Libidinous sultans, ambitious courtiers, beautiful…
Istanbul
İstanbul has more than its fair share of Byzantine monuments, but few are as drop-dead gorgeous as this mosaic- and fresco-laden church. Nestled in the…
Pamukkale
This ancient spa city's location atop Pamukkale's tourist-magnet travertines is quite spectacular. Founded as a curative centre around 190 BC by Eumenes…
İzmir & the North Aegean
One of Turkey's most impressive archaeological sites, Bergama's acropolis is dramatically sited on a hill to the northeast of the town centre. There's…
Istanbul
The Süleymaniye crowns one of İstanbul's seven hills and dominates the Golden Horn, providing a landmark for the entire city. Though it's not the largest…
Sultanahmet
This subterranean structure was commissioned by Emperor Justinian and built in 532. The largest surviving Byzantine cistern in İstanbul, it was…
Eastern Mediterranean
This incomparable museum contains one of the world's finest collections of Roman and Byzantine mosaics, covering a period from the 1st century AD to the…
Attractions
Top picks from our travel experts
Sultanahmet
İstanbul's most photogenic building was the grand project of Sultan Ahmet I (r 1603–17), whose tomb is located on the north side of the site facing…
Southeastern Anatolia
Nemrut Dağı's famous statues sit on two terraces flanking Antiochus I's giant gravel-covered, mountaintop burial mound. Their 2m-high heads, toppled from…
Istanbul
Nestled in the middle of the busy Tahtakale shopping district, this diminutive mosque is a gem. Dating from 1560, it was designed by Sinan for Rüstem Paşa…
Turquoise Coast
Backed by large sand dunes, this splendid, 18km-long sandy beach is one of Turkey's best. Due to its length, you can find a quiet spot even in the height…
Bursa
The 'new thermal bath' is actually the city's oldest, founded by 6th-century Emperor Justinian I, and renovated in 1522 by Süleyman the Magnificent's…
Ephesus
Of Turkey's hundreds of ancient cities and classical ruins, Ephesus is the grandest and best preserved. A Unesco-listed World Heritage Site, it's the best…
Sultanahmet
This subterranean structure was commissioned by Emperor Justinian and built in 532. The largest surviving Byzantine cistern in İstanbul, it was…
Datça & Bozburun Peninsulas
The ruins of Knidos (kuh-nee-dos), a once-prosperous Dorian port city dating to 400 BC, lies scattered across the western tip of the Datça Peninsula…
Konya
Rising 20m above the surrounding flat Konya plains, the East Mound at Çatalhöyük is one of the most important, and largest, Neolithic settlements on earth…
Beyoğlu
It took seven years to develop a conservation plan for this 1580 Mimar Sinan–designed building and complete the meticulous restoration. Fortunately, the…
Ephesus
The roofed complex here contains seven well-preserved Roman homes built on three terraces, which are well worth the extra visiting fee. As you ascend the…
Sultanahmet
Topkapı is the subject of more colourful stories than most of the world's museums put together. Libidinous sultans, ambitious courtiers, beautiful…
Istanbul
The colourful and chaotic Grand Bazaar is the heart of İstanbul's Old City and has been so for centuries. Starting as a small vaulted bedesten (warehouse)…
Şanlıurfa
This domed structure protects the excellent Haleplibahçe (Aleppo Gardens) mosaics, part of a Roman villa complex discovered in 2006 when construction…
Sultanahmet
This meticulously restored twin hamam dating to 1556 offers the most luxurious traditional bath experience in the Old City. Designed by Mimar Sinan, it…
Istanbul
Rising majestically over the traffic on busy Atatürk Bulvarı, this limestone aqueduct is one of the city's most distinctive landmarks. Commissioned by…
Cappadocia
Derinkuyu underground city, 10km south of Kaymaklı, has cavernous rooms arrayed on seven levels reached by skinny long tunnels. When you get all the way…
Sultanahmet
Right in the heart of İstanbul’s historic center, this sacred Byzantine building remains an important symbol of power.
Şanlıurfa
Around 11km northeast of Urfa, 'Pot Belly Hill' was first excavated in 1994 by a team led by Professor Klaus Schmidt. Their discovery of a ritual complex…
Turquoise Coast
The rambling ruins of ancient Olympos are scattered beside the trickling Ulupınar Stream and set inside a deep, shaded valley that runs directly to the…
Eastern Mediterranean
This incomparable museum contains one of the world's finest collections of Roman and Byzantine mosaics, covering a period from the 1st century AD to the…
Fethiye
Fethiye's enormous market takes place on Tuesday along the canal between Atatürk Caddesi and Pürşabey Caddesi, next to the stadium.
Gaziantep Zeugma Mosaic Museum
Gaziantep
This museum does a stellar job of displaying one of the world's most important mosaic collections, most of which was unearthed at the Roman site of Belkıs…
Istanbul
The Süleymaniye crowns one of İstanbul's seven hills and dominates the Golden Horn, providing a landmark for the entire city. Though it's not the largest…
Turquoise Coast
The ruins of ancient Simena include this impressive fortress perched on top of the hill looking out to sea. Within the castle a couple of canons are…
Şanlıurfa
Dive into Urfa's bazaar alleys to find stalls selling everything from sheepskins and pigeons to jeans and handmade shoes. It was largely built by Süleyman…
Bursa
The bath is hewn of marble and the hot rooms have plunge pools at this restored 14th-century hamam, run by the adjacent Kervansaray Termal Hotel on the…
Sultanahmet
Built in 1741 by order of Sultan Mahmut I, this gorgeous hamam offers separate baths for men and women and a range of bath packages incorporating services…
Turquoise Coast
If you only have time to see one striking honeycomb of Lycian rock tombs, choose the memorable ruins of ancient Myra. Located about 2km inland from Demre…
Turquoise Coast
Known in Turkish as Yanartaş, or 'Burning Rock', the Chimaera is a cluster of small flames that naturally blaze on the rocky slopes of Mt Olympos. At…
Gaziantep
Gaziantep's labyrinthine bazaar stretches between Hamdi Kutler Caddesi and Kundaracılar Çarşısı Sokak. There are a couple of entrances so just dive in and…
Turquoise Coast
Acclaimed as one of the world's top-10 long-distance walks, the Lycian Way follows signposted paths around the Teke Peninsula to Antalya. The 500km route…
Cappadocia
Kaymaklı underground city features a maze of tunnels and rooms carved eight levels deep into the earth, though only four are open to the public. The…
Planning Tools
Expert guidance to help you plan your trip
Best Things to Do
With its lively cities, spectacular landscapes and rich heritage, Turkey has something for every type of traveler, from history buffs to beach bums.
Read articleTransportation
Cheap, frequent domestic flights, generally well-maintained roads and a vast bus network give travelers ample options for getting around Turkey.
Read articleVisa Requirements
From visa costs to rules around cruise passengers, our guide to Turkey’s entry requirements covers everything you need to know before visiting the country.
Read articleBest Road Trips
With nearly 8000km of coastline and endless expanses of countryside, Turkey is prime road trip territory. Here's our pick of Turkey's best road trips.
Read articlePlan with a local

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