Turkey

Blue Mosque

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…

Nemrut Dağı Summit

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…

Rüstem Paşa Mosque

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…

Patara Beach

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…

Yeni Kaplıca

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

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…

Basilica Cistern

Sultanahmet

This subterranean structure was commissioned by Emperor Justinian and built in 532. The largest surviving Byzantine cistern in İstanbul, it was…

Knidos

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…

Çatalhöyük

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…

Kılıç Ali Paşa Hamamı

Beyoğlu

It took seven years to develop a conservation plan for this 1580 Mimar Sinan–designed building and complete the meticulous restoration. Fortunately, the…

Terraced Houses

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…

Topkapı Palace

Sultanahmet

Topkapı is the subject of more colourful stories than most of the world's museums put together. Libidinous sultans, ambitious courtiers, beautiful…

Grand Bazaar

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)…

Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum

Şanlıurfa

This domed structure protects the excellent Haleplibahçe (Aleppo Gardens) mosaics, part of a Roman villa complex discovered in 2006 when construction…

Ayasofya Hürrem Sultan Hamamı

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…

Aqueduct of Valens

Istanbul

Rising majestically over the traffic on busy Atatürk Bulvarı, this limestone aqueduct is one of the city's most distinctive landmarks. Commissioned by…

Derinkuyu Underground City

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…

Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

Sultanahmet

Right in the heart of İstanbul’s historic center, this sacred Byzantine building remains an important symbol of power.

Göbeklitepe

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…

Olympos Ruins

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…

Hatay Archaeology Museum

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…

Weekly Market

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…

Süleymaniye Mosque

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…

Crusader Castle

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…

Bazaar

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…

Eski Kaplıca

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…

Cağaloğlu Hamamı

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…

Myra

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…

Chimaera

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…

Bakırcılar Çarşısı

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…

Lycian Way

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…

Kaymaklı Underground City

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…