Türkiye is one of those countries with no shortage of great places to visit. With more than 10,000 years of history, four seas, lunar landscapes and extraordinary food, picking just 15 is a challenge. Here are my must-sees as a tour guide.
1. Istanbul
The city where Europe meets Asia. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, the Bosphorus… Istanbul isn’t something you describe, it’s something you live. Three days minimum.
2. Cappadocia
Otherworldly landscapes: hot-air balloons, underground cities, cave hotels and valleys sculpted over millions of years by the erosion of volcanic rock.
3. Ephesus
One of the best-preserved Roman cities in the world. The Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre will leave you speechless.
4. Pamukkale
The white travertine terraces look like another world. Cleopatra’s Pool, where you swim among Roman columns, is unique.
5. Konya
The city of Mevlana Rumi and the whirling dervishes. Spirituality, Seljuk architecture and real cultural depth.
6. Antalya
The old town of Kaleiçi, the Düden waterfalls and the best beaches on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast. The theatre at Aspendos is perhaps the best preserved in the Roman world.
7. Fethiye and Ölüdeniz
The blue lagoon of Ölüdeniz is one of the most photographed beaches on the planet. Paragliding, the 12 Islands boat trip and Lycian tombs.
8. Mardin
A city of golden stone perched above Mesopotamia. Centuries-old Syriac monasteries and an atmosphere you won’t find anywhere else.
9. Mount Nemrut
Colossal heads of gods at 2,134 metres above sea level. Sunrise among these statues is an awe-inspiring experience.
10. Hatay (Antioch)
One of the cradles of Christianity — Antioch is where Jesus’s followers were first called Christians — with some of the most spectacular mosaics in the Mediterranean and, many say, the best food in Türkiye. Much of old Antakya is still being rebuilt after the 2023 earthquakes, so ask me about the current situation before you plan a visit.
11. Gaziantep
The country’s food capital: baklava, kebabs, the Zeugma Mosaic Museum and centuries-old bazaars.
12. Şanlıurfa and Göbekli Tepe
The oldest known temple built by humankind (around 12,000 years old), the Pool of Abraham and a unique spiritual atmosphere.
13. Trabzon
Sumela Monastery clinging to a cliff face, green lakes and tea plantations on the Black Sea.
14. Bodrum
The Castle of St Peter, hidden coves, nightlife and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World).
15. Troy
The city of the Iliad, immortalised by Homer. The Trojan Horse and the Dardanelles round off the experience.
Would you like to visit several of these destinations in one trip? Take a look at our tours of Türkiye or plan a tailor-made route with a private English-speaking guide.
The best places in Türkiye: my top 10
After more than 11 years exploring every corner of Türkiye as a tour guide, this is my personal selection of the 10 places you shouldn’t miss:
1. Istanbul
The great city that spans two continents. Hagia Sophia, the Bosphorus, the Grand Bazaar, and neighbourhoods full of character like Balat and Kadıköy. I could spend weeks here and never repeat an experience. It’s the most fascinating city I know.
2. Cappadocia
Lunar landscapes, balloons at sunrise, Byzantine rock-cut churches, underground cities and cave hotels. There’s nothing else like it on the planet.
3. Ephesus
The best-preserved Greco-Roman city in the eastern Mediterranean. The Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre, the Terrace Houses — it’s like travelling 2,000 years back in time.
4. Pamukkale
The white travertine terraces, with their natural pools of thermal water, are one of nature’s great spectacles. Combined with ancient Hierapolis, it’s a visit that is as much about history as about nature.
5. Fethiye and the Turquoise Coast
Ölüdeniz, crystal-clear coves, Lycian tombs and paragliding over the sea. The most spectacular combination of history and beach in Türkiye.
6. Konya
The city of Mevlana Rumi and the whirling dervishes. A place of deep spirituality and calm, in contrast with Istanbul’s frenetic energy.
7. Troy
The ruins where Homer set the Iliad: 4,000 years of history layered in nine levels. The new museum is outstanding.
8. Antalya
A charming Ottoman old town, spectacular beaches, waterfalls that tumble into the sea and some of the finest Roman sites (Aspendos, Perge, Termessos) less than an hour away.
9. Göbekli Tepe
The oldest known temple in the world (around 12,000 years old — some 7,000 years older than the pyramids of Egypt). Identified in 1994, it has rewritten the history of human civilisation. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
10. Mount Nemrut
Giant stone heads from the 1st century BC on a mountain summit at 2,134 metres. King Antiochus I created this sanctuary as a bridge between East and West. Sunrise here is an experience like no other.