What to see in Türkiye: 8 must-sees
Discover what to see in Türkiye: 8 must-see destinations, from Istanbul to Cappadocia. Predominantly UNESCO heritage and natural; each entry includes the best time to visit and the link to its official source.
UNESCO Heritage(4)
Cross the Bosphorus by ferry and you will understand why Istanbul, with its 15 million inhabitants, remains two continents in one city. The Blue Mosque, with its six minarets and İznik tiles, rises facing Hagia Sophia in the historic center declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. Walk the bazaar, the Byzantine cisterns and the walls that for centuries shielded Constantinople — testimony to empires that shaped the history of Europe and Asia.
Walk down Curetes Street toward Ephesus, the great Roman metropolis of the eastern Mediterranean with 2,500 years of history. Follow its marble streets to the facade of the Library of Celsus, rebuilt with its original columns and statues. Climb the seats of the Grand Theatre, with room for 25,000 spectators, where the acoustics still carry today. Walk the terrace houses with mosaics and frescoes showing everyday Roman life. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015, this Aegean site keeps exceptional vestiges of a vanished civilisation.
Look at the white travertines of Pamukkale, in the Aegean region, where thermal water cascades down calcareous terraces forming a landscape that looks like science fiction. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, this site combines geological wonders with the ruins of Hierapolis. Walk barefoot the turquoise pools and understand why travelers of centuries past were already seeking its healing waters.
Immerse yourself among the walls and trenches of Troy — the city Homer sang in the Iliad — in Turkey's Marmara region. Walk its nine layers of overlapping settlement, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, and look at the stones where history and mythology blur. Walk beside the remains of the fortified gates and the walls of the Troy of King Priam, before visiting the replica of the wooden horse at the site's entrance.
Natural(2)
Behold at dawn the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia from a hot-air balloon as dozens more balloons float over the Göreme valleys. Walk trails among eroded volcanic tuff formations, such as the Red and Rose valleys, where the wind carved towers and pinnacles over millions of years. Enter rock churches with Byzantine frescoes cut into the stone, and descend into underground cities such as Derinkuyu, with several levels beneath the ground. Sleep in cave hotels carved into the rock and try the testi kebab, cooked in a sealed clay pot.
Watch dozens of hot-air balloons rise at dawn over the valleys of Cappadocia, in Central Anatolia, as the sun dyes the fairy chimneys pink and ochre. Walk trails among volcanic tuff formations, caves cut into the rock and rock churches with frescoes. Book your flight in advance, as spots run out in high season, and set out early: take-offs begin before sunrise. Pair the experience with walking routes through the Göreme, Rose and Love valleys.
Beach(1)
Admire the Turquoise Coast, where the Mediterranean bathes fine-sand beaches beside ancient ruins and mountains dropping onto the water. Snorkel in coves of transparent water facing the remains of Lycian cities, walk the shore at sunset, and alternate days of swimming with visits to Greco-Roman theatres a few kilometers inland. Here history and sea share the same horizon, and each bay hides a different corner among pines, rocks and archaeological vestiges.
City(1)
Cross Ankara from the citadel on the hill — Roman walls and Ottoman alleys — to the Anıtkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum ruling the capital since 1953. Visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, near the fortress, where Hittite and Phrygian pieces found on the plateau are displayed. In Ulus you will find the ruins of the Temple of Augustus and the spice market; in Kızılay, cafés and student life. Try the döner at the Aşti stalls and the cooking of Central Anatolia in the taverns of Hamamönü, a quarter of restored 19th-century houses.
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