Turkey City Guide

Istanbul sits on both sides of the Bosphorus, the strait separating Europe and Asia. As Constantinople it was capital to the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, and Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and hundreds of mosques remain from that era. Today it is Turkey's largest city and its economic center.

Antalya anchors Turkey's Mediterranean holiday coast and has one of the country's busiest airports. The old harbor district of Kaleiçi keeps its Roman walls and Ottoman houses, while Konyaaltı and Lara beaches stretch out on either side of the city. The Roman theater at Aspendos is under an hour away.

Fethiye occupies the site of ancient Telmessos, and Lycian rock tombs still overlook its harbor. The Blue Lagoon at Ölüdeniz, one of Turkey's most photographed beaches, is a short dolmuş ride away. Paragliders launch from Babadağ, 1,969 meters above the water.

Kaş grew from a Greek fishing village called Andifli, and Lycian sarcophagi still stand in its old town streets. Divers rate the surrounding water among the best in Turkey. Boats leave the harbor daily for the sunken ruins at Kekova, and Kaputaş Beach lies a few kilometers up the coast.

Cappadocia is a volcanic region of central Turkey where erosion cut the soft rock into valleys, cones, and cliffs. People carved homes, churches, and whole underground cities into it over two thousand years. Sunrise hot air balloon flights are the region's best-known draw.

İzmir spreads around a wide gulf on the Aegean coast and is Turkey's third-largest city. The Kemeraltı bazaar has traded on the same streets since the 17th century, and the Kordon waterfront fills with walkers every evening. Ephesus, the best-preserved ancient city in the region, is about an hour south.

Bodrum stands on the site of ancient Halicarnassus, home of the Mausoleum that counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The 15th-century Crusader castle by the harbor now holds a museum of underwater archaeology. In summer the town is one of the busiest resorts on the Aegean.

Thermal springs built Pamukkale's white travertine terraces over thousands of years; the Turkish name means Cotton Castle. The Greco-Roman spa city of Hierapolis sits on the plateau above, with a large theater and a pool where visitors swim over toppled marble columns. UNESCO lists the terraces and ruins as a single site.

Marmaris fills a deep bay ringed by pine-covered mountains, near where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean. Its marina is one of the largest on the Turkish coast, and gulet boats leave daily for the surrounding coves. In high season the nightlife along Bar Street runs until sunrise.