Planning a trip beyond Istanbul
Turkey is a big country, stretching about 1,600 kilometres from the Aegean coast in the west to the borders with Iran and Armenia in the east. Most first-time visitors combine Istanbul with Cappadocia and a stretch of the coast, which fits comfortably into ten days to two weeks. The east is a trip in its own right.
Getting around is straightforward. Domestic flights connect Istanbul and Ankara with most regional cities, including Kayseri and Nevşehir for Cappadocia, İzmir for the Aegean, and Dalaman and Antalya for the south coast. Turkey also has an extensive network of long-distance buses, which are comfortable and frequent, and high-speed trains link Istanbul, Ankara and Konya. Renting a car is the easiest way to explore the coast at your own pace.
The climate varies widely. The coasts have hot, dry summers and mild winters. The interior, including Cappadocia, is hot in summer and cold in winter, often with snow. The east has very cold winters and is best visited from late spring to early autumn. For most of the country, spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons.
Cappadocia
Cappadocia, in central Anatolia, is one of the most distinctive landscapes in the world. Thousands of years ago, volcanic eruptions covered the area in thick layers of ash, which hardened into soft rock. Wind and water have since eroded it into valleys, cliffs and tall cones known as fairy chimneys.
People have been carving homes, churches and storerooms into the rock for centuries. The Göreme Open-Air Museum, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has rock-cut churches with remarkably well-preserved Byzantine frescoes. Uçhisar Castle, a huge rock outcrop riddled with rooms, gives wide views over the area. Below ground, underground cities such as Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı descend several levels, with ventilation shafts, stables and chapels, and were used as refuges in times of danger.
Hot-air balloon flights at sunrise are the image most people associate with Cappadocia. They depend on calm weather and are regularly cancelled when it is windy, so allow at least two or three mornings if a flight is important to you. Even from the ground, the sight of dozens of balloons over the valleys is memorable.
The valleys themselves are the best way to experience the region. Rose Valley, Red Valley, Love Valley and the Ihlara Valley, a deep gorge with churches carved into its walls, all have walking trails. Göreme is the most popular base, with many cave hotels; Ürgüp and Uçhisar are quieter alternatives. Plan on two or three nights.
The Aegean coast
Turkey's Aegean coast was part of the Greek and Roman world for many centuries, and it is home to some of the best-preserved classical sites anywhere. The city of İzmir, Turkey's third-largest, is the main gateway.
Ephesus, near the town of Selçuk, is the highlight. Its marble streets, the reconstructed façade of the Library of Celsus and its great theatre give an unusually vivid sense of a Roman city. Visit early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the heat and the crowds. Nearby are the remains of the Temple of Artemis, once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, though only a single reconstructed column stands today.
Inland, Pamukkale is famous for its white terraces of travertine, formed by mineral-rich hot springs flowing down the hillside. Above the terraces are the ruins of the Roman spa city of Hierapolis. Walking on the terraces is barefoot only, to protect them.
Further along the coast, Bodrum has a crusader castle, a busy harbour and a lively resort scene, while the Çeşme peninsula west of İzmir is popular for beaches and windsurfing. Pergamon, to the north, has a dramatic hilltop acropolis and one of the steepest theatres of the ancient world.
The Turquoise Coast
The south-western coast, between Fethiye and Antalya, is often called the Turquoise Coast, and it is the most scenic stretch of Turkey's shoreline. Mountains drop steeply to clear water, with pine forests, quiet coves and the ruins of the ancient Lycian civilisation, including rock-cut tombs carved into cliff faces.
Fethiye is a practical base, close to the lagoon at Ölüdeniz and the paragliding launch above it. Kaş, a small town with a relaxed harbour, is known for diving and for boat trips to Kekova, where the remains of a partly sunken ancient town can be seen beneath the water. Antalya, the region's main city, has a walled old town, Kaleiçi, a fine archaeological museum and easy access to sites such as Perge, Aspendos with its well-preserved Roman theatre, and Termessos high in the mountains.
The Lycian Way, a long-distance waymarked footpath of around 500 kilometres, runs along this coast between Fethiye and Antalya. Few people walk it all, but day sections are a good way to see the coast, best in spring or autumn when it is not too hot.
Traditional wooden boats called gulets offer day trips and multi-day cruises along the coast, often known as the Blue Cruise, stopping at bays only reachable by sea.
The east and south-east
Eastern Turkey sees far fewer foreign visitors than the west, but it holds some of the country's most remarkable sites. Distances are long, so domestic flights to cities such as Şanlıurfa, Kars or Van are the easiest way in.
Göbekli Tepe, near Şanlıurfa, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Its huge carved stone pillars were raised around 11,000 years ago, thousands of years before Stonehenge or the Egyptian pyramids, by people who had not yet adopted farming. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Şanlıurfa's archaeology museum holds many finds from the region.
Mount Nemrut has the giant stone heads of gods and kings built on its summit in the first century BC by a local king, Antiochus I of Commagene. Visiting at sunrise or sunset is traditional. Mardin, a town of honey-coloured stone houses on a hillside, looks out over the plains of upper Mesopotamia.
In the far east, the ruined medieval city of Ani stands on the border with Armenia near Kars, and Lake Van is Turkey's largest lake. Mount Ararat, Turkey's highest mountain, rises above the plains near the border with Iran. The Eastern Express, an overnight train from Ankara to Kars, has become popular with travellers who want to see the landscapes along the way.
The earthquakes of February 2023 caused severe damage across parts of south-eastern Turkey, including the city of Antakya. Check the current situation and official travel advice before planning a visit to the affected region.
Practical tips
When visiting mosques, dress modestly: cover your shoulders and knees, and women should cover their hair with a scarf. Remove your shoes before entering, and avoid visiting during prayer times, especially at midday on Fridays. Many larger mosques provide scarves and coverings at the entrance.
Cards are widely accepted in cities and tourist areas, but carry some Turkish lira in cash for small shops, markets, local buses and rural areas. Check your bank's fees for foreign transactions and cash withdrawals before you travel.
Check the entry requirements for your nationality with official sources before you book, as they differ between countries and can change.
A travel eSIM gives you mobile data abroad, which is useful for navigation on coastal drives, checking whether balloon flights are going ahead, and booking transport between regions. Coverage is good in cities and along main roads, but it can be weaker in remote mountain areas, so download offline maps before heading east.
Staying connected: Turkey eSIM.