Country guide
Türkiye is 783,562 km² across 81 provinces, most of it Anatolia in West Asia with East Thrace on the European side of the straits. It has three coasts to choose...
Photograph · Benh LIEU SONG · CC BY-SA 4.0
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Türkiye is 783,562 km² across 81 provinces, most of it Anatolia in West Asia with East Thrace on the European side of the straits. It has three coasts to choose between — the Black Sea to the north, the Aegean to the west, the Mediterranean to the south — and an interior plateau that behaves like a different country in winter. Istanbul is the largest city and the economic centre, Ankara the capital and the second-largest, and the December 2025 population of 86,092,168 is weighted heavily to the west. A first trip is usually Istanbul and one coast; the plateau is the second trip.
Checked 2026-08-25
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Ben Morlok · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photograph · Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · REHBER0770 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · Anonymous · CC0
Photograph · Dan Taylor · CC BY 2.0
Photograph · Dogaaunlu · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · Egemenakgul · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
379 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Afkule Monastery
The Monastery of Afkule is a remote religious ruin above Kayaköy in Fethiye district, reached through woodland rather than by a formal museum entrance.
Ağıl Höyük
Ağıl Höyük (Mucur) is a named archaeological mound in Mucur district, near Küçükburunağıl and Kırlangıç Hill.
Ahi Ebubekir Türbesi
Ahi Abu Bakr Tomb is a small local shrine on Ahi Sokak in Akyol Mahallesi, Yatağan, Muğla. Local historical accounts connect Ahi Abu Bakr with the founding of the settlement once known as Ahiköy, alongside his brother Ahi Sinan.
Dağdeviren Höyüğü is a registered archaeological mound in the Kayalıoğlu area of Akhisar, Manisa Province. It is also known as Dağdeviren Çiftliği Höyüğü, while older references call it Akırbey Çiftliği.
Doğala Han is a Seljuk-period caravanserai ruin in Doğala village, Derinkuyu district, Nevşehir, with its surviving remains inside the village cemetery.
Dolayhan
Dolay Han is a ruined Seljuk caravanserai southeast of Til Village, in Derinkuyu district, approximately 30 kilometres southeast of Nevşehir.
El Nazar Kilisesi
El Nazar Church is a small Byzantine sanctuary carved into a fairy chimney in Zemi Valley, east of Göreme in Nevşehir.
Kalecik Kalesi
Kalecik Castle is a ruined historic site in the centre of Kalecik, Ankara, occupying a steep rocky rise above the town. Public descriptions connect the remains with the Roman or Byzantine period and later Ottoman repairs.
Ömer Dede Türbesi
Ömer Dede Tomb is a small, named religious heritage site in Eskicami Mahallesi, within Selendi İlçe Mezarlığı in Manisa. Its character comes from the place itself: a tomb set inside an active cemetery, rather than a museum or formal exhibition.
Mylasa
Pilav Hill, also known as Pilavtepe, is a modest natural rise near Milas with an unusually specific archaeological story.
Aziz Basil Şapeli
Aziz Basil Chapel is a compact rock-cut Byzantine chapel at the entrance to Göreme Open-Air Museum.
Yeni Han
Yeni Han is a two-storey trading inn in Şehzadeler, Manisa, organised around an internal courtyard. Its identity comes from this inward-facing arrangement: rooms and businesses meet the open centre, creating a compact architectural space within the city’s everyday commercial fabric.
Saruhan Bey Türbesi
The tomb of Saruhan Bey is the oldest dated monument in Manisa's historic quarter, built in 1345 by his grandson İshak Çelebi.
18 Mart Şehitleri Anıtı is a dedicated Çanakkale remembrance complex in Manisa’s Laleli Mahallesi, on Mimar Sinan Bulvarı beside the Manisa–İzmir road.
6 Eylül Şehitleri Anıtı is a town-centre memorial in Gölmarmara, Manisa Province, set near Merkez Park.
Abandoned cave houses are the remains of old Çavuşin, a former settlement cut into a soft volcanic-rock hillside above the newer village.
Mapped as “Abandoned Underground/Cave City,” this place is identified in the responsible public notice as Saray Underground City (Saray Yeraltı Şehri). It lies around Saray Mevkii near Çardak Village, in Nevşehir Merkez district.
Abdi Höyük is a low settlement mound in Abdi village, within Kozaklı district of Nevşehir Province, Türkiye.
Acısu Sıcak Su Kaynağı is a natural hot spring in Manisa province, on the Kula–Selendi road near the Gediz River and roughly 18 kilometres from Kula.
The Acropolis is the steep hilltop at the entrance to Tlos Archaeological Site in Yaka Mahallesi, Seydikemer, Muğla.
![Acropolis of Erythrae [Erythrai]](/media/commons/d/db/500/Erythrai_DSC_0113.jpg)
The Acropolis of Erythrae, also written Erythrai, is the elevated part of the ancient settlement associated with modern Ildırı in Çeşme, İzmir.
Adrenalin Safari Park is a mapped equestrian attraction near Gökbel and Sarıgerme in Ortaca district of Muğla. Its character is defined by outdoor horse-based experiences rather than galleries, rides or a conventional amusement-park layout.
Ağalimanı is a natural cove on the Fethiye Gulf side of Kapıdağ Peninsula in Muğla Province. It is experienced as part of a sea journey, with the boat, sheltered water and coastal landscape forming the main attraction.
Ağıllı Höyük is a broad archaeological mound in the Ağıllı Höyük locality of Acıgöl district, Nevşehir Province, about 2 km west of Ağıllı Village.
Agora is a principal surviving civic space within Euromos Ancient City, near Milas in Muğla Province. Its approximately 95 by 83 metre plan is nearly square, giving the remains a strong sense of order.
Ten to fourteen days allows about four days in İstanbul and at least three around Antalya when coastal archaeology is included. Cappadocia needs its own regional stay, and a one-way coastal route is more workable than returning to the same city each night.
Türkiye's visa position varies by passport and purpose. Verify the rule through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, when eligible, use only the official e-Visa service rather than an intermediary.
İstanbul's two airports and Antalya are the principal gateways for this itinerary. Domestic flights cover long cross-country legs, coaches serve many city pairs, and high-speed rail is most useful on the İstanbul-Ankara axis rather than as a universal substitute.
April to May and September to October are broad choices for combining İstanbul with the Mediterranean coast. Cappadocia nights, inland heat, and Antalya's coastal conditions differ, so confirm weather for each overnight base.
Türkiye uses the Turkish lira (TRY). Keep lira available for smaller transport and market transactions even when cards are accepted, and review the displayed amount in TRY before agreeing to any card conversion.
Dial 112 for emergencies in Türkiye. Electricity is 230 V through Type C and F sockets; tap-water safety is not recorded here, so obtain current local advice at each stop.
