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Country guide

Türkiye

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

26,399 Places
7Cities

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

Cities

Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.

Practical information

Language spoken
Turkish
The official language of the Republic of Turkiye
Dialling code
+90
The international dialling code for Turkiye
Currency
Turkish lira (₺, TRY)
The official currency; one lira is divided into 100 kurus
Emergency number
112
One number for ambulance, fire and police
Plug type
European two-pin · 220 V
The national living guide records 220 V and European-style two-pin plugs
Tap water
Not recorded
No verified national source in the dataset

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

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379 places match

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Category

Historic monuments 379 Museums 84 Places of worship 51 Nature sites 0 Viewpoints 0 Food and drink 0 Markets and shopping 0 Entertainment 0 Nightlife 0 Family attractions 0 Art and culture 0 Activities 0

Typical visit duration

Up to 1 hour 367 1 to 2 hours 9 Half a day or more 3

Interests

History 379 Art 0 Museums 0 Nature 0 Sea and beach 0 Viewpoints 0
  1. Hippodrome of Constantinople Hippodrome of Constantinople
    07 30 min

    Hippodrome of Constantinople

    Sultanahmet Meydanı

    The Hippodrome was where Constantinople did its politics.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  2. Grand Bazaar Grand Bazaar
    08 1 hr 30 min

    Grand Bazaar

    Kapalı Çarşı

    The Grand Bazaar is a covered city of shops that Mehmed II began building in the winter of 1455/56, within three years of taking Constantinople.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  3. Basilica Cistern Basilica Cistern
    09 45 min

    Basilica Cistern

    Yerebatan Sarnıcı

    The Basilica Cistern is a sixth-century water store the size of a cathedral, under a street in Sultanahmet, built for Justinian I. Historical texts say 7,000 enslaved people built it.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  4. Taksim Square Taksim Square
    10 25 min

    Taksim Square

    Taksim Meydanı

    Taksim Square is where modern Istanbul argues with itself. It is the head of İstiklal Avenue, the terminus of the metro, the hub of the municipal buses, and the place the country's politics spills into when it spills anywhere.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  5. Maiden's Tower Maiden's Tower
    11 1 hour

    Maiden's Tower

    Kız Kulesi

    The Maiden's Tower stands on an islet in the Bosphorus, 200 m off the Üsküdar shore, and it is the one Istanbul landmark you cannot walk to.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  6. Chora Church Chora Church
    12 1 hour

    Chora Church

    Kariye Camii

    The Chora holds the best late Byzantine mosaic and fresco cycle anywhere, and it is a long way from the tram, which is why the people who go are the people who came for it.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  7. Pergamon Pergamon
    13 45 min

    Pergamon

    Pergamon is the ancient hilltop site above Bergama in İzmir province, centred on the Acropolis and its monumental archaeological remains.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • İzmir
  8. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
    14 45 min

    Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

    Halikarnas Mozolesi

    The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus is an archaeological museum in Bodrum, Muğla, presenting surviving remains of one of the ancient world’s most celebrated monumental tombs.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Muğla
  9. Walls of Constantinople Walls of Constantinople
    15 1 hour

    Walls of Constantinople

    İstanbul Surları

    The Theodosian walls kept Constantinople for a thousand years, and they are still standing across the city. They were built under Theodosius II, who reigned from 402 to 450.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  10. Obelisk of Theodosius Obelisk of Theodosius
    16 15 min

    Obelisk of Theodosius

    Theodosius Dikilitaşı

    Older than almost everything around it by two thousand years, the Obelisk of Theodosius is a piece of pharaonic Egypt standing in the middle of a Turkish square.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  11. Yıldız Palace Yıldız Palace
    17 1 hr 30 min

    Yıldız Palace

    Yıldız Sarayı

    Yıldız is the palace a frightened sultan built uphill.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  12. Aqueduct of Valens Aqueduct of Valens
    18 20 min

    Aqueduct of Valens

    Bozdoğan Su Kemeri

    Bozdoğan Kemeri, the Aqueduct of Valens, is the surviving bridge of the water system that made a city of a million people possible on a peninsula with almost no rivers.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  13. Column of Constantine Column of Constantine
    19 10 min

    Column of Constantine

    Çemberlitaş Sütunu

    A single shaft of Egyptian porphyry stands in the middle of Çemberlitaş Square on Divan Yolu, banded with iron and blackened along one side.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  14. Fatih Istanbul Mosque Fatih Istanbul Mosque
    20 30 min

    Fatih Istanbul Mosque

    Fatih Camii

    The Fatih Mosque is where Mehmed the Conqueror is buried, and it stands on the site of the Church of the Holy Apostles — the mausoleum of the Roman emperors, Constantine the Great among them.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  15. Anadoluhisarı Anadoluhisarı
    21 1 hour

    Anadoluhisarı

    Anadolu Hisarı

    Anadoluhisarı is a siege engine in stone, built sixty years before the siege it was meant for.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  16. Cappadocia Cappadocia
    22 45 min

    Cappadocia

    Kapadokya

    Cappadocia is a volcanic landscape in central Anatolia, shaped by erosion into valleys, ridges and fairy chimneys. It is a regional setting rather than one enclosed attraction, with open-air valleys, ridgelines and viewpoints spread around Göreme, Uçhisar, Ürgüp and Avanos.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Nevşehir
  17. Şehzade Mosque Şehzade Mosque
    23 30 min

    Şehzade Mosque

    Şehzadebaşı Camii

    The Şehzade is the mosque Süleyman the Magnificent built for a dead son, and it is where Sinan learned to build the ones that followed.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  18. Derinkuyu underground city Derinkuyu underground city
    24 45 min

    Derinkuyu underground city

    Derinkuyu Yeraltı Şehri

    Derinkuyu underground city is a subterranean settlement beneath Derinkuyu in Nevşehir Province, descending to approximately 85 metres below ground.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Nevşehir
  19. Yedikule Fortress Yedikule Fortress
    25 1 hr 15 min

    Yedikule Fortress

    Yedikule Zindanları

    Yedikule is a fortress built out of an older monument.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  20. Çırağan Palace Çırağan Palace
    26 20 min

    Çırağan Palace

    Çırağan Sarayı

    Çırağan Palace is the last of the great Ottoman waterfront palaces, and the only one a visitor cannot walk into.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  21. Gordion Gordion
    27 45 min

    Gordion

    Gordion is an archaeological site and museum complex in Yassıhöyük, within Ankara Province’s Polatlı district. It preserves the setting of the Phrygian capital and combines indoor displays with monumental burial mounds and the Inner Castle Mound.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Ankara
  22. Thyatira Thyatira
    28 35 min

    Thyatira

    Tepemezarı

    Thyatira is the ancient city underneath part of modern Akhisar, in Manisa province, and one of the seven churches addressed in the Book of Revelation.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Manisa
  23. Walled Obelisk Walled Obelisk
    29 10 min

    Walled Obelisk

    Örme Dikilitaş

    The Walled Obelisk, Örme Dikilitaş in Turkish and literally the masonry obelisk, stands 32 m tall on the spine of the old Hippodrome in what is now Sultanahmet Square, west of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  24. Rüstem Pasha Mosque Rüstem Pasha Mosque
    30 20 min

    Rüstem Pasha Mosque

    Rüstem Paşa Camii

    Rüstem Pasha Mosque does not sit on the street.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
  25. Serpent Column Serpent Column
    31 10 min

    Serpent Column

    Yılanlı Sütun

    A battle trophy from 479 BC, standing in a hole in a square in Istanbul.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Istanbul
Show 25 more places

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

Common questions

How long should a first trip to Türkiye be?

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.

What entry documents are needed for Türkiye?

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.

What is the best way to travel around Türkiye?

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.

When is a practical time to visit Türkiye?

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.

What money and payment basics apply in Türkiye?

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.

What practical safety details should I save for Türkiye?

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.