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.
85 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Dikmen Vadisi
Dikmen Valley is a large public green corridor in Ankara’s Çankaya district, extending between the Dikmen and Ayrancı neighbourhoods. It follows a long, sloping valley rather than forming one enclosed attraction.
Nimara Magarasi
Nimara Cave is an open-air archaeological attraction on the north-western slope of Cennet Island, also called Nimara Peninsula, in Marmaris, Muğla.
Güvenpark is the green civic space at the heart of Kızılay, in Ankara’s Çankaya district, beside Kızılay Square and Atatürk Boulevard.
Tilkiler Mağarası
Tilkiler Cave, or Tilkiler Mağarası, is a natural cave attraction in the Antalya region.
Karaalioğlu Parkı
Karaalioğlu Park is an outdoor Mediterranean viewpoint in Antalya, set on the high shoreline beside Kaleiçi.
Altınpark is a 640,000-square-metre recreation complex in Ankara’s Altındağ district, shaped by ponds, planted grounds and science, exhibition, meeting and leisure facilities.
Spil Dağı Millî Parkı
Spil Dağı Milli Parkı is the protected forest on the mountain behind Manisa, opened to the public on 22 April 1968.
İnkaya Mağarası
İnkaya Cave is a dry cave west of Yelki village, on the eastern side of Kocadağ in Güzelbahçe, İzmir. Its documented underground length is 222 metres, and the deepest point is 30 metres below the entrance.
Esertepe Parkı
Esertepe Park is a municipal recreation area in Keçiören, positioned between the Esertepe and Etlik neighbourhoods. Its approximately 180,000-square-metre scale makes it a substantial hillside destination within Ankara rather than a small neighbourhood garden.
Kocain Mağarası
Kocain Cave, also known locally as Kocain Mağarası, is a natural limestone cave in Antalya Province.
Abdi İpekçi Parkı
Abdi İpekçi Park is a 33,120-square-metre memorial and recreation space on Sıhhiye Square in central Ankara.
Zeytintaşı Mağarası
Zeytintaşı Cave, also known locally as Zeytintaşı Mağarası, is a natural cave attraction in Antalya province, Türkiye. Its name evokes the surrounding olive-growing landscape: “zeytin” means olive and “taşı” means stone in Turkish.
Buca Gölet is a public recreation facility in Belenbaşı Mevkii, near the Sebze Hali in Kaynaklar, within İzmir’s Buca district.
Dim Mağarası
Dim Cave, known locally as Dim Mağarası, is a natural cave formation located in the Antalya region of Türkiye. The cave sits within the broader Mediterranean landscape that characterises this part of the Turkish coastline.
Altınbeşik Mağarası
Düdensuyu Cave is a natural karst cave formation located in the Antalya region of Türkiye, known locally as Altınbeşik Mağarası. The cave lies within the broader Düden water system, which includes the famous Düden Waterfalls that cascade through the city.
Kurşunlu Şelalesi
Kurşunlu Waterfall, known locally as Kurşunlu Şelalesi, is a natural visitor attraction in Antalya. The site features a waterfall as its central element, set within surrounding landscape.
Harikalar Diyarı
Wonderland Ankara is a municipal urban park in Ankara’s Sincan district, around Fatih Mahallesi and Ayaş Yolu.
30 Ağustos Zafer Parkı
30 Ağustos Zafer Park is a 166,000-square-metre municipal recreation area beside AŞTİ, Ankara’s intercity bus terminal.
50. Yıl Parkı
50. Yıl Parkı is a hillside public recreation area in Ankara’s 50. Yıl Mahallesi, above Ankara University’s Cebeci Campus in Çankaya. Its character comes from combining open-air recreation with a broad bird’s-eye view across Ankara.
Kadıini Mağarası
Kadıini Cave is a named natural feature in Antalya, Turkey, recorded at a precise mapped location. It is a nature stop rather than a museum, monument, or beach facility, giving an itinerary a distinctly subterranean focus.
Keloğlan Mağarası
Keloğlan Cave, also known locally as Keloğlan Mağarası, is a named natural point of interest associated with Antalya, Türkiye. The mapped place is identified as a cave rather than a museum, archaeological monument, or built attraction.
Gölcük
Lake Gölcük is an alluvial-dammed lake in a tectonically defined depression at Gölcük Mahallesi, Ödemiş, İzmir. It sits on the Bozdağlar Plateau at approximately 1,050 metres above sea level, while the surrounding plateau averages about 1,100 metres.
Meclis Parkı
Meclis Park is a green area within the Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi (TBMM) campus in Ankara’s Bakanlıklar district, beside Atatürk Bulvarı.
Portakal Çiçeği Vadisi
Orange Blossom Park is a neighbourhood recreation space in Aziziye, within Ankara’s Çankaya district, on Portakal Çiçeği Park İçi Yolu.
Yedigöller
Buca Yedigöller is a neighbourhood recreation area in İzmir, set among the Çağdaş, İzkent, Karanfil, Gaziler and Murathan neighbourhoods.
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.
