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.
51 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Aydınoğlu Mehmet Bey Camii
Birgi Grand Mosque, also known as Aydınoğlu Mehmet Bey Mosque, stands in Birgi in Ödemiş district of İzmir, beside the stream and within the town’s historic settlement.
Karşıyaka Mezarlığı
Karşıyaka Cemetery is a large municipal burial ground in Ankara, maintained as an active cemetery by Ankara Metropolitan Municipality. Its purpose is grave visitation, remembrance and cemetery administration, so the experience differs fundamentally from a sightseeing attraction.
Şaban Ağa Camii
Şaban Ağa Mosque stands in the former Eskihisar village, within Stratonikeia Ancient City in Yatağan district of Muğla Province. Older records identify the building as Tabakhane Mosque.
Yıldıztepe Şehitliği
Yıldıztepe Military Cemetery is a small memorial site in İskele Mahallesi, within İzmir’s Urla district.
Ulu Camii
The Ulu Camii is the oldest important mosque in Manisa and the one that predates the Ottomans here.
İvaz Paşa Camii
The İvaz Paşa Camii was built in October 1484 for İvaz Paşa, eight years before the end of the fifteenth century and nearly forty years before the Sultan Mosque.
Akhisar Musevi Mezarlığı
This is the burial ground of Akhisar's Jewish community, a Sephardic congregation that at its peak numbered around 400 people and no longer exists in the town.
Çeşnigir Cami
The Çeşnigir Camii of 1474 is one of the oldest mosques in Manisa, built by Çeşnigir Sinan Bey — a man who had been enslaved and was freed by Mehmed II, the sultan who took Constantinople.
Hatuniye Cami
The Hatuniye Camii was built in 1490–91 by Şehzade Şehinşah, a son of Bayezid II, in honour of his mother Hüsnüşah Hatun.
İmrahor Camii
İmrahor Camii is a small working neighbourhood mosque in Salacak, the shore quarter that runs south from Üsküdar square on Istanbul's Asian side.
Kırtık Mezarlığı
Kırtık Mezarlığı is the largest cemetery in Manisa, a Muslim civil burial ground of 333,000 m² in Şehzadeler, still in use. It is also known as Kırtık Asri Mezarlığı or the Manisa Municipality Asri Cemetery.
Mor Efrem Süryani Kadim Ortodoks Kilisesi
Ermenî Kabristanı
Mimar Sinan Camii
Notre-Dame De L'Assomption
Czestochowalı Meryem Ana Kilisesi
Kısıklı Abdullahağa Camii
İbrahim Paşa Muhsine Hatum Cami
Pazar Camii
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.
