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A photograph of Türkiye

Country guide

Theme: Nature in 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

26,406 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.

Filter the list

93 places match

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Category

Historic sites 1 Museums 0 Places of worship 1 Nature sites 64 Viewpoints 27 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 86 1 to 2 hours 3 Half a day or more 4

Interests

History 513 Art 60 Museums 93 Nature 93 Sea and beach 66 Viewpoints 27
  1. Dolmabahçe Palace Dolmabahçe Palace
    01 2 hours

    Dolmabahçe Palace

    Dolmabahçe Sarayı

    Dolmabahçe is what the Ottoman empire built when it decided to look European, and what that decision cost.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Istanbul
  2. Mount Sipylus Mount Sipylus
    02 4 hours

    Mount Sipylus

    Spil Dağı

    Mount Sipylus — Spil Dağı in Turkish — is the 1,513 m limestone massif standing immediately south of Manisa, the highest point on the city's skyline and the reason the city sits where it does.

    • Must see
    • Viewpoint
    • Manisa
  3. Gülhane Park Gülhane Park
    03 1 hour

    Gülhane Park

    Gülhane Parkı

    Gülhane Park is 9.7 hectares of shaded slope below Topkapı Palace, and for most of its life it was not a park at all but the palace's outer garden — ground the public did not enter.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Istanbul
  4. Göreme National Park Göreme National Park
    04 1 hour

    Göreme National Park

    Göreme Millî Parkı

    Göreme National Park is the wider landscape around Göreme village, while the principal visitor attraction in this listing is the Göreme Örenyeri, or Göreme Open-Air Museum.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Nevşehir
  5. Yıldız Park Yıldız Park
    05 1 hr 30 min

    Yıldız Park

    Yıldız Parkı

    Yıldız Park is a wooded hillside of 368,751 square metres — roughly thirty-seven hectares — climbing from the Beşiktaş shoreline to the ridge behind it.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Istanbul
  6. Gezi Park Gezi Park
    06 25 min

    Gezi Park

    Taksim Gezi Parkı

    Gezi Park is a terraced park of four hectares — 9.88 acres — occupying the ground immediately north of Taksim Square in Beyoğlu.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Istanbul
  7. Anıtkabir Anıtkabir
    07 1 hour

    Anıtkabir

    Anıtkabir is the mausoleum complex of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on Ankara’s Anıttepe hill. It is a national memorial and museum, with monumental architecture, landscaped grounds and galleries about the Turkish War of Independence and the founding period of the Republic.

    • Must see
    • Historic site
    • Ankara
  8. Lake Bafa Lake Bafa
    08 1 hour

    Lake Bafa

    Bafa Gölü

    Lake Bafa is a protected lake landscape where Muğla’s eastern shore meets the wider setting of Aydın’s Söke district. The Kapıkırı side is the practical base for exploring the water, rocky shore and Beşparmak Mountains.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Muğla
  9. Lake Köyceğiz Lake Köyceğiz
    09 1 hour

    Lake Köyceğiz

    Köyceğiz Gölü

    Lake Köyceğiz is a large natural lake beside Köyceğiz town in Muğla Province. Muğla Governorate gives its area as about 54 square kilometres, while the municipality describes the lake area as 6,300 hectares.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Muğla
  10. Emirgan Park Emirgan Park
    10 1 hr 30 min

    Emirgan Park

    Emirgan Korusu

    Emirgan Park is 470,000 square metres of wooded hillside above the European shore of the Bosphorus in Sarıyer, and it has been changing hands for as long as anyone has been writing things down.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Istanbul
  11. Polatlı
    11 1 hour

    Polatlı

    Polatlı is a municipal park in the centre of Polatlı, Ankara province, mapped as a leisure=park site.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Ankara
  12. Saklıkent Canyon Saklıkent Canyon
    12 1 hour

    Saklıkent Canyon

    Saklıkent Millî Parkı

    Saklıkent Canyon is a natural gorge in Seydikemer district of Muğla, close to the Antalya provincial border. It is approximately 18 kilometres long, and Karaçay, a branch of the Eşen River, flows through it.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Muğla
  13. Haji Bektash Veli complex Haji Bektash Veli complex
    13 30 min

    Haji Bektash Veli complex

    Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli Türbesi

    The Haji Bektash Veli complex is a historic Bektashi lodge and museum in Hacıbektaş, Nevşehir Province.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
    • Nevşehir
  14. Lake Mogan Lake Mogan
    14 1 hour

    Lake Mogan

    Mogan Gölü

    Lake Mogan is a shallow natural lake and recreation destination in Gölbaşı district, about 25 kilometres south of Ankara. The lake covers approximately 5 square kilometres, and the surrounding Mogan Recreation Area provides a broad public park beside the water.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Ankara
  15. Kula volcano Kula volcano
    15 1 hour

    Kula volcano

    Kula

    Kula Volcano is an extinct cinder cone in the Kula volcanic field, the feature that gives the field and the surrounding Kula-Salihli Geopark their name.

    • Must see
    • Viewpoint
    • Manisa
  16. Çankaya Mansion
    16 1 hour

    Çankaya Mansion

    Çankaya Köşkü

    Çankaya Mansion is a working state residence and workplace on Ankara’s Çankaya presidential campus, with a role that combines republican history and present-day government.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Ankara
  17. Babadağ Babadağ
    17 20 min

    Babadağ

    Babadağ is a mountain attraction above Ölüdeniz reached by cable car and chairlift. The visit begins at the operator’s main station on Ölüdeniz’s main road, at 226 metres, then rises towards stations at 1200, 1700, 1800 and 1900 metres.

    • Must see
    • Viewpoint
    • Muğla
  18. Ayasuluk Hill Ayasuluk Hill
    18 20 min

    Ayasuluk Hill

    Ayasluğ

    Ayasuluk Hill is the historic high ground above Selçuk, where several of the town’s most important monuments occupy one archaeological setting. A visit brings together St.

    • Must see
    • Viewpoint
    • İzmir
  19. Lake Eymir Lake Eymir
    19 1 hour

    Lake Eymir

    Eymir Gölü

    Lake Eymir is a protected lakeside recreation area associated with Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara. The site is suited to walking, cycling, birdwatching and quiet outdoor time rather than a conventional urban park.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Ankara
  20. Eşek Island Eşek Island
    20 1 hour

    Eşek Island

    Kara Ada

    Eşek Island is a natural island off İzmir’s Çeşme Peninsula, on the eastern side of the Chios Strait, and is formerly known as Goni.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • İzmir
  21. İztuzu Beach İztuzu Beach
    21 1 hour

    İztuzu Beach

    İztuzu Plajı

    İztuzu Beach is a long, protected sandy shore in Ortaca district, south of Dalyan in Muğla. The beach stretches for approximately 5,400 metres and occupies a distinctive position between the Mediterranean and the lagoon and canal landscape behind the sand.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Muğla
  22. Mount Yamanlar Mount Yamanlar
    22 20 min

    Mount Yamanlar

    Yamanlar Dağı

    Mount Yamanlar is the mountain and nature-park setting identified by İzmir Governorate at Dededağı Tepe in Karşıyaka. Its identity comes from a forested, elevated landscape rather than a building with galleries, exhibits or a timed programme.

    • Must see
    • Viewpoint
    • İzmir
  23. Gençlik Parkı Gençlik Parkı
    23 1 hour

    Gençlik Parkı

    Gençlik Parkı is a large municipal urban park in Ankara’s Ulus neighbourhood, between Ankara railway station and the Opera buildings. Ankara Metropolitan Municipality operates it, and the park opened on 19 May 1943.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • Ankara
  24. Kültürpark Kültürpark
    24 1 hour

    Kültürpark

    Kültürpark is İzmir’s major central urban park and fairground, established on 1 January 1936 under the leadership of Behçet Uz. Its 420,000-square-metre grounds combine mature greenery, public recreation, cultural attractions and event spaces in the centre of the city.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • İzmir
  25. Gediz Delta Gediz Delta
    25 1 hour

    Gediz Delta

    Gediz Deltası

    Gediz Delta is a vast wetland on İzmir’s northwestern edge, spreading across the districts of Çiğli, Menemen, Karşıyaka and Foça.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
    • İzmir
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.