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.
93 places match
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Typical visit duration
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.
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.
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.
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.
Polatlı is a municipal park in the centre of Polatlı, Ankara province, mapped as a leisure=park site.
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.
Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli Türbesi
The Haji Bektash Veli complex is a historic Bektashi lodge and museum in Hacıbektaş, Nevşehir Province.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Gediz Deltası
Gediz Delta is a vast wetland on İzmir’s northwestern edge, spreading across the districts of Çiğli, Menemen, Karşıyaka and Foça.
Acıgöl-Nevşehir is a volcanic maar in Nevşehir Province, set beside the Nevşehir–Aksaray road and about 3 km east of Acıgöl district centre. Unlike a conventional lake destination, its basin is now dry, giving the site a distinctly geological character.
Kuğulu Park is a compact public green space on Tunalı Hilmi Caddesi in Kavaklıdere, Çankaya, Ankara.
Göksu Parkı
Göksu Park is a distinctive lakeside recreation area in Göksu Mahallesi, Etimesgut, shaped by a 1.6-kilometre route around its lake rather than by a single building or monument.
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.
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.
