Turkey — Where East Meets West
Turkey straddles two continents and draws from the histories of both. Istanbul — Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul — is the only city in the world to span Europe and Asia and has the monuments to prove it.
Cappadocia's volcanic fairy-chimney landscape is Turkey's most photographed and most unique landscape, best experienced from a hot-air balloon at sunrise.
Highlights
- ◆Hagia Sophia & Blue Mosque — Two of the world's greatest religious buildings, 300m apart
- ◆Cappadocia — Hot-air balloon over fairy chimneys at sunrise; underground cities of Derinkuyu
- ◆Topkapi Palace — Ottoman sultans' 400-year seat of power; crown jewels and holy relics
- ◆Grand Bazaar Istanbul — World's oldest covered market: 4,000 shops since 1461
- ◆Ephesus Ancient City — Best-preserved Roman city in Eastern Mediterranean; Library of Celsus
- ◆Pamukkale — Cascading white calcium terraces; ancient Hierapolis spa city above
- ◆Turkish Riviera — Turquoise Aegean coves; gulet sailing; ancient ruins on clifftops
Key Destinations in Turkey
Istanbul
The world's only transcontinental city, Istanbul spans the Bosphorus Strait dividing Europe and Asia.
Cappadocia
Formed by ancient volcanic eruptions and subsequent erosion, Cappadocia's landscape of 'fairy chimneys,' cave churches, and underground cities is genuinely otherworldly.
Ephesus Ancient City
The best-preserved Roman city in the Eastern Mediterranean, near the Aegean coast at Selçuk. At its peak, Ephesus was the Roman Empire's second city.
Pamukkale & Hierapolis
Calcium-rich thermal waters have cascaded over a mountain in south-western Turkey for 200,000 years, leaving brilliant white travertine terraces.
Turkish Riviera & Gulet Sailing
Turkey's southwestern coast between Bodrum and Antalya is the world's foremost gulet sailing region.