Turkey's Holiday Regions: Where to Go on Your First Trip
Istanbul, the Turkish Riviera, the Aegean, the Lycian coast, Pamukkale or Cappadocia? A region-by-region guide to choosing your first Turkey trip.
· 3 min read
Turkey is big, and its holiday regions are very different from each other: a historic metropolis on two continents, a Mediterranean coast lined with ancient cities, the Aegean's classical ruins, the white terraces of Pamukkale and the volcanic valleys of Cappadocia.
This guide walks you through the main regions with the places that define each one, so you can decide where to spend your days. Every place links to its TripNVB page with opening hours, directions and verified visitors' moments.
Istanbul: history on two continents
Most first trips start here — and many visitors wish they had planned more days.
Hagia Sophia
Religious Sites · Fatih
Hagia Sophia has been a church, a museum and today a mosque again; it is the heart of the historic peninsula and the place most first-time visitors see first.
Go to Hagia SophiaTopkapı Palace
Historic & Cultural · Fatih
For almost four centuries Topkapı Palace was the administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire; today it is a large museum a short walk from Hagia Sophia.
Go to Topkapı PalaceAntalya and the Turkish Riviera: beaches and ancient cities
The Mediterranean coast around Antalya pairs long summers with some of the best-preserved Greco-Roman cities in the country.
Aspendos
Historic & Cultural · Serik
Aspendos, an ancient Greco-Roman city about 40 km east of modern Antalya, is one of the region's best-known sights.
Go to AspendosAlanya Castle
Historic & Cultural · Alanya
Alanya Castle, a medieval fortress above the town of Alanya, is the landmark of the Riviera's eastern end.
Go to Alanya CastleFethiye and the Lycian coast: ruins, canyons and a long-distance trail
West of Antalya, the coast of ancient Lycia combines hiking, ruins and dramatic nature.
Lycian Way
City Guides · Fethiye
The Lycian Way is a marked hiking trail of about 760 km along this coast — you can walk a single day of it or several weeks.
Go to Lycian WaySaklıkent Canyon
Nature & Adventure · Seydikemer
Saklıkent National Park protects a canyon in Muğla Province, a natural break between days of ruins and beaches.
Go to Saklıkent CanyonBodrum and the southern Aegean
Bodrum's harbour town sits on the ruins of ancient Halicarnassus, with more classical sites within a day trip.
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Historic & Cultural · Bodrum
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was a tomb built between 353 and 351 BC for Mausolus — the monument that gave us the word "mausoleum".
Go to Mausoleum at HalicarnassusBodrum Castle
Historic & Cultural · Bodrum
Bodrum Castle was built from 1402 onwards by the Knights of St John and still dominates the harbour.
Go to Bodrum CastleEphesus and the central Aegean
This stretch of coast holds some of the most famous ancient sites in the world.
Ephesus
Historic & Cultural · Selçuk
Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, near present-day Selçuk, built in the 10th century BC.
Go to EphesusLibrary of Celsus
Historic & Cultural · Selçuk
The Library of Celsus, an ancient Roman building in Ephesus, is the city's most photographed facade.
Go to Library of CelsusPamukkale: the "cotton castle"
Inland from the Aegean, Pamukkale combines a natural wonder with an ancient city on top of it.
Pamukkale
Nature & Adventure · Pamukkale
Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is famous for the white carbonate terraces left by its flowing waters.
Go to PamukkaleHierapolis
Historic & Cultural · Pamukkale
Hierapolis, a Hellenistic city founded in the 3rd century BC, lies right above the terraces, so both are visited together.
Go to HierapolisCappadocia: valleys, rock churches and underground cities
In Central Anatolia, Cappadocia is unlike anywhere else in Turkey.
Göreme National Park
Nature & Adventure · Ürgüp
Göreme Historical National Park covers nearly 100 km² of Cappadocia's landscape in Nevşehir Province.
Go to Göreme National ParkDerinkuyu underground city
Historic & Cultural · Derinkuyu
Derinkuyu is an ancient underground city on several levels near the town of the same name — one of the region's most remarkable sights.
Go to Derinkuyu underground cityEach region has its own TripNVB guide with many more places, hidden gems and one-day routes. Pick one or two regions rather than trying to see everything — Turkey rewards slow travel.
This article was written by the TripNVB team from our own data: places, locations and facts come from our records. Check opening hours and prices on each place's page before you go.
