13 of the most beautiful places in Turkey (2024)

At the point where Europe and Asia collide, it is Turkey’s transcontinental culture-clash, its east-west spice-mix of influences, flavours, cultures, religions and histories, that makes this country so intoxicating. This is a land of sensorial richness, in its bazaars and mosques, its food and arts; of exoticism and romance, from its Ottoman palaces to fairy-tale Cappadocia. Its beauty spots are equally diverse. Inland there are otherworldly landscapes and ancient wonders to be explored, once the playgrounds of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Caesar and Alexander the Great, and yet they are little visited compared with similar sites in Italy and Greece. In summer, Turkey's exceptionally beautiful Turquoise Coast is plied by gulets sailing on their Blue Voyages from the Aegean to the eastern reaches of the Mediterranean, dropping anchor to swim in bays of crystal-clear water, and taking long lunches in fishing villages, at blue-painted tables and chairs framed with canopies of pink bougainvillaea, where life has gone on unchanged for thousands of years. To help you find these spots, we've rounded up the most beautiful places to visit in Turkey.

13. Sumela Monastery

Far from the tourist hotspots dotted along Turkey’s southern coast, in the often-overlooked northeastern reach of the country, sits the city of Trabzon. Thanks to its position along the ancient Silk Road, it’s a melting pot of cultures, religions and customs, and several civilizations have left their mark over the past three millennia. One of the most iconic attractions is Sumela Monastery, a religious site founded in the fourth century during the reign of Emperor Theodosius I. Reach the cliff-face monastery via winding paths and stone steps through the forest below and marvel at the 13th-century structure, restored with funds granted by the Government of Turkey ahead of its reopening as a public museum and pilgrimage site in 2019.

12. Lake Salda

Lake Salda’s white sand beaches, crystal clear water and tranquil setting have led those lucky enough to visit its picturesque shores to declare it ‘The Maldives of Turkey’. However, you’ll find no mega-resorts here – just peaceful, out-of-the-way spots perfect for a dip. It lies around two-and-a-half hours from the popular tourist resorts of Fethiye to the southwest and Antalya to the southeast, meaning only the most dedicated international visitors commit to the five-hour round trip during the scorching summer months. The hydromagnesite minerals found here are beneficial for several dermatological conditions, making it one of the best natural spas in Turkey. Make the most of the hiking trails through the black pine forests and check into one of the basic but super-affordable hotels in nearby Yeşilova.

11. İztuzu Beach and Lycian Tombs, Dalyan

Despite its small size, Dalyan has a few claims to fame. Hoards of sun-worshippers head to the beautiful sands of İztuzu Beach during the summer months. However, tourists must vacate by 8pm, as it’s one of the Mediterranean’s prime sites for nesting ​​loggerhead turtles. The international press picked up whispers of major development in the early 1980s, and the subsequent battles against it by conservationists led the government to grant the beach Special Environmental Protection Area Status in 1988. Further inland, diners gaze up at the majestic 2,000-year-old Lycian Tombs from riverbank restaurants illuminated by fairy lights and clear night skies. See them in two different lights by embarking on a boat trip from the heart of the town out to sea, and watch how the colour of the water changes in a sudden flash.

10. Balat, Istanbul

Istanbul’s artsy neighbourhood of Balat, the old Jewish quarter, has colour-popping pockets amid its more down-at-heel residential streets – bright-painted stairs (like those up to Incir Ağacı Kahvesi café), street art, parasol-shaded streets and terraced wooden houses in sugary pastels and rainbow shades (try Kiremit Caddesi). Wind around the steep cobbled lanes to dig out surprises in the rootsy cafés and vintage shops, live music venues and edgy art galleries.

Where to stay: Join Istanbul’s creatives at Soho House Istanbul, set in a historic building with a Cecconi’s restaurant and Cowshed spa.

9. Butterfly Valley, Fethiye

One of the greatest rewards for walkers on the Lycian Way is the spectacular view as you pass above Butterfly Valley: a jag of cove sheered out of the land, colossal cliffs rising sheer and scrubby either side of the narrow blue bay, fading to turquoise at the shore. On the toenail of sand-and-pebble beach at the foot of it, accessible only by boat, there’s a campsite with a beach bar serving beers and grilled fish, and yoga classes are held beneath the trees. Heading inland, the valley (used for all eternity as a goods route) leads through lush greenery and waterfalls, and in springtime, is filled with 100 species of butterfly.

Where to stay: Take an organised boat trip from one of the prettiest resorts along the peninsula to Butterfly Valley. Yazz Collective is ideal for a chic, back-to-nature beach club vibe, where DJs soundtrack weekends as superyachts pull up in the distance. Further along, Hillside Beach Club is popular among families keen to entertain children without compromising style.

8. Ephesus

Turkey has a great number of ancient sites, most far less visited than similar sites in Italy and Greece; and Ephesus, now UNESCO-protected, is arguably the grandest of them all. The Temple of Artemis which stood in the ancient city of Ephesus was one of the original Seven Wonders of the World. Little remains of it now, but the remains of Ephesus are wondrous nonetheless. Set back from the Aegean coast, the settlement began 9,000 years ago. There Roman, Christian, Ottoman, Hellenistic and Greek monuments: colonnaded streets, temples, a huge amphitheatre, the Celsus library whose carved façade still stands today, archways framing the blue Mediterranean sky.

7. Kaş

Far enough from the big seaside hubs to keep it offbeat, the old fishing village of Kaş remains a hideaway for hippie travellers and boho-chic Turks. Crazy-paved streets are lined by traditional white-washed houses, wooden balconies overhung with billowing bougainvillaea, against a backdrop of mountains. It sits beside the most delicious turquoise sea, rustic swimming terraces and daybeds built over the water, piled with bright cushions and textiles. The village’s Kaputaş beach is a knock-out, all dazzling white and bright blue, surrounded by dramatic cliffs; and nearby, off the island of Kekova, there’s an underwater city to explore with snorkels, visible beneath the crystal-clear water.

6. Patara

Stretching more than seven miles, Patara Beach is the longest and most wildly beautiful in Turkey – and also one of the emptiest. Breakers crash along one edge of this deep, wide stretch of pale sand; along the other are dunes and pine trees, marshes and lagoons, now a natural park rich in birdlife, so you are completely surrounded by water and wildlife – most notably, endangered loggerhead turtles. It’s thanks partly to the turtles that the beach remains unspoilt and protected, and also to the ruins of the ancient city of Patara, built – it is said, by Apollo’s son – at the back of the beach. You access the shore via these ruins, which include an amphitheatre, parliament building (found buried in the sand in the 1990s) and the column-flanked remains of the main street. Apollo’s temple is believed to still lie somewhere beneath, as yet undiscovered.

5. The domes of Istanbul

Across the Golden Horn, the more modest Ortaköy Mosque is one of the city’s prettiest, white in marble and stone, with pink mosaics within; located at the water’s edge beside the Bosphorus bridge, it is breathtaking at sunset with the golden light, and in the morning, when the call rings out across the water. Some of Istanbul’s most beautiful places are its mosques. The city’s architectural masterpiece, the Hagia Sofia, began life 1,500 years ago as a Byzantine cathedral, was converted to a mosque by the Ottomans, then in the 1930s became a museum – until, the summer of 2020, contentiously, it became a mosque once again. But all visitors are still welcome, to pray or just contemplate in awe beneath its soaring golden dome, shafts of sunlight piercing its stained-glass windows like the fingers of God. Beside it sits the Blue Mosque, built in the Ottoman era, its interior lined with handmade Iznik ceramic tiles and overhead, painted various shades of blue, and so beautiful that even Pope Benedict couldn’t stay away; when he visited in 2006 thanked ‘divine providence' for it. Built by Süleyman the Magnificent in the 16th century, Süleymaniye Mosque is just that. High on Istanbul’s Third Hill amid gardens and marble colonnaded grandeur, it has magnificent views of the city, too.

Where to stay: Stay at Four Seasons Hotel Sultanahmet to experience the finer side of this dazzling bicontinental city and enjoy close access to many of Istanbul’s bucket list attractions. For a more affordable stay in the nearby Beyoğlu district, look no further than Hammamhane’s spacious studio-style rooms, many with terrace access or balconies overlooking the historic hammam.

4. Gümüşlük, Bodrum

Until the 20th century the fishing villages dotted around the Bodrum Peninsula were only accessible from the water, and still today the best way to get around is by boat. Of all these fishing villages, the most charming is Gümüşlük. Ramshackle restaurants, simple driftwood-style shacks, line the water’s edge, some literally set in the shallows, where you can eat meze and just-caught, just-grilled fish with your feet in the water (the smartest spot is Mimoza). Gourd lanterns, handpainted in jewel shades, hang from the trees and canopies, creating sculptural shapes in the sunshine and enchanting at night when all lit up. It’s also the best spot in Bodrum to catch sunset.

Where to stay: As charming as Gümüşlük is, its small size warrants little more than a long afternoon there. Live the high life in beach club escape Scorpios Bodrum in Göltürkbükü, or stay closer in Turgutreis for more of a resort-town feel – Hotel Turiya is a popular choice among Turkish holidaymakers and long-time visitors.

3. Blue Lagoon, Olüdeniz

This bay of turquoise water, with its finger of white sand curving around it, is so supernaturally vibrant that it has become a poster child for the Turquoise Coast. The sands of Belcekiz beach slip into the limpid shallows, creating Maldivian-esque swirling seascapes of blue and white, protected by the green-forested promontories which lie around it like sleeping dragons. Overhead, the skies are full of paragliders viewing the whole splendid shebang from the air.

Where to stay: Lissiya Hotel is a short drive away from the action, but it’s ideal for escaping the hoard of beachgoers that descend on the Blue Lagoon each summer.

2. The pools of Pamukkale

The mineral springs that have cascaded down the hillside for thousands of years have created this extraordinary sight – Pamukkale means ‘cotton castle’ – in Turkey’s Büyük Menderes Valley. The series of natural pools of pale eau-de-nil water, cupped in shallow, organic-shaped basins of gleaming-white travertine, are terraced into the hillside, overspilling with the mineral-rich spring water that formed them and which appears to have frozen in time in petrified waterfalls, stalactites of limestone like wedding-cake icing dripping down the hillside. The spectacle gets busy with tourists, but often overlooked are the ancient ruins of the Greco-Roman spa town Hierapolis, built at the very top of the site, around the healing springs. Here you can bathe in Cleopatra’s very own hot bath, said to have been a gift from Mark Antony; once covered by the Roman temple of Apollo, the doric columns now lie in the water, and the pool is flanked with flowers.

1. The Fairy Chimneys of Cappadocia

High on the Anatolian plateau, the curious landscapes of Cappadocia resemble a fantasy world. Honey-coloured rocks have eroded into sculptural forms resembling minarets, magic mushrooms and what have become known as Fairy Chimneys, while underground, settlers since the Bronze Age have been busy carving out cave houses, churches and monasteries from the soft volcanic rock – even entire subterranean cities. The thing to do is take a hot-air balloon ride at sunrise or sunset; alternatively, see it on horseback or two wheels – or watch the spectacle from the terrace of your cave hotel in the town of Göreme (try Sultan Cave Suites for its rooftop, Museum Hotel or Kayakapi which all have outdoor pools; rustic-charming Cappadocia Cave Suites; or film-set-like Yunak Evleri) as hundreds of balloons drift overhead and the low sun casts apricot light on this extraordinary land. One of the most romantic spots on earth.

Where to stay: Embrace ‘cave chic’ and easily access some of the areas best viewpoints from Artemis Cave Suites and Spa.