Turkey’s cities and people are known to lead the most vibrant life and diverse cultural heritage and that is the reason why Turkey has become one of the most popular destinations. Each of the cities of Turkey represents something unique and offers a lot to enjoy, learn as well as remember. From business and various industries to ancient roots and architecture to variety of cultures and civilization – Turkey does offer it all and that is the reason why Turkey should be on every travelers list of places to visit
Various Turkey’s cities offer grand buildings and their architectural styles as well as best ever wine and dine experience and much more, that’s why here we offer you the list of Top 10 Tourist Cities in Turkey which you must visit whenever you go to Turkey:
Istanbul
Istanbul – major metropolis of Turkey and a prime destination for every tourist who visits the Turkey, home to almost 15 million people. Istanbul has so many historical monuments ranging from various eras and spread so much knowledge about their history. No matter how much time you have, Istanbul will never stop to amaze you when it comes to visiting places in the city. Those who are interested into Ottoman and Byzantine Empires – will most certainly love it here, as the city has so much to offer for both these eras.
Most amazing thing about Istanbul is probably the Blue Mosque i.e. Hagia Sophia also known as Aya Sofya along with Topkapi Palace. Also, the Grand Bazaar is quite popular amongst locals as well as tourists. The city is full of diverse multi-domed elegant and lavish mosques all around it. With such rich and magnificent history as Istanbul, one must spend a few days here and get to know as much as you can from such amazing
places.
Other than such historical places and grand architectural empires, Istanbul also offers dazzling night life and streets filled with young and cheerful vibes. All of us are aware of the wine and dine experience of Turkey and of course, the famous Turkish Tea/ Coffee is also there along with Mediterranean delights. Istanbul is said to be Turkey’s largest city offering all viz. History, Art, Culture, Wine and Dine, Entertainment and so much more.
Antalya
Located on the Gulf of Antalya, this most exotic place offers sun and sand for those who loves to enjoy sea and enjoy laid-back vibes on the beach. Beach life here is quite impressive and offers a lot more than just the sea shore. Most popular beaches include Konyaalti Beach and Lara Beach. Other than that, one can always go and step into various Cafes and restaurants nearby and enjoy the dining experience with unique cuisine and dishes offered here
The old center of Kaleici with Ottoman houses built across narrow streets and alleys gives you some different kinds of vibes as if you have reached into that ancient era. The Roman-era harbor lets you take in all the fresh sea breeze and beaches to relax and enjoy upon a day full of activities. Weather here makes it even more relaxing and enjoyable experience while you are taking a walk into the city.
You might not know that the Antalya is also known as Turkish Riviera and offers more than enough beaches, resorts and the best ever staying experience throughout the city. Many historical sites, shopping centers along with finest restaurants are surely going to make you fall in love with the place. Moreover, Antalya is the fourth most visited city across the world. It must be on your list of places to visit while you are on the Turkey holiday.
Alanya
Located on the south coast, Alanya is also one of the most visited places in Turkey as it offers affordable yet best ever packages to stay here. Not only that, but, all-inclusive hotels offers a lot more than just a stay. The sun and the sea makes Alanya the best place to spend quiet afternoon to get yourself recharged to enjoy the vibrant night life in the city. So many beautiful beaches and natural landscapes make this city even more picturesque and enjoyable.
Hills surrounding the area filled with traditional Turkey houses will make you feel as if you have stepped into the history and enjoy while you are in it! Also, there are tourists who prefer to visit Alanya just to get relaxation and feel the quiet surroundings. City offers amazing boat tours alongside magnificent castles and spend entire day being sunkissed and refreshed. Nightlife here is quite young and wild; do not get surprised if you keep on dancing throughout the night up until the sun comes up!
Scenic routes and historical places makes Analya such a relaxing yet mesmerizing place. Travelers who enjoy clubbing will find a number of clubs offering so many different activities to enjoy here. Boat trips are quite popular throughout the city and many hotels even offer cheaper alternatives packed with many interesting activities scheduled for you.
Fethiye
A city with mere 1, 00,000 population – small yet quite fascinating city is located on the Mediterranean coast and attracts thousands of tourists each year. The prime attraction in Fethiye is Yachting offering so many activities such as daily group boats, private yacht hire and so much more. You might also have heard about the most popular three-night Blue Cruise, which is also offered here. Through this cruise, it takes you to some of the most amazing coastal lines and lets you enjoy fascinating views of the sea.
Other than the sea itself, being such a jaw-dropping activity around it, there are other attractions including forested hills. Those who love trekking and related adventurous activities are surely going to spend some time here to enjoy the most of the city. Furthermore, there is a UNSECO World Heritage Site i.e. Classical-era Lycuan ruins – Xanthos and Letoon. Both of these are considered amongst popular archaeological sites and gives so much more to explore throughout the city.
The most popular beach here is Oludeniz offering numerous kinds of boat trips along with Paragliding activities. Other places of interest include the Butterfly Valley. On the borders, you will find forest covered hills and turquoise waters on the other side, making it a worthwhile view for all the tourists. Also, you should visit Amintas Rock Tombs, Kadyanda Ancieyt City as well as Kayakoy – the ghost town nearby the city.
Bursa
You might be surprised to know that Bursa was the original capital of the Ottoman Empire and currently it is the fourth largest city in the Turkey. Arts and architecture lovers find a huge number of mosques, museums as well as mausoleums in the city. Locals here are quite friendly and welcoming to all the tourists and offer a lot more than just a destination to visit. To enjoy skiing, there is Mount Uludag offering many sporting activities for you to spend a cheerful day.
There is a 20 domed Grand Mosque located in the city is amongst the most popular destinations to visit in Bursa. The Muradiye Complex contains the first Ottoman Sultans mausoleums offering such beautiful and colorful sights and popular monuments from ancient times. Shopping here is quite popular throughout the Covered Market offering variety of items to take home with you. Bursa’s heritage i.e. Silk Route offers some of the most amazing souvenirs to be purchased and kept forever.
So many ancient traditional following shops like Koza Han still offers silk items same as their traditional ways, even today. This city is also said to be a heaven for foodies as it was the place where kebabs were invented. The Iskender Kebab in the city would be a delight to grab a meal and fall in love with the Turkish cuisine. Bursa offers it all, from fine dine to skiing slopes to centuries old silk traditions to enchanting hills and so much more.
Konya
One of the most famous Persian poet Rumi – Konya offers magnificent architecture that takes back you to centuries old traditions and historical places. The city also served as the capital of the Rum Sultanate and still has got its power as a historical place and that is the reason why every tourist chooses the city to visit while in Turkey. Konya is also known as the City of Rumi and that is the reason why it is such a popular city amongst travelers.
Visiting Rumi’s tomb might just become the highlight of your Konya visit and you are surely going to remember it forever. Being translated into multiple languages and being published all over the world, this 13th century poet has become such a popular one and hence, this place has its grace into each of the traveler’s heart. That might be the reason why Rumi is said to be the great poet that ever lived. To visit the world famous Rumi’s Tomb, you need to visit Mevlana Museum. It also contains a collection of various arts and antiques in it.
The museum even lets tourists enjoy world famous Sema ritual in which spinning around in circles wearing specific type of attire in order to become one with the god. That is such a devotional and energizing experience. The city might not offer nightlife and clubbing, but such ancient places and historical sites here makes it worth the visit and to spend a day or two here.
Eskisehir
Are you looking to visit a place offering the most popular café culture? Well, Eskisehir is all yours! Here you will find a variety of Cafes mixed with arts and gardens and so much more. Such places create young and vibrant vibes and take you towards such positive energy to make your trip even more enjoyable. Gondola rides on the river will surely take up your entire day and give you so many new experiences with locals. Gardens and parks here are quite magnificent and surely make you to spend a few days here
There is a small old town district of Odunpazari where you can find a lot to view as well as shop. The newest attraction here is OMM – Odunpazari Modern Musem offering arts, culture along with some unique sculptures. Paintings here are often showed through various exhibitions and are a prime attraction. It is also considered as one of the most important private art galleries outside of the Istanbul city.
Nowadays new high-speed train lines have made the Eskisehir quite easier to reach from Istanbul, Ankara as well as Konya. With each passing day, more and more travelers are attracted towards cities such as Eskisehir due to their prime attractions i.e. Museums and art galleries. If you are an art lover to, you will surely find a few things to do and visit while you are here.
Izmir
Izmir happens to be the Third biggest center of Turkey consisting of 2.9 million
populations and a lot to offer to the tourism industry. Izmir is also said to be the liveliest metropolitan center of Turkey attracting huge number of tourists each year. It is located on the Bay of Izmir and is a huge port. If you are looking forward to visit a “Fun City” then Izmir would be the perfect place as the combination of best cafes, bars and restaurants.
Being the center of multicultural heritage, Izmir offers great cuisine and a mixture of various dishes makes it even greater paradise for foodies. Not only that, the city also consists of various churches and mosques spread around the entire city. Those who have interests into arts, history and museums – you will find a few related places too. One of the most amazing thing about location nearby the sea is that such places offer great beaches.
When it comes to vast spread beaches, there comes many adventurous activities on the beach. Welcoming locals will surely help you to find your most suitable activities and spend your time as per your interests. The Kemeralti Market district still has some ruins in the core of the city, showing the great history it went through. Old yet traditional Ottoman warehouses now works as house craft workshops whereas caravanserais converted into coffee houses are a must to visit.
Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey, and is also the second largest city in the country with approximate 5 million populations. Prime reasons to have Ankara on your list to visit Turkish cities are business and industry. The city also offers the best museums in the entire country. When it comes to best museums, how can one forget about the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. It contains a unique collection of arts and items from archaeological sites spread across the country.
To get deeper into the Turkish culture and know more about their lifestyle, visiting this city would be the best thing to do. A city with such diverse ancient history takes you back into the old times, where it was all about arts and culture only. The Anitkabir is also prime attraction here which is a modern pilgrimage site. It is a hilltop complex consisting of a mausoleum of Ataturk who was the founder of the Modern Turkey. It describes how Turkey was built after the World War I.
Amongst many other sites, Iron Age Site of Gordion is also quite magnificent. It is the place where Alexander the Great cut the Gordion knot. Hittite Capital of Hattusa are the ruins of the Bronze Age empire and a must visit place for tourists. The city is full of variety of cafes and restaurants serving you a great taste into delightful drinks and dishes.
Trabzon
One of the busiest ports of the Black Sea i.e. Trabzon has been here since a very long time. Being on the ancient silk route, Trabzon has been fought and ruled over by various empires and cultures for more than thousands of years. World famous Hagia Sophia mosque happens to be located here and each year a huge number of tourists from across the globe visit it. Local football matches here are quite popular even amongst tourists.
Places to be visited here are Uzungol Lake, Sumela Monestary and more. You can easily spend a day here, at each of these locations and just sit back and relax while you are on the visit. Central Bazaar here is very popular for tourists as it offers a variety of items to shop from different localities. Restaurants here offer fusion of Turkish, Greek and Georgian flavors with some unique dishes and taste.
Cappadocia
Have you seen the perfect picturesque with hot air balloons over the most beautiful landscapes? Well, that’s probably the picture describing Cappadocia located in Turkey. It is a region with volcanic-rock landscapes which has become quite popular tourist destination in Turkey because of all the adventurous activities surrounding the place. Amongst various things, Hot Air Balloon is the most popular ones here.
Other than that, Cappadocian villages located on hill sides have also been quite
popular tourist destinations. For hiking activities, there are some of the valleys surrounding the Cappadocia which are preferred by travelers. Over these valleys, you will find huge number of hot-air balloon tours starting as early as Sunrise. It will let you enjoy the bird’s eye view of the region and see the magnificent rock formations below.
Visiting the Churches of Goreme Open Air Museum is also quite the fascinating as it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This complex dates back from 10th to 12th century and contains many Churches and Chapels within it. Goreme and Cavusin villages have jawdropping intertwining valleys which are perfect for horse riding. Some of the other major tourist destinations include underground cities viz. Kaymakli Underground City, Derinkuyu Underground City and more.