Turkey Travel Guide: Best Places to Visit in TURKEY 2026 4K

Welcome back everybody. Today we're going to show you the best places to visit in Turkey with the bustling streets of Istanbul to the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, turquoise Mediterranean beaches, and rich history dating back to the Romans, the Greeks, and the Ottomans. Located right at the crossroads where Europe meets Asia, this here is Istanbul, situated along the Bosphorus Strait. Napoleon Bonaparte was once quoted as saying, if the world had a capital, it would be Istanbul. Formerly known as Constantinople. On the western side of the Bosphorus, it is known as the European side. Here you'll find the Grand Bazaar, the mosques, the palaces, several fortifications. Once you go across the Bosphorus, you're in the Asian side known as Anatolia. This is considered more of the neighborhoods and the local feeling of Istanbul. Many of you will originate your arrival into Turkey through Istanbul's airport, so I suggest taking three days for Istanbul to really thoroughly explore the city. By the way, while you're here, Uber does work. I do recommend riding Ubers over taking taxis just because of price gouging. Another great way to get around is with the Istanbul CityCard. It allows you to take ferries and some of the public transport systems, so that's great efficiency. Now we're over in the middle of Turkey. Turkey this year is Cappadocia. Located in the high plateau of central Anatolia, it is one of the most famous destinations in Turkey, known for its hot air balloon rides over these breathtaking valleys with fairy chimneys rising. You can explore Goreme National Park with the rock sites of Cappadocia around this UNESCO World Heritage site. They also have underground cities, rock-cut churches, and plenty of hiking for you to do. Some of the popular places people like to stay are in these cave hotels. They're unique boutique hotels carved directly into the ancient rock formations. Uber does not work here, so you'll be looking for taxis or these minibuses. If you prefer total independence, then maybe you would go for renting a car. This would be one of those places you would consider that. And now here we are along the Turkish Riviera. This is Antalya, another place rich in history. You can explore around here. They've got plenty of beaches, and they've also got several waterfalls. One of the popular things to do here is go to a restaurant that sits along the river and you can actually enjoy some food right over the river. And you can enjoy some tasty Turkish cuisine. Also they have sunset tours that take you out in the evening time right there out on the Turkish Riviera in the Mediterranean. I did visit several archaeological sites. They have forums, they have amphitheaters all around the area here, and then they even have mountains that you can go up and explore, riding quads and doing other sort of activities in the area. It's a really beautiful place down here in the Turkish Riviera, I would have to say. And there's a long coast, and we're going to show you more destinations as the video goes along. But I would say Antalya is the most famous because they also have these big, huge five star resorts that people stay at, all inclusive and such. They also have a big airport and convenience. Here we are now at Ephesus. This is a preserved Roman ruin, also Greek city. So lots of history between the Romans and the Greeks. Obviously the Romans came after the Greeks. But this one here is considered part of the Bible as one of the seven churches of Asia. They have the Great Theater, which is an open air amphitheater with 25,000 spectators that were available to sit there. It's also a famous site of the Silversmith's Riot against St. Paul. You have the Temple of Artemis, which was once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I personally feel like Turkey has more Greek and Roman archaeological sites than even Greece or Italy. That's how many you'll find up and down the coastline here in Turkey. One of the most famous places that people come to here in Turkey is Pumakele, which literally translates to Cotton Castle in Turkish. It's a breathtaking natural wonder here in southwestern Turkey. It's got this dazzling white terrace pools formed by mineral-rich thermal waters. It's kind of like an outdoor spa. The rocks here are considered travertine terraces. And in an effort to preserve the fragile travertine, you're required to walk barefoot in the designated areas. And a lot of the water that now flows is going through man-made channels to prevent damage to some of the more iconic pools with less water than in the past. So it kind of appears more of a grayish-white water. And this protects the site for future generations. Kind of a victim of its own success with mass tourism. And just down the way is Iludeniz. This one is also on the French Riviera. And this one's a little bit different than most of the cities you're going to find here. It's not really a city, but it's also got these boats that are kind of themed like pirate boats and all sorts of different cruises that you can go out on. Again, this is another one of those destinations you can go up into the forest and explore around in off-road vehicles. But also they have paragliding and skydiving from here. People will paraglide down and look at the beautiful Iludeniz Harbor and the blue water around the channel here. And actually if you wanted to really explore the French Riviera, I would say you could easily begin in Antalya and then just work your way all the way west. And you'll hit up places like Kos, Ferrahi, Iludeniz, all the way up to Badrum, which are some of the places we're going to be talking about here soon. Now the best way to do that would be with a rental car, but if you don't want a rental car, you can get a private van or a private driver to take you from city to city. Just ask your hotel. And speaking of Badrum, located here along the Aegean Sea, which as you can see, there are many different Greek islands just off the coast here. Some people even go out to Greek islands, obviously they're going to have to stamp the passport in and out. But some people call this the San Tropez of Turkey, hence the reason why they call this area the French Riviera. But there's so much along this area here. We also have the Puma Cele, which we showed you before. But Badrum has lots of ancient sites. Even the Ephesus is nearby here. You have the Castle of St. Peter. You can easily get to Badrum from Antalya by taking that route, or even coming down from Istanbul. But really, more than anything, when it comes to that French Riviera, I would say plan to do more than one area and spend two to three days in each place. Now we're actually headed up into the interior of Turkey. This is the Semela Monastery. This is a Greek Orthodox monastery. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The monastery complex, the monastery is a complex of buildings carved into and built against the cliff face. They have the Rock Church, they have frescoes, Sacred Spring. It is located in a national park about 50 kilometers south of Trabzon City. I would say the easiest way to get out here is by private car or taxi. It opens at 8 in the morning and closes at 7 p.m. Entrance fee is about 20 Euros, or 450 Turkish Lira. Back down here in the Turkish Riviera along the Mediterranean, this here is Kaş. Now this is next to the ancient Lysanian city of Antefellos. And from here, you'll find that this area is a bit more laid back than the other places along the Turkish Riviera. It's kind of tucked away. So if you're looking for more of a relaxing kind of getaway, get an Airbnb in Kaş. It has tourist infrastructure and a nice old town area where you can get some dinner and some lunch and breakfast, whatever makes you happy. But they also have some diving because there's about 30 dive sites that are close to the city center. Also from here, you can easily get out to the island of Rhodes if you wanted to. Now obviously that is part of Europe, so you'll have to process immigration into Europe for that. Interesting fact though, 45 minutes away is Myra, and this is actually where Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas originally came from. As you probably know, saying Santa Claus is basically just saying Saint Nicholas, but in German. That's why we call Santa Claus Old Saint Nick. And now here we are at Göbekli Tepe. Now this is along the border with Syria. Around here, you're going to find some archaeological sites that really go back in time. I mean, it's some of the world's oldest known temple complexes of hunter and gatherers from thousands of years ago. We're talking like 11,000 to 12,000 years ago. They found pre-pottery, Neolithic period stuff, 6,000 years older than Stonehenge, just to put it into perspective how old this region is. The site is located about 22 kilometers or a 30 minute drive from a city called Sandlerfra. And one of the most unique, extraordinary archaeological sites in the world in my opinion is Mount Nermut. Now this is in Turkey. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's a royal tomb sanctuary, and it sits on a summit where you have three main terraces, east, west, and north. You also have colossal statues of iconic images of Nermut. You have Zeus, Apollo, Hercules. Really an amazing place. The size of the statues and the heads really have baffled people. It's kind of like what you would see maybe in Easter Island. Another thing is they have the Lion Horoscope on the west terrace. That's a stone slab with a lion and stars considered to be one of the world's oldest known astrological clocks. And we're back down here along the Mediterranean here in Butterfly Valley. So it is a protected sanctuary. It's actually quite nearby Aludinese. You could take a boat from Aludinese to get here or a regular shuttle to get out here. But it is known for its nature. People come down here and sleep in tents or simple bungalows. And you're allowed to stay a few nights. It's basically only accessible by boats. There's also a beautiful waterfall that cascades down from the canyon depending on the time of year. Also, the big thing that you're going to do out here is hang out on the Pebble Beach and snorkel around the crystal clear turquoise water. And of course, it is called Butterfly Valley because there's about 100 species of butterflies here. And the best time to see them is in the summer between June and October. I do want to say some people try to hike down, although I wouldn't recommend that unless you're very experienced with hiking. And now here we are in Konya, which is the spiritual heart of Turkey. It's an ancient city that dates back to the 13th century. It's got the Mevlana Museum, which is a tomb of Rumi, the city's most iconic and sacred site. This complex has the Dervish Lodge. You also have the Aleydin Mosque on its summit. It is one of Turkey's oldest and most significant mosques, holding the tomb of eight Seljuk sultans. Several other museums are here. And you have the Byzantine Church, as well as plenty of local cuisine. As you know, in Turkey, we love Turkish food. So you got to try Doner Kebab, Turkish Delight, which is like a dessert that you can get at some of the bazaars. It's very famous here. And just lots of food and culture here in Konya. It's not quite the tourist destination. It's more common with locals. So if you're looking for something less touristic, this would be the one that you would be looking for. If salt water's not your thing, you'd come out to Lake Van. It's Turkey's largest lake. It's the most famous landmark in the historic Akbar Island area, 10th century Armenian church. Out here on this side of Turkey, you're closer to Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, even close to Iran. Turkey has quite a few different bordering countries. It's a bit more difficult to get out here because the nearest city is called Van, which has daily flights from major Turkish cities like Istanbul or Ankara. By the way, Ankara is not on this list, but it is the capital. I think it's good if you want to go to the capital of Turkey. But as far as going out to the tourist destinations, we really kind of highlighted those in this one. But if you guys think in the comments we should have included Ankara, let us know what you guys think of it. One last one that we're going to talk about is Alanya. This one is also on the Turkish Riviera. It's just a little bit further east of Antalya. It's another one of those all-inclusive, five-star resort kind of places. That's what Alanya is really known for. It's also got some historical sites around there. It's just Antalya, for me, was a better starting point than Alanya. But if you wanted to really do the French Riviera, but if you really wanted to do the Turkish Riviera, you begin in Alanya and then work your way all the way up to Bodrum. And if you enjoyed this video, you can watch our Best Things to Do in Istanbul video. Click right here.