I want to show you some of my favorite places in the beautiful country of Turkey. So here is my Turkey Top 10. Turkey is home to some of the world’s most fascinating landscapes. The country takes you back in time with its endless history and numerous ancient monuments. From the iconic city of Istanbul to the Mediterranean coast Turkey has so much to offer.
1. Pamukkale
Let’s start this article off in the city of Pamukkale, located in Southwestern Turkey Pamukkale translates to Cotton Castle. It’s famous for its thermal hot springs that have created these incredible white travertine terraces, that are filled with blue mineral-rich water. The hot springs have attracted people here for thousands of years. During the second century BC, the ancient city of Hierapolis was founded. It was given to the Roman Kingdom in 133 B.C. and quickly became one of the most prominent cities in the Roman Empire with over 100,000 inhabitants. Today, the ancient ruins remain to help. Do you imagine what it must have been like to live here during Roman times, I’d probably retire here. If I lived back then.
2. Cleopatra’s Pool
Another fascinating place is Cleopatra’s Pool. It’s an ancient man-made pool that is said to be a gift from Marc Anthony to Cleopatra. In the 7th century, an earthquake destroyed the Roman temple surrounding the pool which caused them to fall into the water. Today you can swim in this historic pool
3. Istanbul
Afterward, we’re going to visit the notorious city of Istanbul. Istanbul is one of the most fascinating places. It’s a transcontinental city, which means that Istanbul is part of Europe and Asia. The Bosphorus strait, which is considered to be the boundary between Europe and Asia, runs right through the capital. Istanbul is the most populated city in all of Turkey, with a population of over 15 million. The history Of Istanbul is endless.
It was settled as far back as the 7th century BC and it became the capital of the Roman Empire in the year 330. One of my favorite features of the city is the Galata Tower. It’s a uniquely shaped medieval building that dominates the skyline. It was built in 1348, the tower was used to spot fires.
4. Blue mosque
One of the most important features of Istanbul is the Hagia Sophia. It was built back in 537 as a Christian church, but after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the church was converted to a mosque. At the time of its completion It was the world’s largest interior space and the first building to use a full pendentive dome. Such an amazing structure. Near Hagia Sophia is the Iconic Blue mosque. It was constructed in the 1600s and stands today as one of Istanbul’s most impressive buildings
5. Butterfly Valley
After we're going to head to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. This may be one of my favorite regions of Turkey, It’s full of massive green mountains that line the picturesque coastline. I think it would be so awesome to be able to sail so you could find all of Turkey’s hidden beaches and bays. One stunning place on the coastline is Oludeniz. It’s home to a blue lagoon and beach. That is one of the best places in Turkey to go. Paragliding is Just a 16 minutes drive from Oludeniz. You can reach the Butterfly Valley It’s this scenic beach that is surrounded by cliffs. It reminds me a lot of Shipwreck Beach in Zakynthos Greece. The best way to get there is by boat ride from Oludeniz or, if you are a great hiker you can make the trek down What a cool beach
6. Bodrum
Another beautiful place on the coast is Bodrum it’s a picturesque port city full of docked ships. One of my favorite features of the city is the Bodrum Castle. It was built by the knights of Hospitaller in the 15th century. Today, it’s a museum for underwater archeology. It’s hard to beat the views and history of this place.
7. Dalyan
Another nearby city is Dalyan, located just inland from the coast. Dalyan is a beautiful city. I love how the river runs right on the edge of the town with a backdrop of scenic green mountains from the city, you can see Lycian Rock Tombs, built into the cliffs. A fun activity you can do in Dalyan is taking a boat ride out to the Iztuzu beach. It’s. This unique beach has the Mediterranean sea on one side and a freshwater lake on the other. The beach is also a nesting area for the endangered loggerhead turtles There’s, just so much to do in Dalyan
8. Alanya
We’re going to stay on the coast and visit the impressive city of Alanya sandwiched between the Taurus mountains and Mediterranean Alanya is a charming resort. Town, The crowning feature of the city is Alanya castle. This may be one of the most impressive fortresses in all of Turkey. It was built in the 13th century on a rocky peninsula by the Seljuk Empire. It’s made up of over 140 towers and a three-sided medieval wall that protects this medieval fortress. I would’ve felt protected if I lived there during medieval times Today, it’s been turned into a museum that you can explore. The beach just west of the castle is called Cleopatra’s beach and is supposedly where the Egyptian queen swam.
What a beautiful and historical city A really beautiful place outside Alanya is the Oymapinar Reservoir. It’s just about an hour’s drive from Alanya and the combination of blue water with the towering lush mountains is stunning.
9. Mount Ararat
After that, we’re going to head over to Mount Ararat Located right near the Turkey-Armenian border. Mount Ararat is the tallest point in Turkey with an elevation of 16,854 feet: ( 5,137 meters ), It’s a dormant volcano with two volcanic cones. What fascinates me is that it’s supposedly, where Noah’s Ark is located. Genesis 8:4, says that the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat.
Needless to say, it’s such a cool volcano with some interesting history tied to it. After we’re going to head over to the black sea region When people think of Turkey, they probably don’t. Imagine green mountains that look like the European Alps, but that’s what the landscapes around the black sea look like.
From a google map point of view, you can see how green it is compared to the rest of the country. One beautiful city on the Black sea coast is Trabzon. It is located on the historical silk road and was an important trade gateway to Persia and the Caucasus. Regions. Not only is the city beautiful, but the province of Trabzon has many treasures such as the Sumela Monastery. Built on a ledge of a cliff. It is believed this greek orthodox monastery was built in 386 AD when it was dedicated to the virgin Mary.
10. Artvin
Another beautiful region on the black sea is the highlands of Artvin. This province is located right next to the Georgian border, and the mountains are just so green. It almost feels like you are in the swiss alps For our last location, going to the heart of Turkey to visit Cappadocia. Located in the heart of Turkey. Cappadocia is famous for its unique rock formations and skies full of hot air. Balloons. Cappadocia was first mentioned in the 6th century BC, and today it is one of Turkey’s most recognized places.
One of the main towns in Cappadocia is Goreme. Almost every morning the horizon is filled with hundreds of hot air balloons. It doesn’t get more magical than that, It’s also a great place to hike and explore the surrounding rock formations. You can take a stroll in love valley, I’ll let you wonder how it got that name. Another cool nearby place is Uchisar. It’s home to the centuries-old Uchisar Castle that towers over the city. Cappadocia just has so much to do and explore.
Well, that is it for my Turkey Top 10.