Uçhisar's rock citadel and village in Cappadocia in evening light, above a valley of volcanic tuff formations

Between Europe and Asia

Turkey

A strait between two continents, valleys of volcanic tuff, classical cities and a pine-covered coast where footpaths lead from one cove to the next.

Photo: Albert Canite / Unsplash

In Istanbul the morning begins with a ferry. From the Eminönü pier, past Galata Tower and the domes of the Süleymaniye, you cross the Bosphorus into Asia: half an hour among the gulls with a glass of tea in hand. On the far shore the market streets of Kadıköy are stacked with olives, sun-dried tomatoes and fish, and in the evening the meyhanes fill with shared plates of meze. This is a city where Byzantium, the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey live not in museums but on the same street.

In the heart of Anatolia the landscape turns itself inside out. In Cappadocia, volcanic ash hardened over millennia into soft tuff, which wind and water carved into cones, towers and valleys, and people carved into homes, dovecotes and frescoed churches. This is walking country: through the Rose and Red valleys at dawn, when balloons may rise above them if the weather allows, or along the stream at the bottom of the Ihlara gorge. Nights are spent in cave houses turned into small hotels.

In the west, Turkey turns towards the sea. On the Aegean coast the marble streets of Ephesus lead to the Library of Celsus, and in the hills above sits the village of Şirince among vines and olive trees. Further south, in Lycia, the Taurus Mountains drop straight into clear water: Kaş, the bays of Kekova with their sunken ruins, the Lycian Way through pine forest and ancient tombs, and, between them, the wooden sailing boats called gulets. Turkey opens up to those who let it be many things and don't rush from one world to the next.

Why go

01
Istanbul and the Bosphorus
In the old city: Topkapı Palace, the Süleymaniye Mosque and the vaulted lanes of the Grand Bazaar; in Balat and Fener, painted timber houses and old churches. A ferry up the Bosphorus passes wooden waterside mansions (yalıs) and fortresses, while on the Asian side, in Kadıköy and Moda, the city lives a more everyday, less touristic life.
02
Cappadocia
The valleys around Göreme, walkable for half an hour or a whole day; the Göreme Open-Air Museum with its rock-cut, frescoed churches; Uçhisar's citadel; and underground cities such as Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu. A dawn balloon flight is possible but always depends on wind and weather, so it is never guaranteed.
03
Ephesus and the Aegean
Ephesus is one of the best-preserved classical cities in the Mediterranean: Curetes Street, the Library of Celsus, the great theatre and the Terrace Houses with their mosaics. Close by are Selçuk and the hill village of Şirince, and further north, as a separate excursion, Pergamon above Bergama with one of the steepest theatres of antiquity.
04
The Lycian coast
Between Fethiye and Antalya the mountains drop straight into the sea. Kaş is a white-walled town with an ancient theatre and a Lycian sarcophagus standing in the street; from here boats head to Kekova, where the foundations of an ancient town lie under the water and a castle rises above the hamlet of Kaleköy. Sections of the Lycian Way can be walked for a few hours or several days.

Ways to travel

Ways to experience it

Ways to travel aren't separate paths — the best journeys often bring several together.

Culture & discovery
Byzantine and Ottoman Istanbul, the frescoes of Cappadocia, the Greek and Roman cities from Ephesus to Xanthos and, day to day, tea, markets, hammams and long dinners of meze. History here is best met with a guide who knows how to tell it.
Exceptional stays & escapes
Historic houses in Istanbul's neighbourhoods or on the Bosphorus, cave hotels in Cappadocia, stone houses in Aegean villages and small hotels above the Lycian bays: places where the stay itself becomes part of the journey.
Adventure & active travel
Walks through Cappadocia's valleys and the Ihlara gorge, sections of the Lycian Way, kayaks over the ruins of Kekova, diving off Kaş and a few days aboard a gulet, with the level of activity set around you.
Tailor-made journeys
Turkey is large, so we shape the route to cover long distances by domestic flight rather than on the road, leaving time to settle in each place.
Honeymoons & special journeys
Mornings on a Cappadocian terrace, evenings by the Bosphorus and a few days on a sailing boat among pine-fringed coves: romantic, without being only a beach.
Family journeys
Underground cities and cave houses, ferries across the Bosphorus, ancient theatres where you can test the acoustics and calm coves for swimming: Turkey suits curious families, especially in spring and autumn.

Turkey

Journey inspiration

Illustrative ideas for how a tailor-made journey could look. Not bookable packages: no prices, dates or inclusions are implied.

0112–15 days
Istanbul, Cappadocia and the Lycian coast
Four days in Istanbul, walks in Cappadocia's valleys, Ephesus and Şirince, and to finish, Kaş, the Lycian Way and a few days under sail in the bays of Kekova.
Culture & discovery · Exceptional stays & escapes
Plan something like this
028–10 days
The Lycian Way and a blue voyage
In spring or autumn, the finest sections of the Lycian Way between Fethiye and Kaş with nights in villages, followed by a few nights aboard a gulet.
Adventure & active travel · Small-group adventures
Plan something like this
039–11 days
Istanbul and the Aegean, slowly
Istanbul's neighbourhoods and the Bosphorus, then Pergamon, Ephesus and Şirince, olive farms and evenings by the Aegean: a journey for history and the table.
Culture & discovery · Exceptional stays & escapes
Plan something like this

Planning your journey

When to go

For most routes the best seasons are generally spring (April to June) and autumn (September to October): usually warm rather than hot, and the best time for walking the Lycian Way and Cappadocia's valleys. In summer the coast and Ephesus can be very hot and busy, so sites are best visited early in the morning. The gulet season usually runs from late spring to October. In winter Cappadocia can be cold and snowy, which is beautiful, though some paths turn muddy. Balloon flights depend on the wind in every season and can be cancelled.

How long to allow

A week allows an unhurried look at Istanbul and Cappadocia, or Istanbul and the Aegean. Two weeks can bring together Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and the Lycian coast, provided you fly between them. Istanbul deserves at least three or four days, and every other stop no fewer than two nights.

Natural combinations

Turkey combines naturally with Greece: in places the Aegean islands lie only a few kilometres off the Turkish shore, and seasonal ferries link the two coasts. Georgia is an easy flight from Istanbul, so the Bosphorus can be paired with Tbilisi and the Caucasus.

Areas to explore

Istanbul
The old city, Balat and Fener, Galata, the Bosphorus and Kadıköy on the Asian side.
Cappadocia
Göreme and Uçhisar, valley paths, rock churches, underground cities and the Ihlara gorge.
The Aegean coast
İzmir, Ephesus and Selçuk, Şirince and, further north, Pergamon.
Pamukkale and Aphrodisias
White travertine terraces above Hierapolis and a city of marble sculptors in the inland hills.
The Lycian coast
Fethiye and Göcek, Patara and Xanthos, Kaş, Kekova and the Lycian Way.

General guidance only. Weather, seasons and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

Sample journey