Things to Do in Turkey: 12 Best Spots for Your Itinerary

Turkey is a destination that sees many tourists each year, but the vast majority only visit Istanbul and the west coast.

Absolutely, yes, see these beautiful parts of Turkey, but also venture further east. So what are the other things to do in Turkey?

The variety of landscapes, cultures, historical sites, and cuisines is mind-blowing: the country is huge!

Wander the labyrinth of narrow alleyways in Mardin, slowly sip thick Turkish coffee, hike amongst the fairy chimney landscapes of Cappadocia, witness the world’s oldest known monument, explore an ancient underground city, walk the snow-white travertine pools of Pamukkale, gorge yourself on a decadent Turkish breakfast spread.

We travelled through Turkey for six weeks, and I would recommend each and every one of these locations below to be added to your Turkey itinerary if you have the time.

There are so many things to do in Turkey that you could spend months here and still not see it all!

Disclaimer: This blog post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click and purchase through a link, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. And if you do choose to do this, THANK YOU so much for supporting us! It means that we can continue to create content for you guys. Full disclaimer here.

Do I need insurance for Turkey?

Insurance isn’t mandatory for entry into Turkey, but you really should have it. We always make sure we are insured whenever we travel because you never know what is going to happen. It’s best to have a safety net just in case.

We use SafetyWing insurance and absolutely swear by them: we have been insured with them for almost three consecutive years now while on the road!

How long do I need in Turkey?

Spending ten days or two weeks in Turkey will be enough time for you to see the west and central, or east and central by travelling overland.

The distances to travel between cities are huge! To squeeze in more, incorporate some internal flights; they are frequent and affordable.

Best Spots for your Turkey Itinerary

1. Istanbul

Usually the starting point, Istanbul’s airport is really well-connected to the rest of the world.

We actually took an overnight bus from Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Yes, the capital is pretty touristy (Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque really are works of art though!), but there really are plenty of things to do in Istanbul that don’t come with the big crowds.

The Turkish breakfast scene here is huge. Arguably one of the best things you can do is to have a slow morning over a full Turkish breakfast spread while people watching, followed by a rich Turkish coffee.

We’ve stayed in Balat and near Galata Tower and would thoroughly recommend these areas. Istanbul is an expensive place for accommodation in general.

Balat is a lovely colourful little neighbourhood with cobbled streets and traditional buildings, while Galata is in the heart of everything going on.

As long as you get yourself an Istanbulkart, you can get almost anywhere in the city.

Our favourite accommodation was Galata Historic Hotel which has traditionally decorated rooms in a historical building, and the guys running the place are some of the nicest you will meet!

It’s in a great location to be able to easily wander to restaurants, (obviously) Galata Tower, and the Bosphorous waterfront.

🛏️ Book Galata Historic Hotel 🛏️

2. Alacati

I had never heard of the place, but then I saw the pictures and very quickly decided that it was on the itinerary.

This cute little coastal town has a Greek village vibe with narrow alleyways, colourful doors, bright flowers everywhere, and cute cafes dotted around.

There isn’t much to do here, but it makes a perfect contrast from the hustle and bustle of Istanbul.

Wander the back alleys photographing the beautiful street scenes, head to the beach, see the traditional windmills, go for an unlimited Turkish breakfast spread at Bumba Breakfast Club with tortoises (yep, you read that right), visit the Saturday farmer’s market, try scrambled eggs with Alacati herbs, and definitely grab coffee and cookies at Apéro Bakery & Sandwicherie.

3. Ephesus

This archaeological site is a great day trip from nearby Izmir. Arriving into Izmir, you’ll need to get yourself an Izmirkart to use the local buses.

When you’re in Izmir, you can buy a train ticket to Selcuk, which is the nearest station. From Selcuk, you can jump in a taxi or walk for 30 minutes, like we did.

The ruins were breath-taking, and you could spend two or three hours wandering around the site. On the way back to the train station, stop at Yedi Uyurlar Magarasi for a late lunch; the gozleme and menemen are so tasty!

Back in Izmir, I really recommend Yaşam Vegan Café, for vegan friendly versions of meaty Turkish classics, and you must try dondurmali irmik helvasi, which is ice cream topped with sweet semolina halva, tahini, and nuts.

We stayed at Helens INN in Izmir, and would definitely recommend it for its central location and lovely rooms!

🛏️ Book a stay at Helens INN 🛏️

4. Pamukkale

The iconic snow-white travertine pools up a hillside are so popular that we actually debated not going. We went in the off-season which meant that the crowds weren’t too bad.

But did you know that your entrance ticket isn’t just for the pools? There is a huge archaeological site at the top of the hill too. Read our blog post for all our recommendations for visiting Pamukkale.

We would thoroughly recommend Sunrise Aya Hotel. Close to where the shuttle bus will drop you, the entrance gate and restaurants, it has the perfect location.

The rooms are small with all the basics you would need. There is a pool filled with the natural water from the thermal springs and a large garden area with a small wooden hut bar. It’s a family-run business and they are such lovely people.

🛏️ Book a poolside room here 🛏️

5. Cappadocia

Cappadocia region is astounding. There are so many options for hiking, exploring otherworldly landscapes, scrambling into dwellings built into rocks, finding abandoned cave churches, exploring castles, getting up really early each morning to find a new viewpoint for the sunset hot air balloon lift off.

Find everything you need to know about Cappadocia in our blog post. Or if you’re looking hiking trails through the many valleys with tried and tested maps.me pins, try these posts – Red and Rose Valleys, and Love and Pigeon Valleys.

6. Derinkuyu

Also in Cappadocia, this spot deserves a special mention because it is mind-blowing!

This huge underground city used to house 20,000 people before it was abandoned for about 40 years. Then a local guy stumbled upon tunnels when he was doing house renovations!

Take a look at all the info you need to know to visit independently in our Derinkuyu guide.

There are some great tours that will take you to Derinkuyu. These are perfect if you’re tight on time, want to meet fellow travellers, or want the guidance and knowledge of a local to enrich your experience.

Check out these tours on GetYourGuide.

7. Gaziantep

The land of pistachios. You will find pistachio flavoured everything here: pistachio dondurma, pistachio coffee, pistachio baklava, pistachio katmer.

Gaziantep is also home to a historic mosaic museum which houses the Mona Lisa of all mosaics: Gypsy Girl.

There’s a large Syrian population here, so you’ll find some great restaurants for falafel, hummus, and moutabel! Read our blog post on Gaziantep.

On 6^th February 2023, South East Turkey and Syria were hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, followed by another, and around 30,000 aftershocks in the following three months.

More than 50,000 people died, and more than 4 million buildings were affected. Gaziantep experienced severe damage during this time.

Our understanding is that Gaziantep is still rebuilding itself in 2025, so make sure you research the current situation before booking a trip.

8. Sanliurfa

Sanliurfa is a historic city known for its traditional hans, bitter coffee, religious sites, and for being the birthplace of Prophet Abraham.

The city is home to one of my favourite museums in the world, and is nearby to Gobeklitepe – the world’s oldest known monument. Read all about Sanliurfa in our blog post.

We stayed at Grand Bail Otel, rooms are simple and clean. The hotel is in a good location, a basic breakfast is included in the room rate and the hosts are really friendly.

It’s a great budget spot in what appears to be a historical han, with beautiful courtyard area and balcony.

🛏️ Book your historical han stay 🛏️

9. Gobeklitepe

This is the oldest known monument in the world that has completely thrown long-standing anthropological theories on their head!

The megaliths have been dated to at least 11,000 years old, and still have animal carvings visible.

This is mind-blowing, and an absolute must on your Turkey itinerary. Read everything you need to know about Gobeklitepe here.

10. Mardin

Mardin is such a cute and unique city. The oldest part of the city is built on top of a hill that overlooks the plains of Mesopotamia, and it really is special to watch the sunset here (glass of pomegranate wine in hand, of course!).

See the classic Artuqid sandstone architecture, get lost walking the labyrinth of narrow alleyways, find the best viewpoints and coffee spots.

Check out all our top recommendations for things to do and where to eat in Mardin.

11. Van

A proper Van breakfast spread is so good! Make sure you go to Matbah-i-Van to get it. But other than the food, head over to Van Castle, and see all the surrounding ruins. This site is stunning, and the views from the castle are breath-taking!

We stayed at the Reform Hotel; it’s definitely fancier than we would usually go for, but it’s a great location.

🛏️ Book Reform Hotel 🛏️

12. Kars – Ani

Ani is the ancient capital city of Bagratid Armenia, and you can wander round the site of ancient crumbling ruins.

It is located at a huge valley that works as the border between Turkey and Armenia, so the surrounding views are astounding!

We stayed in nearby Kars, and took a day trip out to Ani. Read everything you need to know to visit Ani in our blog post.

We stayed at Hotel Kent Ani in Kars. Rooms and simple and clean, staff are friendly, and the hotel is in a great central location.

🛏️ Book Hotel Kent Ani 🛏️

Onward Travel

You’re in Kars, and want to continue your travels? I can thoroughly recommend heading across the border into Batumi in Georgia.

This is definitely one of our favourite countries! We spent six months exploring Georgia, and absolutely fell in love with it.

If you’re looking to take this route from Kars to Batumi, this guide will help you with the all the practical info you need.

Like it? Save it!