Places to visit in

Turkey

Hierapolis is an ancient Greco-Roman city founded in the 2nd century BCE above the natural thermal springs of what is now Pamukkale, Turkey. It became a major spa and religious center during Roman and Byzantine periods, famed for its healing mineral waters and dramatic travertine terraces. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (listed together with Pamukkale) for its outstanding combination of natural and cultural values: the white calcite terraces and the extensive archaeological remains (theatre, baths, necropolis) together form a unique historic landscape.

Laodicea on the Lycus (ancient Laodikeia) is a major Hellenistic and Roman-era city in the Lycus River valley of western Anatolia. Founded in the Hellenistic period (reputedly by the Seleucid dynasty and named for Laodice) it grew into a wealthy metropolitan centre under Roman rule. The city was famous for its banking, textile (notably black wool) and medical production (including an acclaimed eye-salve). Laodicea is also one of the seven churches addressed in the New Testament Book of Revelation, giving it major Christian-historical significance. The site preserves layered remains from Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine phases, and sits in a fertile valley near the Pamukkale/Hierapolis complex.

Aphrodisias is one of the best-preserved ancient cities in western Turkey, famed for its outstanding collection of Roman and late antique marble sculpture and for hosting a renowned ancient "School of Sculpture." The city was dedicated to the cult of Aphrodite and flourished from the Hellenistic through the Roman and Byzantine periods. Its urban plan, monumental architecture (temple, theater, stadium, agora), and extensive sculptural program make it a key site for understanding Greco-Roman urbanism, religion, and artistry in the Aegean region.

Ephesus is one of the best-preserved ancient cities of the Mediterranean and a prime example of Roman urbanism in Anatolia. Founded in the archaic period and flourishing under Hellenistic and Roman rule, it served as a major commercial, religious and cultural center. The site reflects layers of Ionian Greek, Lydian, Persian, Hellenistic and Roman influence and played an important role in early Christianity (the city is mentioned in the New Testament and St. Paul preached here).

Religious and cultural shrine believed by many Christians to be the last residence of the Virgin Mary (Mother of Jesus). The site blends Christian pilgrimage tradition with local Turkish and Muslim respect, making it an important interfaith landmark near the ancient city of Ephesus. The modest stone house and adjacent chapel sit on Mt. Koressos, offering both spiritual significance and scenic views of olive groves and the Aegean region.

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (Artemision) was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Built to honor Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt and fertility, the site represents a major religious, cultural, and commercial center in ancient Ionia. The temple showcased Ionic architecture and became a symbol of wealth and artistic achievement in the classical world. It played a significant role in ancient pilgrimage and regional identity until its destruction and subsequent rebuilding multiple times.

Şirince is a small hillside village near Selçuk in İzmir Province, Aegean Turkey. It is notable for its well-preserved Ottoman–Greek architecture, terraced vineyards and fruit orchards, and its role as a picturesque rural example of Aegean village life. Its proximity to Ephesus (about 8 km) means it often complements archaeological visits with a slower, cultural village experience.

Priene is an exceptionally well-preserved Hellenistic city in western Turkey, notable for its clear example of classical urban planning and architecture. Re-planned in the 4th century BCE according to a grid system attributed to Hippodamus of Miletus, Priene illustrates ancient Greek approaches to civic design, public life, and religious architecture. The site contains important monuments such as the Temple of Athena, theater, bouleuterion, and agora, and it offers insight into the transition from Greek to Roman rule in the region. Its setting overlooking the fertile Meander (Büyük Menderes) plain adds natural and strategic significance.

Miletus (ancient Greek: Miletos) was one of the most important cities of ancient Ionia. It was a major maritime and trading center from the Archaic through the Roman periods, famed for its school of pre-Socratic philosophers (notably Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes), for founding many colonies across the Mediterranean and Black Sea, and for pioneering urban planning (the Hippodamian grid). Over centuries Miletus played key roles in the Ionian Revolt, the Persian and Peloponnesian conflicts, and the Hellenistic-Roman world. The site's gradual silting changed its coastline and harbor, leaving monumental ruins inland that illustrate long-term landscape change in the Aegean.

Didyma (modern-day Didim, Aydın Province, Turkey) is one of the most important ancient sanctuaries of the Greek world, famed for the Temple of Apollo and its oracle. Established and developed by Ionian Greeks and closely associated with the city of Miletus, Didyma played a key role in religious, cultural and regional politics across the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods. The site illustrates Ionic temple architecture on a monumental scale and reflects the continuation of Greek religious traditions under Roman rule.

Pergamon Acropolis (Bergama) was the political and cultural heart of the Attalid Kingdom in Hellenistic Anatolia (3rd–2nd centuries BCE). It developed into a major Roman provincial center and housed one of the ancient world’s greatest libraries, rivaling Alexandria. The site is celebrated for its monumental Hellenistic architecture, high-relief sculpture (notably the Pergamon Altar frieze now in Berlin), and its role in the history of medicine with the nearby Asklepion sanctuary. Pergamon is also a UNESCO World Heritage site (inscribed 2014).

Asklepion of Pergamon is one of the most important ancient healing centers in the classical world. Founded in the Hellenistic period (4th–3rd century BCE) and expanded under the Attalid kings and the Romans, it combined medical practice, religious ritual, and education. The site played a pivotal role in the development of ancient medicine and is closely associated with the god of healing, Asclepius, and with the physician Galen, who studied and worked there in the 2nd century CE.

İzmir (ancient Smyrna) is one of Turkey's oldest and most important port cities, with layers of history from Ionian Greek settlements through Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods. It's a major cultural and commercial hub on the Aegean coast, noted for its cosmopolitan heritage, classical ruins nearby (including Ephesus and Pergamon), and its role as a gateway to the Aegean islands. The city's natural importance includes a broad, scenic gulf and a mild Aegean climate that shaped its maritime trade and seaside culture.

Kemeraltı Bazaar (Kemeraltı Çarşısı) is the historic commercial heart of İzmir (ancient Smyrna), evolving from Ottoman-era bazaars into a layered urban marketplace combining trade, religion and social life. It reflects İzmir's multicultural past—Greek, Jewish, Armenian and Turkish communities—and its role as a major Aegean trading port. Architecturally and culturally, the bazaar contains hans (caravanserais), mosques, fountains and narrow streets that illustrate centuries of urban commerce and daily life.

Alaçatı is a historic Aegean town on the Çeşme Peninsula near Izmir, Turkey. It has Greek-Ottoman architectural heritage with narrow stone streets, restored 19th-century stone houses, and windmills. Historically a Greek village (Alatsata) until population exchanges in the 1920s, it retains multicultural layers in architecture, cuisine and local traditions. Naturally, Alaçatı is known for strong, consistent winds (meltemi), ideal for windsurfing and kitesurfing, and for nearby fertile vineyards and olive groves contributing to local gastronomy.

Çeşme Castle (Çeşme Kalesi) is a historic Ottoman fortress that has guarded the Aegean shoreline and the harbor of Çeşme for centuries. Constructed in the early 16th century by order of the Ottoman rulers to protect against seaborne threats, it later played a role in regional naval conflicts (notably the 18th-century clashes in the Çeşme area). The castle is an important cultural landmark for the İzmir province and a tangible link to the maritime history of the Turkish Aegean coast. Today it houses a local museum with archaeological and ethnographic displays and is a focal point for visitors to Çeşme.

Urla is a coastal district of İzmir on the Aegean coast, known for its mix of ancient Ionian history, fertile agricultural land and a vibrant contemporary food-and-wine scene. The area around Urla includes the ancient site of Klazomenai (an important Ionian city-state), centuries-old olive groves and a coastline of sheltered bays that supported fishing and maritime trade for millennia. In modern times Urla has become notable for boutique wineries, artisanal food producers and a growing arts community.

Bodrum (ancient Halicarnassus) is a historically rich Aegean port town known for the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), the medieval Bodrum Castle and a long maritime tradition. It blends archaeological heritage, vibrant Turkish-Aegean culture and a scenic natural setting of pine-covered hills, hidden coves and crystalline seas that make it a major hub for yachting and the famous Blue Cruise.

Bodrum Castle (Castle of St. Peter) is a major medieval fortress built by the Knights Hospitaller beginning in 1402. It dominates Bodrum's harbor and was constructed largely from stones taken from the nearby Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World). The castle houses the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, one of the most important museums in the world for maritime and underwater finds, displaying material recovered from a series of shipwrecks dating from the Bronze Age to the Ottoman period. The site links Bodrum’s medieval, classical and maritime heritage and is a focal point for cultural tourism in southwestern Turkey.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (built c. 350 BCE) is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It served as the tomb of Mausolus, a satrap of the Achaemenid Empire, and combined Greek, Egyptian and Lycian architectural elements. Its monumental scale and richly sculpted reliefs influenced funerary architecture for centuries.