Places to visit in

Turkey

Gökçeada (historically Imbros) is the largest island of Turkey, located in the northern Aegean Sea and administratively part of Çanakkale Province. It has a layered history—Byzantine and Ottoman eras and a long-standing Greek Orthodox presence—reflected in stone villages, churches and traditional architecture. The island is also notable for its rich natural environment: pristine beaches, endemic flora, important bird habitats and strong winds that make it a national center for wind sports and sustainable energy initiatives. Gökçeada has been recognized for its slow-paced lifestyle and emphasis on local, low-impact tourism.

Assos (Behramkale) is an ancient coastal city in the Çanakkale province of Turkey with continuous human presence since at least the 7th century BCE. It was an important Archaic and Classical Greek settlement known for its strategic acropolis overlooking the Aegean Sea. The site is famous for the Temple of Athena, Hellenistic and Roman city remains, a well-preserved theater, necropoleis, and fortification walls. Assos is also notable for its connection to Aristotle—the philosopher lived and taught here briefly after leaving Athens. The combination of archaeological ruins and striking coastal landscapes makes Assos significant historically, culturally, and naturally.

Safranbolu is a well-preserved Ottoman-era town in the Karabük Province of Turkey. It is renowned for its example of traditional Turkish townscape and domestic architecture from the 17th–19th centuries. The town was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 for its outstanding preservation of Ottoman houses, hans (inns), baths, mosques, and bazaars that illustrate the peninsula's social and urban fabric. Safranbolu's historical importance also includes its role in saffron cultivation (hence the name) and as a regional trade center on inland routes.

Amasra (ancient Amastris) is a historic Black Sea port town in Bartın Province with continuous habitation since antiquity. It has been an important Greek colony, later part of Roman and Byzantine Empires, influenced by the Genoese and integrated into the Ottoman realm. The town's compact old quarter, fortified castle, and natural harbors reflect its maritime and strategic importance across eras.

Amasya is an ancient city in northern Turkey with continuous settlement from the Hittite, Phrygian and Pontic periods through Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman eras. It served as the capital of the Kingdom of Pontus and later was a notable Ottoman administrative and cultural center. The city is prized for its cliff-carved Pontic royal tombs, well-preserved Ottoman-era wooden riverside houses, and its dramatic setting along the meandering Yeşilırmak (Green River) beneath steep cliffs.

Lake Abant (Abant Gölü) is a high-altitude freshwater lake in Bolu Province, northwestern Turkey, situated roughly at 1,328 m above sea level. It lies inside Abant Nature Park and is valued for its clear waters, well-preserved beech and pine forests, and mountain scenery. The lake is an important local recreational and ecological area — a popular day-trip destination for residents of Istanbul and Ankara — and contributes to regional tourism and conservation.

Yedigöller (Seven Lakes) National Park is a nationally protected area in Bolu Province, northwestern Turkey, celebrated for its exceptional natural beauty, mosaic of beech and fir forests, and a chain of small mountain lakes set in a glacial/landslide landscape. The park is important for biodiversity (native broadleaf and conifer forests, migratory and resident birds), landscape conservation, and nature-based recreation. Its seasonal color changes—especially autumn foliage—make it one of Turkey's most photographed natural areas.

Sapanca Lake (Sapanca Gölü) is a freshwater lake in Sakarya Province in Turkey's Marmara region. It is valued for its natural beauty, biodiversity (wetlands and migratory birds), and as a popular recreational escape for residents of nearby Istanbul and İzmit. The lake and its surrounding forests and hills form an important local green corridor and leisure landscape.

Trabzon (Trebizond) is a historically significant Black Sea port city that served as a major trading hub on the Silk Road and later as capital of the medieval Empire of Trebizond (1204–1461). It features a layered cultural heritage — Greek, Byzantine, Georgian and Ottoman influences — visible in its architecture, churches, monasteries and fortifications. The surrounding Pontic Mountains and humid Black Sea coast create a unique natural environment with lush forests, high plateaus (yaylas), waterfalls and endemic flora and fauna.

Sumela Monastery (Meryemana Manastırı) is a historic Greek Orthodox monastery built into a steep cliff in the Altındere Valley near Maçka, Trabzon, northeastern Turkey. Traditionally dated to the 4th century AD, it became an important center of Orthodox Christian worship and monastic life during the Byzantine era and later the Empire of Trebizond. Architecturally and artistically significant for its rock-cut chapels and extensive Byzantine frescoes, the site also sits within the lush Altındere National Park and is significant for both cultural heritage and natural scenery.

Uzungöl is a striking natural lake and valley in the Çaykara district of Trabzon Province in Turkey's Black Sea region. Formed when a historic landslide blocked a mountain stream, the lake sits amid steep, forested mountains and alpine meadows linked to the greater Kaçkar Mountains ecosystem. It is important as a scenic natural landmark, a center for rural Black Sea cultural life (wooden architecture, pastoral traditions, local cuisine) and an increasingly popular domestic and international tourist destination.

Rize Tea Gardens are the heart of Turkey's tea-producing region on the eastern Black Sea coast. Tea cultivation was introduced and developed in the early 20th century and expanded significantly after the 1940s with state support (notably ÇAYKUR). Tea has shaped the local economy, landscape and culture: terraced plantations on steep hillsides, daily rhythms centered on tea production, and the ubiquitous presence of çay (Turkish tea) in social life. The gardens also sit within a lush, biodiverse temperate rainforest-like environment with high rainfall, unique flora and panoramic views of the Black Sea and Kaçkar Mountains.

Ayder Plateau (Ayder Yaylası) is one of the most iconic highland plateaus in Turkey's Eastern Black Sea region. Located in Rize province at an altitude of roughly 1,300–1,400 m, it is celebrated for its alpine meadows, thermal springs and as a gateway to the Kaçkar Mountains. The plateau plays an important role in local transhumance culture (seasonal highland pasturing) and showcases traditional wooden Black Sea architecture and the rural lifestyles of local communities (Laz and Hemshin influences). Ayder is also a base for mountaineering and trekking into the Kaçkar range, contributing to both nature conservation awareness and sustainable local tourism.

Kaçkar Mountains National Park (established 1994) protects one of Turkey's most dramatic alpine landscapes in the Eastern Black Sea Region. The park is important for its high biodiversity (alpine meadows, endemic plants, temperate rainforests on lower slopes), glacial landforms and mountain ecosystems. It also preserves traditional highland (yayla) pastoral culture of the Laz and Hemshin peoples and historically used transhumance routes.

Fırtına Valley (Fırtına Vadisi) is a biologically rich and culturally layered valley in Rize Province, in Turkey’s eastern Black Sea region. It sits at the foothills of the Kaçkar Mountains and forms an important corridor of temperate rainforest, alpine meadows (yaylalar) and swift mountain rivers. The valley is valued for its natural scenery, outdoor recreation (whitewater rafting, trekking into Kaçkar National Park), and for preserving elements of Laz and Hemshin culture — traditional wooden houses, local music (türkü) and small-scale pastoral and tea-agriculture life. Historically the valley and its routes connected inland highland communities with the Black Sea coast and contain medieval-era features such as cliff-top castles and historic bridges.

Erzurum is a major city in Eastern Anatolia with strategic importance through history due to its high-elevation plateau location on historic trade and military routes. It features prominent Seljuk and Ottoman-era architecture (notably madrasas and mosques) and has been a cultural center for the region. The city's high-altitude environment and nearby mountain landscapes make it an important center for winter sports and alpine tourism in Turkey.

Palandöken Ski Resort (Palandöken Kayak Merkezi) near Erzurum, Turkey, is one of Turkey's premier high-altitude winter sports areas. Its long season, reliable powder snow, and steep terrain have made it a key center for alpine skiing and snowboarding in Eastern Anatolia. The resort's development accelerated after hosting major events such as the 2011 Winter Universiade, which led to upgraded lifts, hotels, and competition facilities. The mountain's natural significance includes high-altitude alpine landscapes and panoramic views over the Erzurum plain.

Natural landmark in Erzurum Province: Tortum Waterfall (Tortum Şelalesi) is one of Turkey's most impressive waterfalls and an important natural attraction in the northeastern region. Fed by the Tortum River and located close to Tortum Lake and the dam, the falls are notable for their dramatic seasonal flow and the surrounding alpine and riparian ecosystems. The site contributes to local tourism, provides scenic value for the region, and supports nearby recreational fishing and nature activities.

Kars is a historic frontier city in northeastern Turkey, at the crossroads of Anatolian, Armenian and Caucasian cultures. It has major archaeological and architectural heritage (most notably the nearby medieval city of Ani), layers of Ottoman, Russian Imperial and Armenian influence, and a dramatic high-altitude steppe landscape. Kars played key roles in medieval Armenian history and in late 19th / early 20th-century Russo-Turkish conflicts; its multi-ethnic past is visible in churches, mosques and Russian-style buildings.

UNESCO World Heritage Site (2016). Ani was the medieval capital of the Bagratid Armenian kingdom and flourished between the 9th and 11th centuries as a major Silk Road city. Known as the "City of 1001 Churches", Ani is celebrated for its outstanding examples of medieval Armenian architecture, extensive fortifications, and its strategic riverside location on a dramatic basalt plateau bordering the Akhurian River.