Best Places to Visit in Turkey 2027: 15 Picks, Days Needed, Tours

The best places to visit in Turkey are Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale for a first trip, then Antalya, Fethiye and Bodrum on the coast, the cities near Istanbul, and further afield Trabzon, Göbeklitepe, Konya, Mardin and Lake Van. For each of the 15 below: how to get there from Istanbul, the days it needs, the 2027 entrance fee and a tour that goes there. The first four fit into ten days: our 10-day Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus tour costs from $1,410 per person with the domestic flights.

Best places to visit in Turkey: the 15 at a glance

Flight times are Pegasus Airlines' figures from Istanbul; ticket prices are the ministry's foreign-visitor prices, which change on 1 April 2027.

Prices are per person. \*2027 price not on our list yet; check muze.gov.tr before you go. For which places fit together in one trip, see how many days you need in Turkey.

1. Istanbul: where most trips start

Istanbul is the one place nearly every trip includes: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace and the bazaars, with the Bosphorus between Europe and Asia. The "Historic Areas of Istanbul" have been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1985. Give it three days. Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern and the Hagia Sophia mosque sit outside the ministry's price list and set their own tickets; our museum prices 2027 update explains which sites change in April. The Istanbul 3-day package, from $435 per person, is a group package with two hotel nights, airport transfers and a guided day; Topkapı and Hagia Sophia tickets are extra. Ideas by area: things to do in Istanbul.

Best places to visit in Turkey other than Istanbul

2. Cappadocia

Cappadocia means valleys of rock cones, cave churches and underground cities, listed by UNESCO in 1985 as Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia. Pegasus gives 1 hour 25 minutes from Istanbul to Kayseri. Plan two or three days; the Göreme Open-Air Museum costs €20 now and €22 from 1 April 2027. Balloon flights need weather permission each morning, so treat one as a bonus; our sunrise balloon flight with hotel pickup is a separate booking, from $111 per person. Our Cappadocia 2-day trip from Istanbul, from $599 per person, includes the flights, a cave hotel night and transfers. See things to do in Cappadocia.

3. Ephesus

Ephesus is the Roman city on most first trips: a walk down marble-paved streets past the Great Theatre to the Library of Celsus, on UNESCO's list since 2015. Fly to İzmir, about 75 minutes with Pegasus, then go on by road. One day is enough. Entry is €40, rising to €45 on 1 April 2027; the Terrace Houses are a separate ticket, €15 now and €16 from April. Our Ephesus day trip by plane, from $430 per person, includes the flights, lunch and the listed entrance fees. Ephesus and the other great sites are compared in our guide to ancient ruins in Turkey.

4. Pamukkale

Pamukkale's white travertine terraces run below the Roman city of Hierapolis, a mixed natural and cultural World Heritage Site since 1988. Fly to Denizli and plan one day; you walk the terraces barefoot. One ticket covers the terraces and Hierapolis: €30 now, €35 from 1 April 2027. The Pamukkale day trip from Istanbul, from $387 per person, includes return flights, lunch and entrance fees; a swim in the Cleopatra Antique Pool is paid on site. More on Hierapolis is in our ancient ruins guide.

Most beautiful places on the Turkish coast

5. Antalya

Antalya pairs the old harbour quarter of Kaleiçi and the Düden waterfalls with beaches and mild winters: the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) gives an average January high of 15.0 °C (1930–2025). Pegasus gives about an hour from Istanbul by air. Plan three to five days. The Antalya old town private tour, from $90 per person, takes about seven hours with Hadrian's Gate, Kaleiçi and the Düden waterfalls; entrance fees and meals are extra. For a longer day, the Demre, Myra and Kekova tour, from $103 per person, includes a boat trip on the Kekova coast. See things to do in Antalya.

6. Fethiye and Ölüdeniz

Fethiye is the base for the Ölüdeniz lagoon and for gulet cruises along the Turquoise Coast. Pegasus gives 1 hour 20 minutes from Istanbul to Dalaman airport. Plan three or four days, more on a boat. The 6-day Istanbul, Bodrum, Fethiye and Antalya tour, from $1,935 per person, includes Ölüdeniz and Kayaköy, two domestic flights and hotels with breakfast. Cruises are compared in our Turkey tour with a gulet cruise guide.

7. Bodrum

Bodrum is a harbour town below the castle the Knights of St John built in the early 1400s, home of the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, listed at €20 on muze.gov.tr. Direct flights from Istanbul take 70 to 80 minutes, Pegasus says. Plan two or three days. Our 5-day Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale and Bodrum tour, from $1,795 per person, flies to İzmir and back from Bodrum. For a route along the whole coast, see the Turkish Riviera itinerary.

Best cities and day trips near Istanbul

8. Bursa

Bursa was the first Ottoman capital, and "Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire" joined UNESCO's list in 2014. Our private Bursa day tour, from $100 per person, lasts about 12 hours with the Green Mosque, the Grand Mosque, the tombs of Osman and Orhan Gazi and Uludağ; entrance fees and the cable car are extra. See our Bursa day trip guide.

9. Edirne

Edirne's Selimiye Mosque, built by the architect Sinan, has been a World Heritage Site since 2011. The private Edirne day trip, from $370 per person, takes 12 hours and visits the bazaars, the Grand Synagogue and the Meriç Bridge, with museum tickets included. July is hot there, with an average high of 32.1 °C (MGM), so spring and autumn suit a walking day. Train and road options are on our Edirne day trip page.

10. Gallipoli

The Gallipoli peninsula holds the 1915 battlefields, cemeteries and memorials of the Dardanelles campaign. It is a long day: our Gallipoli day tour, from $134 per person, collects you at 06:30 and returns around 21:00, with lunch in Eceabat. Read is Gallipoli worth visiting.

11. Princes' Islands

The Princes' Islands are an easy ferry day from the city. The Princes' Islands day tour, from $90 per person, includes ferry tickets both ways, hotel pick-up, lunch and stops on Büyükada, Heybeliada and Kınalıada.

Further afield: the Black Sea, the southeast and Konya

12. Trabzon, Sümela and Uzungöl

The Black Sea is Turkey's green corner: Sumela Monastery on its cliff, on UNESCO's Tentative List since 2000, and the lake village of Uzungöl. Sumela is open daily from 08:00 to 17:00 and costs €20, according to muze.gov.tr, and summers are mild, with a July average high of 26.1 °C (MGM). On our 2-day Trabzon tour, from $640 per person, the 06:00 flight from Istanbul is met in Trabzon at 07:40; the 4-day Istanbul and Trabzon tour costs from $1,455 per person and the private Sumela tour from Trabzon from $120 per person. See the Black Sea guide and, for winter, Trabzon in winter.

13. Göbeklitepe and Şanlıurfa

Göbeklitepe, near Şanlıurfa, is the oldest site on this list: UNESCO dates its megalithic enclosures to between 9,600 and 8,200 BCE, and inscribed it in 2018. The ministry's ticket is €20 and also covers Karahantepe, which muze.gov.tr listed as closed on 14 November 2026. Avoid high summer: Şanlıurfa's July average high is 38.8 °C (MGM). The Göbeklitepe day tour from Istanbul, from $605 per person, runs from about 04:00 to 22:15 with flights, lunch and entrance fees. See our ancient ruins guide.

14. Konya

Konya is the city of Rumi, whose tomb is in the Mevlana Museum, open daily from 09:00 to 17:00 according to muze.gov.tr. Each December it holds the Şeb-i Arus ceremonies (Konya festival 2027). Winters are cold: the January average low is −4.1 °C (MGM). The Istanbul and Konya tour, from $1,035 per person, takes four days with domestic flights and hotels with breakfast.

15. Mardin and Lake Van

Mardin's stone old town above the Mesopotamian plain and Akdamar Church on its island in Lake Van are the highlights of the east. Our Eastern Turkey tour in 9 days, from $2,980 per person, is a group loop from Mardin and Van to Kars and the Black Sea; ask us to confirm in writing which domestic flights are included. Season matters in the east: read Eastern Turkey tour 2027.

How to combine them, and who each suits

• 10 days: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus, as on the 10-day tour above.
• 2 weeks: add Antalya; our 2 weeks in Turkey page compares four routes.
• One week: see the 7-day Turkey itinerary.
• Couples: our honeymoon places in Turkey compares 10 spots.
• Families: see Turkey family tour packages and Cappadocia with kids.

Month-by-month weather for the main regions is in the best time to visit Turkey.

Best places to visit in Turkey in November, December and winter

In late autumn and winter, Istanbul, Cappadocia and Antalya work best. Istanbul is cool and quiet; Cappadocia can see snow, with January nights in Nevşehir averaging −3.6 °C (MGM), and balloons still fly on the mornings the weather allows; Antalya stays mild for walking and boat days, and in the southeast Şanlıurfa still averages 18.8 °C by day in November (MGM). Plans by month: Turkey in November 2027, December 2026, January 2027 and Cappadocia in December. A visit before 1 April 2027 still pays the 2026 ticket prices.

Tours that cover this

• Best of Turkey Tour Package – 15 Days with 4 Domestic Flights: from $1,880 per person; Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus, Pamukkale and Antalya, as a group tour.
• Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale & Ephesus Tour – 10 Days with Flights: from $1,410 per person, with guided days in all four.
• 14-Day Turkey Tour from Istanbul: Gallipoli, Troy, Antalya, Cappadocia: from $2,093 per person, by road and air.
• Best of Turkey Tour Package: 15 Days with Flights and Antalya Coast: from $3,980 per person, private, ending with five nights on the coast.

No prepayment needed: pay on the tour day.

Send us your dates on WhatsApp at +90 545 307 67 88 and tell us which of the 15 places you want to see. We reply in writing with a route, the nights in each place, the flight times and the price, starting from the 10-day tour. Our Türkiye guide has more on each region.

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