Turkey Attractions

Istanbul

Straddling the Bosphorus, its skyline studded with domes and minarets, stanbul is one of the truly great romantic cities. Its history tracks back from Byzantium to Constantinople to its place at the head of the Ottoman Empire. Today it hums as Turkey's cultural heart and good-time capital.

In this sprawling, continent-spanning city you can tramp the streets where crusaders and janissaries once marched; admire mosques that are the most sublime architectural expressions of Islamic piety; peer into the sultan's harem; and hunt for bargains in the Kapal Çar (Grand Bazaar).

Antalya

Situated directly on the Gulf of Antalya (Antalya Körfezi), this quickly growing epicentre of both ancient history and thoroughly modern Turkish culture has since the 1960s become known as a gateway city for the country's so-called 'Turkish Riviera'. Over the past decade sun-worshippers heading to nearby Mediterranean resorts have been laying over in Antalya in such great numbers that the guesthouse industry has experienced astounding growth of its own - by more than 200%, according to tourism officials.

It isn't difficult to discern why: The preserved Roman-Ottoman quarter of Kaleiçi commands a heart-stopping view of the Beydalar (Bey Mountains), as well as the Roman harbour at Kaleiçi's base and the refreshingly clean body of water in between. And although its populace hasn't yet reached the level of urban sophistication found in stanbul or Ankara, life here nonetheless pushes forward at a remarkably modern clip. Antalya lays claim to some of Turkey's finest restaurants, one of its most impressive archaeological museums, and some of its best-preserved Ottoman architecture.

Gallipoli Peninsula

The site of many a ferocious battle, it is surely the WWI melee of Atatürk's troops and the Allies that stands out. Today the Gallipoli battlefields are peaceful places covered in scrubby brush, pine forests and farmers' fields, but this strategic peninsula has always held the key to Istanbul.

Gallipoli is a fairly large area to tour, especially without your own transport (it's over 35 km (22mi) from the northernmost battlefield to the southern tip of the peninsula). The two best bases for a visit are Çanakkale on the eastern shore, and Eceabat on the western, both are covered by tours.

Ankara

Turkey's capital is a sprawling urban mass in the midst of the Central Anatolian steppe. It's very different from the Ottoman town of Angora which preceded it on this site, a quiet place known for its fluffy jumpers of knitted goat fleece. Several significant attractions make it worth a short visit

Most visitors head straight for Hisar, the Byzantine citadel atop the hill east of the old city, and the nearby Museum of Anatolian Civilsations. Just south is Atatürk's mausoleum, a monumental building, spare but beautiful, that echoes the architecture of several great Anatolian empires.

Bodrum

With palm-lined streets ringing its bays, and white sugar-cube houses and villas crowding the hillside, Bodrum is the South Aegean's prettiest resort. Boasting a yacht harbour and a port for ferries to the Greek island of Kos, it's no surprise that most of the fun to be had here is in the water.

At night Bodrum's famous discos throb, boom and blare, keeping much of the town awake until dawn. Both Turkish and foreign visitors complain about the ear-splitting cacophany, but the local attitude seems to be, 'If you wanted peace and quiet, why did you come to Bodrum?'.

Harran

Harran, in Kurdish southeastern Anatolia, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited spots on earth. The hills around the town are surrounded by crumbling walls and topped with ruined buildings. It all looks so ancient that it's not hard to believe Abraham was one of Harran's early inhabitants.

Some residents still live in beehive-shaped mud houses and get by on a mix of farming, smuggling and the sniff of wealth as water starts to filter through from the vast Southeast Anatolia Dam. There's a fortress on the eastern side of the town, and some good mosaics in the 8th century Ulu Cami.