After a three day, and what seemed like never ending, train ride from Poland, I finally arrived in Istanbul at 9:00 AM. As it was morning and me being an avid coffee drinker, the first thing I did after Read More
The Dolmabahce Palace is located along the European shore of the Bosphorus Strait. Originally there was a shallow bay where the Ottoman fleet used to anchor their ships. After the 17th century the coast was filled in and converted into Read More
Straddling two continents, Istanbul is a city divided by the narrow waterway known as the Bosphorus. The city embraces it’s mixture of European and Asian culture and visitors will sense the contrasts with each turn. To really explore and understand Read More
Antalya (population 2 million), “capital” of the Turkish Mediterranean Coast, is a sprawling modern city with a small, charming historic center, a good archeology museum, long sunny beaches to east and west, the Turquoise Coast’s busiest airport, good hotels, lots Read More
Come to Bursa, due south of Istanbul across the Sea of Marmara, for its beautiful mosques and other early Ottoman architecture, for its silk-filled bazaars, its thermal spa baths and hotels. You can visit Bursa to see the top sights Read More
Ephesus is the best-preserved Roman city in the Mediterranean region, and one of Turkey’s top sights along with Istanbul and Cappadocia, but the Ephesus archeological site is not the only reason to visit this region. Selçuk, the town 3 km Read More
Bergama (ancient Pergamum), 100 km (62 miles) north of İzmir and 250 km (155 miles) south of Çanakkale, was renowned in Hellenic and Roman times for its great library and as the medical center where Galen laid the foundation for Read More
Kaş (Kas), once an unspoiled fishing village, is now a relatively unspoiled tourist town on the southern bulge of Turkey’s Mediterranean coast two hours’ drive southeast of Fethiye and three hours’ drive southwest of Antalya. Despite dozens of new hotels Read More
Kalkan is a Turkish Mediterranean fishing village gone upscale to resort status. Located 27 km (17 miles) west of Kaş, it’s like Kaş with less land but more money. Kalkan has retained more of its Ottoman-era character, and has beauty Read More
Once known as Trebizond, this historic port city near the eastern end of Turkey’s Black Sea coast (map) provides interesting contrasts to the normal Turkish town. Trabzon (pop. 240,000) has been around since at least 746 BC, so it has Read More