Visit Izmir

Visit Istanbul, Turkey's historic city straddling Europe and Asia. Explore the Hagia Sophia (a 6th-century Byzantine cathedral turned mosque and museum), marvel at the Blue Mosque's six minarets and 20,000 Iznik tiles, wander the Grand Bazaar (one of the world's oldest and largest covered markets with over 4,000 shops), and cruise the Bosphorus Strait for views of palaces and bridges linking continents.

Visit Antalya, a coastal city in Turkey known for its ancient ruins and Mediterranean beaches. Explore the well-preserved Roman theater of Aspendos (one of the best-preserved ancient theaters in the world), wander through the historic Kaleiçi district (Ottoman-era houses and narrow streets), and relax at Konyaaltı Beach (a long pebble beach with views of the Taurus Mountains).

The first Ottoman capital under Mount Uludag: the Green Mosque, the silk bazaar and Iskender kebab.

The Castle of St Peter built from the Mausoleum's stones, wooden gulet cruises and the Aegean nightlife.

The Black Sea port of the Byzantine Comnenes, the Hagia Sophia of Trabzon and the Sumela monastery on a cliff.

Rumi's tomb and the whirling dervishes, the Seljuk capital in the middle of Anatolia.

The pistachio and baklava capital of Turkey and the Zeugma museum of Roman mosaics.

Lycian rock tombs above the harbour, the Blue Lagoon at Oludeniz and paragliding off Babadag.