Turkish coast and islands off the beaten path.
Less-touristed coastal towns and islands in Turkey, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Alanya
A Mediterranean resort city on Turkey's southern coast where a Seljuk-era citadel dominates a modest peninsula backed by the Taurus Mountains, Alanya combine…
Sinop
Sinop sits on a narrow isthmus at the northernmost point of Turkey's Black Sea coast, giving the town water on nearly every side and a compact centre with a…
Marmaris
This Mediterranean port resort on the Turkish Riviera where mountains meet the sea, Marmaris has a walkable centre dense with restaurants and bars alongside…
Çankırı
City in Central Anatolia, northeast of Ankara, Çankırı sits at elevation on a historic trade route across the Anatolian plateau and retains several old build…
Gemlik
A waterfront town on the Gulf of Gemlik in Bursa Province, this industrial port traces its origins to the ancient Greek settlement of Cius and is widely know…
Şile
A Black Sea resort town on Istanbul's Anatolian side, Şile draws summer crowds from the city for its coastal access and compact centre with cafés and restaur…
Kemer
This Mediterranean resort town on the Turkish Riviera where the western Taurus Mountains meet a long stretch of coastline, Kemer sits a short drive southwest…
Beykoz
A district of Istanbul along the northern Bosphorus on the Anatolian side, Beykoz has a walkable centre with a concentration of cafés, restaurants, and histo…
Seferihisar district
This coastal district on the Aegean Sea southwest of İzmir, Seferihisar is known for its tangerine and satsuma orchards, the seaside resort neighborhood of S…
Çeşme
A beach resort town on Turkey's Aegean coast, Çeşme sits at the western tip of its own peninsula, just a short distance from the Greek island of Chios.
Orhangazi
A town in Bursa Province sitting on the western shore of Lake Iznik, with the Sea of Marmara close to the north and mountain ranges on both sides.
Corycus
Corycus, an ancient city in Cilicia Trachaea on the southern Anatolian coast, now lies beneath the modern town of Kızkalesi in Mersin Province.
Amasra
A Black Sea port town in Turkey's Bartın Province, Amasra sits on a headland flanked by two sheltered harbours and two small islands, with beaches and forest…
Bergama
Bergama, a town in the Northern Aegean region of Türkiye, is best known as the site of Pergamon, a World Heritage-listed ancient city that served as a major…
Karamürsel district
Sitting on the south shore of the Gulf of İzmit with ferry connections to İzmit and Hereke across the water, Karamürsel takes its name from the founder of th…
Assos
Stone-built waterfront buildings line a small, boat-filled harbour beneath a dramatic rocky hillside in this compact Aegean village, where waterside restaura…
Tuzla
A waterfront district on Istanbul's Asian side, Tuzla sits on a headland along the Sea of Marmara at the city's eastern edge, with a café and restaurant scen…
Tokat
This city in Turkey's mid-Black Sea region set at the confluence of the Tokat River and the Yeşilırmak, with hills rising on all sides above a broad fertile…
Burhaniye
This Aegean coastal town in Balıkesir Province known for its olive oil production, Burhaniye sits on the Gulf of Edremit with a port, a compact café and rest…
Espiye
This Black Sea town in Giresun Province sits directly on the coast, with district boundaries that stretch from the shoreline up into mountains and highland p…
Germencik
This compact Aegean town of red-tile rooftops spread across a green valley, with a domed mosque at its centre, forested hills rising on all sides, and easy a…
Demre
Demre, on the Mediterranean coast of Antalya Province, stands over the ruins of ancient Myra and is home to the tomb of Saint Nicholas — the 4th-century bish…
Söke
A sizeable Aegean town spread across a broad plain beneath a dramatic rocky mountain, with terracotta rooftops stretching to the horizon and easy access to n…
Muğla
This walkable city in southwestern Turkey with a well-preserved old town centre and a café-filled core, Muğla sits inland at elevation in the mountains, a sh…
Kaunos
This ancient Carian port city near Dalyan in Muğla Province, Kaunos dates its history to around the 10th century BC and is still under active archaeological…
Osmancık
A Turkish Black Sea region town where tiny river boats moor along a calm waterway at night, a dramatic rocky outcrop rises above a mosque minaret, and an ill…
Gökçeada district
Gökçeada — also known historically as Imbros — is Turkey's largest island, sitting in the northern Aegean at the entrance to the Gulf of Saros, and holds the…
Karaburun district
A small peninsula town at one of Anatolia's westernmost points, Karaburun sits at the northern tip of its namesake peninsula in İzmir Province, with bays and…
Safranbolu
Safranbolu's well-preserved Ottoman old town earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 1994, built around a deep ravine and dense with mosques, caravanserais, T…
Taşköprü
Taşköprü, a town in Kastamonu Province in Turkey's Black Sea region, takes its name from a seven-arched stone bridge built over the Gök River in the 13th cen…
Cide
A compact Black Sea coast town in Turkey's Kastamonu Province, Cide sits where forested mountains meet the shoreline, offering direct access to both the sea…
Ugurlu
This compact Aegean village on Gökçeada island, its white houses with terracotta roofs spread across rocky hillside terrain, with pine-forested slopes above…
Ardeşen
This Black Sea coast town in Turkey's Rize Province sits directly on the water, with mountains rising close behind.
Goeynuek
This small coastal town in Antalya Province, Göynük sits directly on a Blue Flag beach with mountain scenery rising behind it.
Hamamözü
This modest town in Turkey's Amasya Province sits in highland terrain near the Black Sea region's mountains, and the district is home to the Arkut Bey hot sp…
Gölcük
Sprawling Turkish town spread across hilly terrain above the Gulf of İzmit, Gölcük offers waterfront access, upland views over the Sea of Marmara, and a live…
Beylikdüzü
A residential district on Istanbul's European shore, Beylikdüzü offers a walkable waterfront promenade along the Sea of Marmara, with red-roofed houses climb…
Kumluca
This Mediterranean-coast town on the Turkish Riviera, Kumluca sits between the bays of Antalya and Fethiye on the Teke Peninsula, with a walkable centre full…
Arhavi
This Black Sea coast town in Turkey's Artvin Province, Arhavi sits directly on the water with mountains rising behind it.
Anamur district
A Mediterranean coastal town in Mersin Province, Anamur sits at Anatolia's southernmost point, where a beach strip and a seafront castle meet the foothills o…
Boyabat
A town in Sinop Province's Gökırmak valley, Boyabat sits along the "blue river" at the foot of the Isfendiyar Mountains, roughly midway between the Black Sea…
Maltepe
A dense residential district on Istanbul's Asian shore, Maltepe lines the Sea of Marmara with a waterfront promenade, low-rise neighbourhoods climbing toward…
Köyceğiz
Sitting at the northern end of its own lake, which connects to the Mediterranean through the Dalyan Delta, Köyceğiz is a tiny Turkish town in Muğla Province…
Urla
Coastal town on the Aegean shore west of İzmir, Urla has a compact centre with a concentrated café and restaurant scene and easy access to the water.
Edremit
This coastal district in western Balıkesir Province on the Aegean Sea, Edremit is known for olive farming and the Kazdağları (Kaz Mountains), which rise visi…
Gümüşhane
Mountain town in Turkey's Eastern Black Sea region, Gümüşhane sits along the Harşit River at high elevation and serves as a base for trekking in the surround…
Ünye
A Black Sea port city in Turkey's Ordu Province, Ünye sits directly on the coast with mountain views inland and a centre that holds a concentration of histor…
Cizre
Founded in the 9th century by the Emir of Mosul on a manmade island in the Tigris, Cizre is a Kurdish-majority city in southeastern Türkiye sitting on the ri…
Turhal
Turhal is a city in Turkey's Tokat Province, set on a fertile plain along the Yeşil Irmak river in the Black Sea region.
Çamlıhemşin
This modest town in Rize Province on Turkey's eastern Black Sea coast, Çamlıhemşin is known for its mountains and valleys of dense green, with autumn foliage…
Akçaabat
This Black Sea coast town just west of Trabzon, Akçaabat is known for its local kofta dish (Akçaabat köfte), the Akçaabat Horonu folk dance, and an internati…
Çamlıyayla district
High in the Taurus Mountains above Mersin, Çamlıyayla is a summer highland district whose lakes, streams, and pine forests draw crowds escaping coastal heat…
Mopsuestia
An ancient city in Cilicia Campestris on the Ceyhan River (the classical Pyramus), Mopsuestia — now called Yakapınar — sits on what was once a Silk Road rout…
Gelibolu
Gelibolu — the Turkish town whose name English speakers know as Gallipoli — sits on the European shore of the Dardanelles strait, serving as a ferry crossing…
Akşehir
The legendary home of Nasreddin Hoca — the folkloric wise man whose satirical tales spread across the Islamic world — Akşehir is a highland town in Konya Pro…
Erdek
A popular domestic holiday destination on the Kapıdağ Peninsula in Turkey's Sea of Marmara region, Erdek sits directly on the water with clean beaches and a…
Görele
This Black Sea coast town in eastern Turkey's Giresun Province, Görele sits at the water's edge with mountains rising close behind.
Armutlu
A pocket-sized town on the eastern shore of the Sea of Marmara, at the northern edge of Gemlik Bay, Armutlu sits where mountain terrain meets the water, with…
Kartal
This coastal district on Istanbul's Asian shore with a dense café and restaurant scene and an unusual concentration of churches for its size, Kartal sits alo…
Pazar
A compact Black Sea town in Turkey's Rize province where multi-storey apartment blocks climb densely forested green hills, offering a lived-in urban atmosphe…