When the progressive West meets the traditionally Islamic East, it may either end up in a disaster or breed a multi-faceted construct that stuns with inherent contrasts and uniqueness. Luckily, the latter is true for Turkey, Istanbul being the ripest fruit of this dichotomy.
Following some research into the preferences and opinions posted by users of various social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as own resources and reviews by the most popular travel sites, Open Travel has compiled a list of top 25 things to see or do on your Turkey Vacations. The country in a goldmine of fascinating sights and intriguing traditions that will together make your stay enjoyable, inspiring, and unforgettable.
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Photo by zoutedrop
Seeing the Sultan Ahmed Mosque from afar, with its ascending system of domes and sky-cutting minarets, is already much of a thrill, but come inside and this initial excitement will instantly melt away giving way to speechless admiration and awe. This combination of spaciousness, wondrous mosaics...RATE ITMore about Sultan Ahmed Mosque / Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii)
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Photo by Vandalizer
Leave your skis at home for this is not a glacier or any snow formation. No skiing down the slope or speedy slaloms; what you can enjoy instead are healing sessions in thermal pools. The amazing frosty landscape of dazzling white calcareous castles has been formed by limestone-laden thermal sprin...
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Photo by shioshvili
What a spectacle of color and spirituality it is! You may not be able to understand the purpose behind sema - a Sufi ceremony aiming at a mystical union with God and religious purification - but you will certainly be hypnotized with the whirling fabric, communal recitation, controlled ecstasy, an...
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Photo by Mila Zinkova
Why don't you feed your travel bug with some moon dust this time? Set in the deep heart of the country, Cappadocia will have you agape and bewildered with its spectacular lunar landscape. With white volcanic ashes sprinkled over ‘fairy chimneys' and other astonishing rock formations it does mak...
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Photo by myhsu
If you belong to those who put culture exploration over any other benefits that stem from traveling, you can't be closer to the heart of Turkey than that. There's nothing like Adam and Eve nudity plus a good scrub in an age-old hamam. It may take a bit of self-inhibition breaking, but is definite...
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Photo by exfordy
Dedicated to the Holy Wisdom, Hagia Sophia was the largest cathedral in the world for over a thousand of years. First a patriarchal basilica later converted to a mosque is today a magnificent example of Byzantine and Islamic art alloy. With its majestic body crowned with an enormous dome it make...
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Location: Turkey
Photo by Erdal
Once the Turkish writers realized how powerful an inspiration can be derived from a voyage along the Turkish Riviera, they successfully introduced the concept to literature and even gave it a name - The Blue Cruise. Once the Turkish Tourism Industry realized that the men of letters had bred the h...
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Photo by Kitkatcrazy
Asia Minor, home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a large port in the past, today Ephesus is the most visited antic site of Turkey. With its biblical association with the Virgin Mary and the Evangelists along with immense archaeological remains, it represents a great treat to archeolo...
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Location: Turkey
Photo by myhsu
Nargile is yet another brick in the wall of Turkish adventure. And just like a wall will still stand with one brick missing, your visit will too remain valuable without a puff of Turkish tobacco from the communal hookah pipe, but neither the wall nor your experience can then be called complete. D...
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Location: Turkey
Photo by Travelling Runes
Kayakers feel like riding the white waters of the Çoruh River to no end, hikers don't want the meandering trails to end, and nature buffs tread carefully not to miss a single species of extraordinary flora. Smelling of orchid, universally recognized as one of word's few biodiversity hotspots, an...
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Location: Çanakkale Province, Turkey
Photo by myhsu
With its record of 4,000 years of history, the Archaeological Site of Troy shall surely not be overlooked. Immortalized by Homer in his memorable Iliad, this site is a real treat for the history buffs truly interested in archeology. The extensive remains including altars, mounds as well as temp...
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Photo by pdbreen
Do prepare for the visit to the Grand Bazaar in Instanbul for the biggest and most vibrant shopping experience awaits you! Just plunge into the world of jewelery, hand-painted ceramics, carpets, embroideries, spices and antique shops. Let the jostling vibe of its labyrinthine streets lead you thr...
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Location: Turkey
Photo by I was in Turkey
As it usually happens, places of unique beauty are remote and not too easy to reach. Undoubtedly, Mount Nemrut confirms this theory. But the unforgettable sight of huge carved monuments and giant heads of the Ancient gods watching you combined with the breathtaking scenery make the long escapade...
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Photo by Taco325i
James Bond rowed through it in From Russia With Love, and now you have a chance to follow in his footsteps. The first thing you notice when you enter the Basilica Cistern, across the street from the Hagia Sophia, is the soothing, subterranean coolness that revives your body and mind battered with...
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Photo by PD-old
It may be the capital, it may have amazing mosques and museums, but it definitely comes second after Istanbul in the popularity race. Let it be, but there's something that the city has got and Istanbul cannot boast, namely the parks. With numerous delightful open spaces and vast well-landscaped p...
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Mount Ararat
Location: Iğdır Province, Turkey
Photo by Attaleiv
For a true trekking experience head for the Mount Ararat, the huge inactive volcano towering above the arid steppes of Eastern Turkey. The supposed final resting place of the Noah's Ark, the mount has fascinated mountaineers, geologists and Ark hunters for decades. As the area is a military one y...
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Photo by Allie_Caulfield
Sandwiched between the highway and the Mediterranean coast, the place is so impressively well preserved one may think it is a modern reconstruction. In fact, Mamure Kalesi rests on 3rd-century foundations, and was continually rebuilt or innovated due to various twists in its history. Home to the...
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Photo by Ollios
Housed in the restored 1524 palace of Ibrahim Pasha, the museum boasts a near comprehensive collection that covers all historical periods and includes notable examples of all fields of art that has ever played a role in the formation of the broadly defined Turkish culture. From Turkish carpets, i...
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Lake Van
Photo by gozturk
If you're looking for wilderness and stark beauty, this is where your path should lead. Bordered by high mountains to the south, by plateaus to the east, and by a complex of volcanic cones to the west, dotted with uninhabited islands connected to the land by small boats' service, and so salty tha...
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Photo by Gryffindor
Once inside the vast Ottoman palatial complex, there are myriad directions to follow, including spacious grounds, lofty chambers, four courtyards, and a magnificent Treasury, but funnily enough, most visitors rush straight to the Harem. What they've known from oriental tales about sultans and the...
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Photo by KeRR
One magnificent palace rubs shoulders with another, giant Rumeli fortress casts a grave shadow onto a smooth body of water, historical waterfront houses flank its sides, the Maiden's Tower rises from its depths, and the inspiring Galata Bridge spans the Golden - the Bosphorus is not just one of...
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Photo by Attaleiv
Guided by a black icon of the Virgin Mary to a high spot on the cliff of Mt Mela, two monks, Barnabus and Sophronus started what is now a large monastic complex. Known as the Sumela Monastery, the building clings tenaciously to the rock and seems to defy gravity. The climb of 1200 m might be a s...
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Lycian Way
Location: Turkey
Photo by chany14
Put your hiking boots on and off we go! The 500km way-marked trail will make you meander past spectacular mountain and coastal scenery and numerous historical remains from the Lycian and Roman periods. Let the footpath walk you through pine forests, olive groves and tiny picturesque villages to e...
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Location: Amasya Province, Turkey
Photo by Grizurgbg
Endowed with historical and cultural abundance as well as rich natural beauty, a perfect inland climate and unique fertility, Amasya welcomes its visitors with juicy apples, cherries and peaches. But it also pleases the eye with great examples of the Ottoman architecture, the Yalıboyu Houses. Si...
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Pergamon
Photo by Radomil
Usually too short a stop down the trail of Turkey tourist attractions, Pergamum does deserve a bigger interest. Sitting atop a high hill and overlooking fertile plains, it once was an important capital city of the ancient times. Looking for the greatest of monuments and the most spectacular of vi...
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