Türkiye

Built as a church, converted to a mosque, used as a museum, and now a mosque again. The point of the building is that Christian mosaics and Islamic calligraphy share the same room. Entry is restricted at prayer times and there is a dress code.

Named for the blue tiles covering the interior, and it faces Hagia Sophia across the square. It is a working mosque, so visitor entry pauses five times a day for prayers. Shoes come off and women cover their heads.

Volcanic ash hardened and then eroded into columns, honeycombed with cave dwellings and underground cities. The dawn balloon flight is the image, but wind cancels flights on the day, so stay two nights and give yourself two chances. Ninety minutes from Istanbul by air.

Mineral deposits from the springs built white terraces, and to protect them you walk a marked route barefoot. The ancient city of Hierapolis sits directly above, so the two go together. It looks best near sunset, which is also when it is fullest.

Marble streets, the facade of the library and a theatre that held twenty thousand, enough for the plan of an ancient city to become legible. There is almost no shade, so go early in summer. An hour by road from İzmir and close to the cruise ports.

The same city sits on the European and Asian banks. Rather than a tourist cruise, take the scheduled commuter ferry and get the same view for far less. Dinner in Kadıköy on the Asian side and the boat back is a good evening.

Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace and the Basilica Cistern are all within walking distance. The cistern is a Roman water store with columns standing in water, and it stays cool through the summer. The Grand Bazaar is in the same district.

Byzantine frescoes survive inside churches hollowed out of the stone. This is why treating Cappadocia as a balloon ride alone sells it short. Photography is restricted inside many of them.

The city of the legend, actually excavated, with nine layers from different eras on top of one another. What you see above ground is modest and takes imagination — visit the museum next door first. Around five hours from Istanbul by bus.

A royal tomb above two thousand metres, surrounded by enormous carved heads. People time the climb for sunrise or sunset, and it is bitterly cold before dawn. Getting there is awkward enough to suit a longer itinerary.

Ottoman timber houses preserved at the scale of a whole town, so the streets read as they did. Staying a night in a converted house is how it is done. Reachable by bus from Istanbul or Ankara.

Megalithic structures raised before farming began — a dig that forced a rethink of the order of human history. You walk a raised path under a protective roof and look down. The remains are plain, so read about it first or the significance will pass you by.

The old city, the new city and the Asian side each feel like different places. There are trams and a metro, but it is hilly and you will walk, and one transit card also covers the ferries. Touts around the sights are persistent — a firm no is fine.

A cave hotel, valley hikes and an underground city is the standard plan. Balloons are cancelled often enough that you want slack in the schedule. Snow in winter turns the landscape into something else entirely.

Resort beaches and ancient cities share a coastline, which makes it easy to mix resting with sightseeing. The Lycian Way long-distance path runs along it. Summer is very hot; spring and autumn are the walking seasons.

Ephesus and the other ancient cities are concentrated here, and ferries run to the Greek islands. The city itself is relaxed, built around a seafront promenade and its market. An hour from Istanbul by air.

Not a tourist city, but the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations assembles the country’s ancient history in one place and changes how the ruins read afterwards. The founder’s mausoleum is the city’s landmark. It also sits on the way to Cappadocia.

Thin tourist infrastructure, almost no crowds and very large landscapes. It is high plateau, so winter is long and severe and summer is the realistic season. Fly to a regional city and hire a car from there.

The best temperatures for walking ruins, and Istanbul fills with tulips. The interior plateau is still cool, so bring a layer. Prices are lower ahead of the season.

Peak swimming season on the coast, but the inland sites have no shade and midday is punishing. Go to Ephesus or Pamukkale early. Cappadocia is hot by day and cool morning and evening.

The sea is still warm and the heat has broken — widely the best-balanced window. Balloon conditions are relatively reliable. Many people book flights and rooms early for exactly this reason.

Many people neither eat nor drink during daylight, and restaurant hours vary by region. After sunset the streets come alive, which is worth seeing in itself. The holiday that ends it brings heavy domestic travel.

Prices rise often and the exchange rate shifts, so figures in older travel writing are not a guide. Cards work almost everywhere, so there is no need to carry large amounts of cash. Anywhere quoting prices in foreign currency is aimed at tourists.

In the Grand Bazaar and similar markets the first price is often not the price. Smiling and walking away is a normal part of the process, not an insult. In fixed-price shops and restaurants, you do not bargain.

Remove shoes at the door, cover shoulders and knees, and women cover their hair. The large mosques keep wraps to lend. Visitor entry stops five times a day for prayers, so check the times.

Metro, tram, bus and the Bosphorus ferries all run off one card, topped up at station machines. Several people can share a single card. Taking the ferry on this card rather than as a tour costs a fraction as much.

Police, ambulance and fire are consolidated on 112. Private hospitals in the big cities are used to foreign patients but expensive, so travel insurance is advisable. This is earthquake country — read the evacuation notice where you stay.

Istanbul to Cappadocia, Antalya or İzmir is one to two hours and often not much more than the bus. Istanbul has two airports — check which one your ticket uses. Baggage rules vary by carrier.