Turkey Off The Beaten Path

  Country lane in Bitez
by Ekaterinburg
 
  • Country lane in Bitez
      Country lane in Bitez
    by Ekaterinburg
  • Cypress trees behind and orange grove
      Cypress trees behind and orange grove
    by Ekaterinburg
  • Sun sea and a breeze in Turkey. heaven
      Sun sea and a breeze in Turkey. heaven
    by soundchaseruk
  • Playing Boats
      Playing Boats
    by soundchaseruk
  • Turinc from the Can restuarant
      Turinc from the Can restuarant
    by soundchaseruk
 

Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Turkey

101.

Asian side   Istanbul

Asian side, Istanbul

 44 Reviews   Sile is a small resort town near Black sea, about 50 kilometers from Istanbul, going deeper into Asian side of Turkey. It is a small town, about 10 thousand people live here, but as the place is... 

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102.

bosphorus boat trip   Istanbul

bosphorus boat trip, Istanbul

 29 Reviews   Bosporus cruise probably was the most memorable thing to me in Istanbul, I loved to glance at beautiful surroundings with green hills and nice villas, few castles, fishermen on the shore, and also it... 

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103.

hammam   Istanbul

hammam, Istanbul

 8 Reviews  So many of the Hamams in Istanbul are SUPER cheesy (tourist-oriented) and SUPER expensive. If you want to go to an authentic Hamam, which is actually used by a Turkish community in Istanbul, visit... 

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104.

old houses   Istanbul

old houses, Istanbul

 16 Reviews  I noticed there was a category for 'old houses' so I thought I'd make a tip. You will certainly see plenty of them if you wander the streets of Cankurtaran, a few minutes' walk seawards from Ayia... 

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105.

theodosian (city) wall   Istanbul

theodosian (city) wall, Istanbul

 10 Reviews  These, big, ancient Walls I saw several times as I toured around Istanbul. Some are still in ruins, and some have been restored. Evidently, the wall contained 8 main gates. The main public gates led... 

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106.

Ortakoy   Istanbul

Ortakoy, Istanbul

 7 Reviews  Nestled under the shadow of the Bosphorus Bridge is Ortakoy an attractive neighbourhood of narrow cobbled streets lined with cafes and shops which, across the busy road, heads upwards to a more... 

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107.

Rumeli Hisari   Istanbul

Rumeli Hisari, Istanbul

 7 Reviews  Referred to as the Europe Castle to distinguish it from the Asia Castle across the Bosphorus, Rumelihisarı dominates the narrowest point in the Bosphorus Strait. The castle was built in 1452 by... 

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108.

Chora church Museum (Kariye )   Istanbul

Chora church Museum (Kariye ), Istanbul

 9 Reviews  You should be prepared. Before you enter the church, buy a book in your language (10 liras, it's sold by merchants near the entrance) and use it as a guide. Wikipedia or general travel books miss the... 

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109.

Bosphorus zoo   Istanbul

Bosphorus zoo, Istanbul

 5 Reviews  There is sort of a modern zoo 35km away from Istanbul....They call it bird paradise and botanic garden. But it is not easy to get there. First go to bus terminal 'ESENLER' (take a cab) , The bus... 

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110.

the Roman Aqueduct   Istanbul

the Roman Aqueduct, Istanbul

 6 Reviews  The Aqueduct of Valens in just a short walk southeast of the Faith Camii. By no means is it one of the great remaining Roman aqueducts in existance but it is still pretty impressive. It stretches for... 

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111.

smoking nargileh   Istanbul

smoking nargileh, Istanbul

 4 Reviews  There are many places around sultanahmet to enjoy some nargileh. And when in Turkey, do as the Turks right? Try some nargileh, it is quite fun. Ask the waiter to demonstrate some tricks for you,... 

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112.

Galata Tower   Istanbul

Galata Tower, Istanbul

 5 Reviews  Galata Tower , XIV century Genoese tower 67 meters height is a best place to see the sunset in Istanbul. From there you can see most of the areas of this huge city. Europe and Asia, the Golden Horn... 

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113.

Sunken Palace Cistern   Istanbul

Sunken Palace Cistern, Istanbul

 3 Reviews  En las guias aparecen muchos sitios para visitar en Estambul, pero uno que no hay que perderse, aparte de los importantes, es la Cisterna de la Basílica de Yerebatan. La combinacion del sonido del... 

 See All 549 Off The Beaten Path in Istanbul

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Ani Harabeleri archaeological site

by jorgejuansanchez

Very few tourists venture to go to Ani Harabeleri; at the most they visit Kars.It is located at about 50 kilometres from Kars.Ani was the ancient capital of Armenia, but now is a shepherd little town. Its ruins are great. I saw fragments of the old fortress, two Armenians churches with frescoes (Armenian is the first Christian state in the world, before than the Roman Empire), one mosque, one palace, plus a caravanserai surrounded by the river Arpachay in which other bank I distinguished Armenia.Ani comes from Anahita, Zoroastrian goddess. It was a time, under Byzantium rule, when in Ani there were one thousand churches.

Antalya and Fethiye

by traveloturc

Itinerary V antalya-fethiye and back 2 days 1st day antalya-fethiyeantalya-kemer (beldibi) 29 km kemer -demre (myra) 133 km Demre-Gelemis ( patara ) 92 km Gelemis -fethiye ( telmessus) 61 km total 315 km 2nd day fethiye-antalya fethiye-kas 104 km kas -finike 79 km finike-Chimera 58 km Chimera-antalya ( attalia) 72 km total 313 km

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Seven Churches in five days

by traveloturc

Itinerary II the seven churches 1st day Izmir 2nd day Izmir-efes ( ephesus) -Meryem Ana ( virgin Mary) and back 180 km 3rd day Izmir-Akhisar-Bergama and back izmir-Akhisar ( Thyatira) 95 km akhisar-bergama ( pergamum) 85 km bergama -Izmir 105 km 285 km 4th day Izmir -sart ( sardis) 100 km Sart-Alasehir ( Philadelphia) 58 km Alasehir -Laodikea 110 km Laodikea - Pamukkale ( hierapolis) 10 km 278 km 5th day Pamukkale-Izmir Pamukkale -Honaz ( Colossae) 30 km Honaz-Geyre (Aphrodisias) 113 km Geyre -izmir 179 km 321 km

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Snake Castle (Yilanlikale)

by PA2AKgirl

Since Adana doesn't ever get much coverage in the guide books, it makes sense that sites out of the city don't get covered, either. However, in some of the local shops, there are books that tell you where some easy getaways are. There are so many sites hidden within Turkey--maybe because there is just so much to see, some places get overlooked. From the Adana area, there were probably 40 things that were easy to get to in a day that I didn't see mentioned in any other book. One of these is mentioned very briefly but deserves much more coverage than a single sentence. It's called Snake Castle or Yilanlikale which overlooks the Ceyhan River. The legend is that a man who was half man/half snake lived there and was killed in Tarsus. Also, it was a crusader castle from the 12th century. Given its age and location on top of a hill, it's in remarkably good shape. If you want a castle where...

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Cotten Castle

by EdinburghRoc

Even the Romans beat us to here.TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES AND WALK DOWNSoak your feet in the very warm water.Take care it can be a little slippery and the wee rocks & stones may hurt your feetshoes are not allowed.But its worth it.

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The Emir Sultan Cami in Bursa

by Paul2001

The Emir Sultan Cami is an interesting 19th century mosque in Bursa. It was designed in what is called the "Ottoman Rococo style". This means that unlike most mosques, the interior is highly decorative. Unfortunately it is only possible to see the prayer hall of mosque from the front step when I visited. Still you can get a good view of it from this vantage point. The mosque still seems to be used a medressa as there seemed to be plenty of students around. If you are visiting Yesil Cami and the Yesil Turbe, then it is worth walking another 500m east to the Emir Sultan Cami. It is in a pleasant part of Bursa.

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crossing

by LOHRER

the Bosphorus to the eastern site of Istanbul, an other world opens up to the visitors. the a more traditional face of Turkey and complex turkish customs can be observed. nonetheless, there is always a warm hospitality coming your way.

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Soganla Valley (not sure about spelling)

by StephanB

Just outside of Goreme in the Cappadocia region lies another really cool valley for hiking and exploring. The Soganli Valley is famous for the monks that painted white circles around the holes that led into the rock formations surrounding the valley. The white "targets" would attact hundreds of pigeons that would coop in the formations. The monks used the pigeon poop for fertizer in their vineyards. They were known to have the sweetest wine in the region. There are also a number of old churches scattered throughout this valley.

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Escape the tourist in Ihlara Valley

by StephanB

There is a trail (about 17km. moderate hike) that goes through the Ihlara Valley. This was one of the highlights of our trip. It is on the way from Antalya heading towards Cappadocia. I think this is a must visit if you enjoy hiking. There is a half-way stop with a couple of nice restaurants if you need a break. You walk through tiny farms, goat and sheep herders at work, and a number of very old christian churches that are duf into the walls of the valley. The christian monks hid in the valley to escape the romans.

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Adrasan

by StephanB

Just around the corner from Olimpos is the tiny town of Adrasan. Olimpos was really cool, but we were twice the age of most the backpackers there, and we were toting a kid. It was great for a couple of days, but we needed a break. Adrasan was perfect. There were only a handful of local shops and the town was frequented by Turks only. We were the only Americans to visit in over two years. We met some great friends on our stay and I would recommend this spot for a quiet get-away for a couple days. To get there we had to hitchhike from Olimpos. First pick-up truck picked us up and drove us right to the place we wanted to stay.

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Unique Places in Turkey

Top 3 Hotels in Turkey

Esans Hotel  Istanbul

 7 Reviews and 181 Opinions  a very new hotel. very near to grande museums and sophia dome. sea is very near to hotel. we enjoy... 

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 2 Reviews and 272 Opinions  This small property is both central (10 min walk to the bazaar and waterfront) and secluded and... 

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Off The Beaten Path: Cities in Turkey
  1. Istanbul Off The Beaten Path
  2. Marmaris Off The Beaten Path
  3. Antalya Off The Beaten Path
  4. Bodrum Off The Beaten Path
  5. Alanya Off The Beaten Path
  6. Kusadasi Off The Beaten Path
  7. Ankara Off The Beaten Path
  8. Icmeler Off The Beaten Path
  9. Ephesus Off The Beaten Path
  10. Izmir Off The Beaten Path
  11. Side Off The Beaten Path
  12. Fethiye Off The Beaten Path
  13. Bursa Off The Beaten Path
  14. Belek Off The Beaten Path
  15. Goreme Off The Beaten Path
  16. Pamukkale Off The Beaten Path
  17. Kalkan Off The Beaten Path
  18. Konya Off The Beaten Path
  19. Selcuk Off The Beaten Path
  20. Hisaronu Off The Beaten Path
  21. Trabzon Off The Beaten Path
  22. Bitez Off The Beaten Path
  23. Kas Off The Beaten Path
  24. Dalyan Off The Beaten Path
  25. Kemer Off The Beaten Path
  26. Eskisehir Off The Beaten Path
  27. Troy Off The Beaten Path
  28. Ayvalik Off The Beaten Path
  29. Altinkum Off The Beaten Path
  30. Bergama Off The Beaten Path
  31. Cesme Off The Beaten Path
  32. Adana Off The Beaten Path
  33. Van Off The Beaten Path
  34. Gokceada Off The Beaten Path
  35. Dogubayazit Off The Beaten Path
  36. Turunc Off The Beaten Path
  37. Edirne Off The Beaten Path
  38. Sivas Off The Beaten Path
  39. Buyukada Off The Beaten Path
  40. Safranbolu Off The Beaten Path
  41. Alacati Off The Beaten Path
  42. Diyarbakir Off The Beaten Path
  43. Datca Off The Beaten Path
  44. Olympos Off The Beaten Path
  45. Bogazkale Off The Beaten Path
  46. Kadikoy Off The Beaten Path
  47. Sile Off The Beaten Path
  48. Canakkale Off The Beaten Path

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Popular Regions in Turkey

Istanbul Ili Off The Beaten Path  Mugla Ili Off The Beaten Path  Antalya Ili Off The Beaten Path  Izmir Ili Off The Beaten Path  Aydin Ili Off The Beaten Path  Nevsehir Ili Off The Beaten Path  Ankara Ili Off The Beaten Path  Canakkale Ili Off The Beaten Path  Bursa Ili Off The Beaten Path  Denizli Ili Off The Beaten Path  Trabzon Ili Off The Beaten Path 

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Hi, my wife and I organize trips for high school students (groups of approx. 35 ppl) and our next trip is scheduled for June-July... 

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A: Hi, Turkey is stable, with broad-minded politians & people. I had never thought about visiting TR, till I all of a sudden & surprisingly decided! Why? A VERY... 

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