1. Hiking Cappadocia's Cave Cities
"You're not claustrophobic, right?" says tour guide Giray Özcas as we squeeze through a four-foot-high tunnel, 260ft beneath the hoodoos and rock churches that tessellate the landscape of Cappadocia. I'm not, as far as I know, but as we descend further, the air becomes stuffier, the walls close in tighter and I'm relieved when we emerge into a large, echoing cavern. It's dimly lit by electric light, but its walls are blackened with char marks from ancient linseed lamps. Its perimeter is riddled with hollow doors, each one leading into another tunnel, spidering off into the darkness.
This is the underground city of Derinkuyu. It was discovered in 1963 by a local man while he was renovating his basement. The construction work created a crack in a wall, through which several of his chickens went adventuring, never to be seen again. He knocked the wall down and discovered a vast underground metropolis, 172sq miles in area, complete with staircases, bedrooms, wine presses, churches and even stables.
The oldest parts of Derinkuyu are thought to have been built as long ago as 1200 BCE by the Hittite people, who dominated Anatolia during the Bronze Age. Its purpose was to create a refuge from invading Phrygians, from whom they were under near-constant attack. As many as 20,000 people, along with their livestock, could have lived down here for a month or so at a time before re-emerging into the sunlight. "Everyone needs their vitamin D," says Giray. He tells me that there are as many as 60 of these underground cities beneath Cappadocia, and every year they're finding more.
"Some people say there's hobbits or djinns [spirits] living down here," says Giray. Cappadocia is an upside-down world: its cities are subterranean, while its overground landscape is like the interior of a cave system, covered in stalagmite-like rock pillars known as fairy chimneys. They're caused by wind erosion, but are named for the folkloric belief that they were created by the djinns who live beneath the ground.
The typical image of Cappadocia, adorning coffee cups and postcards, is that of dozens of hot air balloons soaring above the landscape. But I want to see Cappadocia up close, both above ground and below, so I'm exploring on foot. Giray and I emerge, blinking, into the daylight, and embark on a hike through a series of interconnected trails.
Although it looks a barren landscape from a distance, it's surprisingly fertile up close: the smell of apricot carries on the breeze and trees ripe with plums and black mulberries line the path. Rock-cut houses rear up above our heads on either side, like wasps' nests papering over the hillsides. In translation, the valleys have very straightforward English names. Pigeons flap around our heads in Pigeon Valley, where dovecotes were carved into the rock centuries ago. Lovebirds embrace in Love Valley, which became a secret sanctuary for courting couples in the 1960s and 1970s, when arranged marriages were more common.
After a couple of hours' easy, flat walking, we arrive at Göreme, home to a spectacular collection of rock churches dating from the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries. The most famous, the Dark Church, has walls emblazoned with vibrant paintings of Christian saints that have stood the test of time thanks to their lack of exposure to daylight.
Cappadocia was culturally and ethnically diverse, until the 1923 'population exchange' saw virtually all Anatolia's Greek Orthodox Christians forcibly removed to Greece, with some 400,000 Greek Muslims moving the other way. Giray and I take a taxi to the village of Mustafapaşa, formerly a Christian settlement known as Sinasos, which was left a ghost town. Entrepreneurs are renovating the historic buildings into boutique businesses like Gül Konakları, a hotel where we stop for a drink.
"Before the exchange, these people were friends; it was politicians who drove them apart," Giray says, as he sips on Turkish coffee "Or Greek coffee, as they call it in Greece," he says with a wry smile. I'm on the harder stuff, having ordered a glass of Emir, a citrussy white wine made from a Cappadocian grape. "People had been making wine here for thousands of years, but all the knowledge was lost after the exchange," says owner Murat Örnek. "There's a big revival at the moment in traditional winemaking using these native grapes. Cappadocians are rediscovering their past."
I retire to my rock-cut room in Kayakapi cave hotel that evening and fall asleep to the sounds of Cappadocia drifting in through my open window. The call to prayer rings out from a hillside minaret. Dogs bark in the valley. Their echoes mingle amid the fairy chimneys, then vanish, sucked down to join the company of djinns lurking deep below.
5. HISTORY: FOLLOW THE LYCIAN WAY 
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Turkey’s first long-distance walking route meanders for 472 miles across the southern Teke Peninsula between Fethiye and Antalya. Offering a different perspective on this popular coastal area, it traverses pine-clad peaks and cliffs, between rural villages and the ruined cities of the Lycian people who prospered here over 1,000 years ago. Most trekkers tackle a three- to five-day section; one of the most scenic starts from the western trailhead at Ölüdeniz and heads across the Seven Capes to the Patara beachfront ruins.
6. ACTIVE: PARAGLIDE OVER ÖLÜDENIZ
It’s not surprising that Ölüdeniz is Turkey’s premier tandem paragliding destination. This slice of southwest coast — where waves of green hills pitch downwards to Ölüdeniz Nature Park’s famed blue lagoon, sheltered by a sandy spit — is best appreciated on an aerial descent. Tandem paragliders launch from Baba (8,533ft), which looms over the seafront. For a taste of the views, minus the adrenaline, there’s a cable car.
7. ACTIVE: KITESURF IN AKYAKA 
The coastal town of Akyaka is Turkey’s top spot for kitesurfing. A two-hour drive from Bodrum, its secret is strong, steady thermal winds from May to November. With gusts blowing favourably from sea to shore and kitesurfing schools offering classes, it provides a safe environment that’s perfect for beginners. And there’s more: Akyaka has lively bars, restaurants and yoga retreats still untapped by the international traveller circuit. Follow locals on a night out to Geyik Sayiye for craft cocktails by award-winning mixologists.
8. ACTIVE: SEE TURKEY'S YOSEMITE
Few international travelers except keen birders know about Aladağlar National
Park. Located in southeast Turkey, roughly 90 miles south of Cappadocia’s Kayseri Airport, it’s a prime area for summer hikes amid dramatic mountain scenery. Trails wind across high pastures, where shepherds graze flocks, and forest-clad slopes lead up to craggy plateaus studded with lakes. Base yourself in the village of Çukurbağ for independent exploration, or arrange a multi-day trek with Cappadocia-based tour operator Middle Earth Travel.
9. HISTORY: SEEK MT NEMRUT’S STONE HEADS
At sunrise and sunset, travelers scale eastern Turkey’s Mount Nemrut’s summit to find the decapitated stone heads of toppled figures. They’re all that remains of the reign of King Antiochus, who ruled the Commagene kingdom from around 70 to 38 BCE and built the gargantuan statues as a monument to himself. They sit atop his colossal, 165ft-high burial mound. Visit during the day to avoid the
crowds.
10. CITIES & CULTURE: PARTY ON THE BEACH IN ÇEŞME
Every summer, local party-goers flock to the Çeşme Peninsula to experience Turkey’s best nightlife. Dip into the scene by reserving a sunbed on the beach at renowned club Before Sunset, where a boho crowd dances the night away to house music. Tarla, a farmhouse turned open-air tiki bar, is another highlight, hosting live acoustic nights. Or visit Open Bar, a locals’ speakeasy that attracts renowned Turkish DJs such as Barış K and Memo Garan. Base yourself at The Stay Warehouse, a converted warehouse with a 24-hour pool and music events in Alaçatı town. From €400 (£336), B&B.
beforesunsetcesme.com
thestay.com.tr
CITIES & CULTURE
11. EXPLORE TURKEY BY TRAIN
Turkey’s rail network remains one of its best-kept travel secrets, offering everything from scenic day trips to long-distance sleepers.
Words: Jessica Lee
ROSES EXPRESS: IZMIR TO ISPARTA
This daily train is the prime route for classical history lovers. In total, it’s a 10-hour chug across the coastal Aegean plains and into the hill country of western Anatolia — but the joy is in hopping off periodically to explore the region’s ancient ruins. The train calls into Selçuk station, three miles east of the UNESCO-listed Ephesus ruins, and Denizli station, a jumping-off point for Pamukkale’s travertine terraces and Hierapolis ruins. Its final destination, Isparta, is the gateway to the mountaintop ruins of Sagalassos. Tickets 320 TRY (£7.60).
EASTERN EXPRESS: ANKARA TO KARS
The daily Eastern Express runs for 814 miles across high plateaus and the mountainous countryside of northeast Anatolia. During winter, when snow blankets the peaks and plains, this is one of Turkey’s most beautiful journeys. Most travelers board with their own picnic rather than using the basic dining car, settling in for the 26-hour journey in either Pullman seating or four-berth, shared-couchette sleeper compartments. From December to March, there are also three pricier Touristic Eastern Express departures a week, which only have two-berth private sleeper compartments and include stops for excursions in historic cities. Eastern Express tickets 400 TRY (£9.50), Touristic Eastern Express tickets from 6,000 TRY (£143).
TAURUS EXPRESS: KONYA TO ADANA
This passenger train uses the historic railway line blasted through the Taurus Mountains between 1904 and 1918, which scythes across the Cilician Gates mountain pass once crossed by Alexander the Great. Laid out originally to be the northern section of the Baghdad Railway, the line is rimmed by steep, forested slopes and deep gorges, via multiple tunnels, and travels over the 320ft-high stone Varda Viaduct, which featured in the 2012 Bond film Skyfall. The seven-hour, daily Taurus Express connects Konya with Adana, a good springboard for the castles and ruins of Turkey’s eastern Mediterranean. Tickets 200 TRY (£4.80).
PAMUKKALE EXPRESS: ESKISEHIR TO DENIZLI
Connecting the vibrant arts-hub city of Eskişehir with Denizli for Pamukkale and Hierapolis, the nine-hour Pamukkale Express is a ringside seat for the rural heartland of northwest Anatolia. The northern section trails through valleys once ruled by the Iron Age Phrygian kings, while continuing south, the landscape unfurls into wide areas of farmland backed by fir-forested hills. There are daily morning departures in both directions. Tickets 280 TRY (£6.70).
bilet.tcdd.gov.tr
12 FOOD & DRINK DIG INTO THE FARM-TO-FORK SCENE AROUND URLA LESS THAN AN HOUR FROM IZMIR, THIS TINY RURAL DISTRICT HAS BECOME A FOOD HOTSPOT WITH SEVERAL MICHELIN STARS TO ITS NAME. WORDS: BERKOK YÜKSEL
“Do you think people will actually come all the way here?” This was the question Seray Kumbasar and her husband, Chef Ozan Kumbasar, were asking each other six years ago. It was the day before opening night, and they stood under the towering pine tree in Vino Locale’s garden questioning their decision to open a restaurant in Urla. Today, it holds both a Michelin star and a Michelin green star and is fully booked months ahead.
Stepping through an arch of vines at Vino Locale to dine with the Kumbasars, I find just eight tables in the garden of their stone farmhouse. Less than an hour’s drive west of Izmir, Urla used to be known for its artichoke farms, melon patches, olive orchards and vineyards. “It was just a stopover for Izmir residents on their way to vacation houses in Çeşme,” says Ozan. “Now it’s Turkey’s prime gastronomic destination.”
Ozan’s words are no exaggeration. Urla has been dubbed the ‘Basque region of Turkey,’ despite being only a 10th of the size of Spain’s culinary star. When the Michelin Guide extended its Turkey coverage beyond Istanbul in 2023, seven restaurants in this tiny community got a mention, with three given stars (two of which were also among the three awarded green stars for their sustainable practices).
Tonight’s menu includes sharing portions of sorrel mushroom lasagna and lightly poached sardines in an almond milk sauce. But the star is the butter-soft blue-tailed shrimp, a local specialty from the shores north of Urla. “If it waits even one day, it stiffens up,” says Ozan with visible pride. “Everything comes in daily from the farms. We don’t even need a freezer in the kitchen,” adds Seray.
The next morning, the butchers, fish restaurants and teahouses in Urla’s rural centre are quieter than usual because it’s market day. Heading over to take a look, I find hundreds of farmers displaying their produce. There are mountains of cherries and peaches, artichokes being trimmed and slices of gala melon being handed out.
Urla’s dining scene is defined by this close connection to the farming community, with chefs often seemingly more keen to discuss their relationships with farmers than their cooking. “We’re a family, of producers and restaurants,” says Osman Sezeneroglu, of Teruar, another Michelin-starred venue, with a kitchen garden just five minutes from Vino Locale, is no exception. “What makes Urla special is how much passion the small community of producers, winemakers and restaurateurs here have for what they do,” the chef tells me when I visit for lunch the next day.
Teruar’s only dining option is the tasting menu, and for me its highlight is a handmade tagliolini with fresh garlic, topped with a cheesy crema made from Pelit — a local cow’s milk cheese that’s similar to pecorino romano but with a nuttier, milder sharpness. Wine is a part of the farm-to-table experience here, too. The main course, spring lamb with grilled artichoke, is paired with a full-bodied red from Urla Winery, just across the road. It’s a blend of Nero d’Avola and Urla Karasi, a rare grape variety endemic to the region, discovered growing on the grounds of the winery in 2010.
“We found ancient wine amphoras in the soil,” says Can Ortabas, a businessman from Izmir and co-founder of Urla Winery, whom I meet after lunch. Dressed in a crisp white shirt, black trousers and glossy Oxford shoes, he offers to take me on a tour of the vineyard. “The soil here is rich in clay and limestone, set in a dry and sunny climate — perfect for winemaking,” he explains as we walk along the vines.
The chef who had arguably the biggest role in putting Urla on the culinary map is Osman Sezener, whose Od Urla restaurant holds both a Michelin star and a Michelin green star. Many of the ingredients he uses — including dairy, eggs and meat — come from Od Urla’s 345 acres of farmland. When I visit for dinner, I’m seated in an orchard at one of the tables tucked under the low branches of sprawling olive trees.
“Having control over the quality is so worth the effort, and people can taste it,” Osman tells me as the night air, as cool as after a Turkish coffee, a salty Aegean breeze rustling the leaves around him. Every dish served in Urla is a reflection of the environment that shapes the ingredients. But I’ve no doubt it’s this proud Urla’s people that make it unique.
HOW TO DO IT: Pegasus Airlines flies direct from Stansted to Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport in four hours. From there, it’s a 40-minute drive to Urla. Rooms at Od Urla Guesthouse, next to the restaurant, from 6,800 TRY (£143), BB. flypgs.com odurla.com
13 CITIES & CULTURE HOP AROUND ISTANBUL’S ISLANDS
Istanbul’s best-kept secret is its islands. Less than an hour by ferry from the main ports, the Princes’ Islands were once a spot where Byzantine royalty were exiled. Today, they offer car-free escapes from the chaotic city, rich in Greek, Armenian and Jewish heritage — perfect for day tripping.
BÜYÜKADA
On Istanbul’s largest island, travellers can rent bikes and cycle up to the Greek
Orthodox Aya Yorgi Church. Along the way, admire historic wooden mansions and fluttery pink Prince's Grove Orphanage. Currently undergoing restoration, the latter — said to be the largest wooden building in Europe — has sat quietly on a hilltop. Constructed in the late 19th century to serve as a hotel and casino, it was converted to an orphanage in 1902.
HEYBELIADA
‘Saddlebag,’ as this island’s name translates, is so called because of the prominent double-peaked hill. Feast on kol böreği (flaky pastries stuffed with cheese or minced meat) at Nazlıgül Börek ve Pasta Salonu, by the pier, before hiking up Hope Hill to take in views of the other islands and see the grandiose, now defunct, Theological School of Halki, housed in a Byzantine-era Eastern Orthodox monastery.
BURGAZADA
Istanbul’s most charming island is known for its secluded beaches and excellent restaurants. Stop at Four Letter Word cafe for speciality coffee, homemade icy lemonades and decadent, seasonal cakes and pastries, then walk 15 minutes to stroll Madam Martha Bay. For dinner, trek up to Kalpazankaya Restaurant for seafood mezze such as salt-cured mackerel, garlicky blanched samphire, calamari and locally caught grilled fish. Seated under pine trees, diners will arguably get Istanbul’s best sunset up here.
KINALIADA
The smallest of the four main islands can be walked around in about an hour. Visit Jash Kinaliada restaurant for Armenian mezze, taking a seat at one of the tables on the pebble beach. With ferries passing nearby, it’s the type of place where travellers consider missing the last boat back to the city so they can linger just a little longer.
14 CITIES & CULTURE WATCH OIL WRESTLING
Located in Turkey’s westernmost province, Edirne was the second capital city of the Ottoman Empire and still hosts one of the country’s oldest traditions: the Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival. Every July, burly wrestlers compete to pin each other down on grassy fields, covered in olive oil and dressed only in buffalo-hide shorts. The 2024 festival starts on 663rd and featured nearly 900 combatants over three days, alongside concerts by local musicians and traditional dance shows. Edirne’s Old Town district is also a highlight for its Ottoman sites, including the 16th-century Selimiye Mosque, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
15 HISTORY SCALE TERRACES AT PAMUKKALE
Pamukkale’s gleaming white limestone hill makes for arguably the most dramatic entrance to an archaeological site in Turkey. Visitors wade their way through the shallow aquamarine pools that speck its travertine terraces, their sights set on the ruins of the ancient spa town of Hierapolis at the summit. Once there, they can bathe in the mineral-rich spring waters of the Cleopatra Pool, which first put Hierapolis on the tourist map, in the second century BCE. Those who want to get an early start — and experience the travertines and ruins without the crowds — should spend the night at the foot of the hill in Pamukkale town. muze.gov.tr
16 ACTIVE SURF THE WAVES OF THE BLACK SEA
Deniz Toprak, founder of Mellow Turkey, a surf school and hostel in Perşembe, Ordu
WHAT MADE YOU START A SURFING SCHOOL/HOSTEL IN NORTHERN TURKEY? After running a co-living space and surf camp in Sri Lanka, I returned to Turkey during the pandemic and found that the waves in my father’s hometown of Perşembe are ideal for surfing. But beyond the waves, the small town’s calmness and hygge-like atmosphere made it the perfect destination for a global surfing community.
IS SURFING NEW TO PERŞEMBE? While surfboards are new, locals have been bodysurfing here for at least four generations. This ancient form of surfing without any buoyancy aid is enjoyed by the older generations along the wider Black Sea coastline, but it’s a dying custom. At our surf school, local kids are rebuilding the relationship between the community and the sea, this time on a board.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO SURF? The ideal surfing season depends on your preference. From June to September, the water temperature is around 24°C, perfect for surfing without a wetsuit. In autumn, the waves are bigger and the lush landscape transforms into warmer hues, although the sea is cooler. Winter sees temperatures drop to 7 to 8°C, but it’s still a good time to surf. We host youth surfing camps in February and occasionally surf when it snows. mellowturkey.com
17 Cycle Turkey’s Aegean Coast
Ancient ruins, nature reserves and seaside villages are all in easy reach on this multi-day ride. Words: Alex Crevar
Near the Gediz Delta; a third of the way across houses framed by fuchsia bougainvillea, with Turkey’s section of the Euro Velo Cycle Route 8, fishing nets spread to dry along the promenade, a flamboyance of flamingos appears overhead, and boats crowding the harbour. It’s no surprise visitors and locals alike are drawn here. The sheer cliffs of Tica’s surrounding archipelago, where seals live among the rocks, provide a fiery-pink chevron escort along a corridor that was once the stomping ground of Greek poet Homer and Alexander the Great. Bookended by UNESCO-listed sites, this route across Izmir Province forms one small part of the cross-continent Eurovelo cycleways network. It opened in 2019 and was developed for average cyclists; though it takes four to five days to complete using a combination of quiet streets, bike paths, and packed-gravel roads, riders can also tackle it as single-day rides. It starts near the ruined city of Pergamon and ends in the ancient city of Ephesus. In between, cyclists pass through vineyards, nature reserves, and seaside towns with bazaars and café-lined harbours, including Urla, Cesme, and Sigacik. Here are four highlights of the route:
Gediz Delta
The route’s second stage rolls down the coast from Foca by way of the Gediz Delta, one of Turkey’s largest protected wetlands and home to around 10% of the world’s greater flamingo population. Visit the delta and its Izmir Bird Paradise, a sanctuary with around 300 species, including more than two dozen considered threatened. This is a perfect place to pedal gently along dirt roads at the water’s edge, stopping to watch the birds and rest your legs for a while. The birding experience is unparalleled, with spoonbills, huge Dalmatian pelicans, terns, and kestrels all resident year-round here. One of the most mesmerizing sights is the flamingos in the swishing sea grasses. Spring and autumn are the best months for viewing the inhabitants.
Pergamon
Likely established between the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, Pergamon was a regional powerhouse for nearly 150 years and is one of Turkey’s most important sites. Travelers can visit the remains of the city, once capital of the Attalid Kingdom and later the Roman Empire’s Asia Province capital. Today it forms a UNESCO-inscribed cultural landscape with tales of Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman history. Take the cable car to the ancient Acropolis for views south across the countryside, the modern city of Bergama below, and the route you’ll soon be cycling. At the top, you’ll also see the giant Altar of Zeus, a theatre with vertiginously banked hillside seating, and the Temple of Trajan with its giant, free-standing Corinthian-capped columns.
Izmir
The cycleway’s biggest urban stop is Izmir. As the city draws closer, you will find hotels rising in the distance even as you roll past tranquil lagoons. Once in town, head to the Agora, founded in the 4th century BCE and rebuilt under the Romans. The remaining columns, basilica, and subterranean market stalls hint at the life of this ancient public space. Before boarding a ferry to cross the Gulf of Izmir towards the next cycling stages to Urla and Cesme, pedal to the sprawling Kemeralti Bazaar to pick up a bite to eat and explore local street culture.
Foca
For many, the first day of cycling will end in Foca, a photogenic coastal town with a castle and city walls. Sunsets here melt against pastel houses framed by fuchsia bougainvillea, with fishing nets spread to dry along the promenade and boats crowding the harbour. It’s no surprise visitors and locals alike are drawn here. The sheer cliffs of Tica’s surrounding archipelago, where seals live among the rocks, provide a fiery-pink chevron escort along a corridor that was once the stomping ground of Greek poet Homer and Alexander the Great. Celebrate completing the first cycle stage by having dinner on the terrace at Foca Restaurant, with octopus salad and lamb shish kebab overlooking the Aegean.
How to do it
Bike rental is affordable in Turkey and can be booked in the city of Izmir; try Bisiklet Kooperatifi for touring and mountain bikes from 200 TRY (5) per day. From Izmir, bike-friendly buses or trains take you to the route’s head at Bergama. Plenty of lodgings along the route welcome cyclists. In Bergama, try Attalos Hotel, which has an intimate courtyard and rustic yet smart rooms from €90 (E76). Kybele Hotel in Foca is a boutique hotel in the Old Town with balconies overlooking the sea, just 100 yards away, from 2,159 TRY ([52), B&B. Cesme’s seafront Ontur Hotel is a good choice for the beach, with a hammam, from 6,660 TRY (E160), B&B.
18 A FEAST IN ISTANBUL’S MEYHANES
These traditional taverns are popular countrywide but best in Istanbul, reflecting the city’s diverse ethnic and religious history with unique mezze.
Asmali Cavit
Best for Friends
Most diners at Asmali Cavit are regulars, who have been visiting this old backstreet haunt in the north-central Beyoglu district with their families since childhood. But the taverna’s buzzing atmosphere, friendly service, and top-notch food charm everyone, making it one of Istanbul’s quintessential meyhanes. Owner Cavit roams the room with inquisitive eyes, anticipating and fulfilling diners’ wishes. When you are called to the display cabinet to pick your dishes, point at the tarama (creamy whipped carp roe) and kofte (chargrilled spiced meatballs) served with hand-cut fries.
Giritli Restoran
Best for Peace & Quiet
Just a 10-minute walk from the Hagia Sophia, Giritli offers a tranquil escape from the busy Historical Peninsula. In its airy stone courtyard, tables with red-checkered tablecloths are draped in vines, and the true regulars of the restaurant—cats—meow for delicious scraps. Go for the tasting menu of mezzes, and don’t miss the seafood orzo with dill and the fenugreek-cured salmon pastirma.
Balat Sahil Restaurant
Best for Sunsets
Located in the old Jewish quarter of Balat, Sahil Restaurant overlooks the calm waters of the Golden Horn Inlet. Famous for its mushroom mezze and turbot fillets braised in fish stock, its magnum opus is the iconic dolma: poached onion shells filled with rice, pine nuts, currants, and spices, all braised in olive oil until the bottom is a caramelized blister. Opt for a terrace seat on the top floor for the best view over your meal.
JASH
Best for Romance
In a quiet side street in trendy north-central Cihangir, this is one of Istanbul’s esteemed Armenian taverns. Inside, it blends classic cosy vibes and live accordion music with fine-dining white tablecloths and attentive service. Unique dishes include mackerel dolma—deep-fried mackerel fillets stuffed with pine nuts and spiced rice—and romk, a chicken dish filled with caramelized onions and warming spices.
How to do it:
Book a room at The Stay Boulevard in the upmarket Nişantaşı district, or try another Istanbul branch of this carbon-neutral Turkish hotel brand. From €270-€620, B&B, thestay.com.tr.
19 CITIES & CULTURE
WHIRL WITH DERVISHES
The best place to meet Turkey's hypnotic dancers is the city of Konya — especially during the annual Şeb-i Arûs festival.
A pin-drop silence hangs over the auditorium in Konya’s Irfa cultural centre, broken softly by a reed flute solo as lilting and melodious as a call to prayer. A dozen men file onto the stage in tall, conical hats, their bodies wrapped in black cloaks. Voices and drums join the flute in a stately march of Ottoman court music,
before the men throw off their cloaks, revealing white tunics and wide skirts. They begin to whirl, slowly at first and then quickening along with the music, until they resemble a blur of spinning tops, all in perfect time yet each one lost in his own ecstatic dance.
These are the Mevlevis, known to the world as whirling dervishes — a mystical Islamic order for whom whirling is a meditative prayer practice and also, in recent decades, a cultural heritage performance. Even as a non-religious observer, it’s a
powerful experience. The skirts of the dervishes are perfumed with frankincense, and their whirling sends its heady scent through the air; over the next hour I’m sent if not quite into religious ecstasy, then at least into a blissed-out reverie.
Whirling performances are also staged in Istanbul, but the Mevlevi order’s heartland is here in the city of Konya, in central Turkey. It started in the 13th century with the mystic and poet Jalal al-Din Rumi. Tradition tells that Rumi was walking among Konya’s coppersmith workshops when, amid the clinking, he heard the names of God, and began spinning in celebration. His followers, the Mevlevis, still whirl throughout the year, but I’m visiting at a special time, during the annual festival of Şeb-i Arûs, which commemorates Rumi’s death every December.
Today, Konya is Turkey’s sixth-largest city and it remains a holy place but not a sombre one. The joyous themes of Rumi’s poetry, alive with music, dance and the celebration of life, are still reflected in the modern city — especially during Şeb-i Arûs. At this time of year, in addition to whirling performances at established venues like Irfa, bands play on makeshift stages that spring up across town, and free Turkish delight is laid out on trays for festival-goers.
After the show, I meet one of the black-bearded whirlers, Mithat Özçakal. In his early 30s, Mithat already has two decades’ whirling experience under his belt. “Whirling is in my blood — my father was a whirling dervish, and his father before him,” he says, telling me about the strenuous training programme he began at the
age of 14. “When we whirl, our body weight is all on the ball of our left foot,” he explains. “To practice that stance, we whirl for hours at a time with our heel above an upright nail.” I wince, but these rigorous practices — which also include fasting for several hours before performances — are partly why the Mevlevi are inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Leaving Irfa, I take a walk through Konya’s centre, passing the towering minarets of the Selimiye Mosque, to find Rumi’s 13th-century mausoleum, visible for miles with its dazzling turquoise-tiled fluted dome. Now known as the Mevlana Museum, it’s one of many historic buildings in this Silk Road city that embody the Islamic Golden Age.
Entering the mausoleum, I pass through a swirl of green velvet into a room of exquisite beauty. But it’s Rumi’s tomb that draws my eye above all else: a sarcophagus draped in green velvet, embroidered with gold and set in an alcove tiled in geometric patterns of emerald-green, lapis-blue and ruby-red. Around it is gathered, many of them overcome with emotion, wiping tears from their faces. One man, dressed in a sandy-coloured woollen robe, is spinning quietly, his eyes closed, arms outstretched — a small, personal act of whirling that encapsulates the magic of Konya.
HOW TO DO IT:
Konya’s Şeb-i Arûs runs 10-17 December. Hotels get booked up months ahead, so plan accordingly. Buy performance tickets in advance and check schedules for Irfa or Şeb-i Arûs.
ebilet.tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr iframendefinyonseb. sebarus.gov.tr
20 ACTIVE
STARGAZE IN THE HIGHLANDS
After dark, the skies above the lush yaylalar (highland pastures) of the western Kaçkar Mountains sparkle with thousands of stars. Close to the Black Sea and Turkey's border with Georgia, these remote hills, surrounded by an amphitheatre of craggy peaks, see little light pollution, making them an unbeatable stargazing destination. One particularly good spot is the long finger of meadow that's home to the tiny settlement of Pokut Yaylası, straddling a 6,500ft-high ridge. Some of the highland timber houses here have been converted into comfortable guesthouses with attached restaurants — great bases for hiking by day and stargazing by night. With their terraces for taking in the views, Plato’da Mola and Pokut Orion are two of the best options.
platodamola.com pokutorion.com
21 CITIES & CULTURE
TOUR ANTALYA'S HISTORIC CORE
Antalya — gateway city to one of Turkey's most popular stretches of coast — has long been favoured for its beach. Yet the southern city's Kaleiçi neighbourhood is awash with history. Enter through the triumphal arch of Hadrian's Gate, commemorating Emperor Hadrian's 130 CE visit, and head to the Sultan Alaaddin Camii mosque to admire its painted ceiling — a preserved fragment of its previous life as Panagia Church in the 19th century. You could also pay a visit to the 13th-century Sefa Hamam bathhouse for a hammam scrub. Ottoman mansions, all creaky timber and cumba (oriel windows), line Kaleiçi's lanes — and offer boutique-style accommodation — try White Garden Hotel or Tuvana Hotel.
sefahamam.com whitegardenhotel.com tuvanahotel.com
22 FOOD & DRINK
TASTE-TEST HOMEGROWN TURKISH WINES
Though not widely known for its vineyards, Turkey is home to some of the earliest winemaking sites in history — and there are winery routes showcasing the country’s best cellar doors.
Follow the Thrace Vineyard Route (Trakya Bağ Rotası), which brings together 12 producers from Istanbul’s western hinterland to the Greek border in Eastern Thrace. Bakucha, a vineyard hotel owned by the Arcadia wine brand and set amid the vines, makes a good base for exploring. Its crisp Sauvignon Gris pét-nat (sparkling natural wine) is a highlight. Barbare Wines is also worth a stop; stroll through its vineyards at sunset sampling oaky red blends made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvèdre and Grenache.
trakiyabagrorasi.com
arcadiavineyards.com
barborosbagcivi.com
Off the coast of Gallipoli in northwest Turkey, the island of Bozcaada has been a winemaking hub since the fifth century BCE. Tour the small-scale vineyards, covering a third of its surface area, to sample local grape varieties such as Karalahna, which is used to make bold, tannic reds, and velvety white Çavuş grape wines, with notes of stone fruit and wildflowers.
Known for its rich culinary traditions and abundant produce, Urla, an hour’s drive west from Izmir, has become a wine hotspot in the last decade. The Urla Vineyard Route (Urla Bağ Yolu) features eight boutique producers. Start at Urla Winery, one of the region’s top winemakers, for a tour and tastings of wines including a bold and acidic red made with endemic Urla Karası grapes. Then head to Hus, a nearby boutique, family-owned vineyard with an upscale restaurant serving tapas made with locally sourced ingredients, such as artichoke tartlets and octopus carpaccio.
urlabagvolu.com
urlasarapcilik.com.tr
huswines.com
GETTING THERE & AROUND
The main ports of entry for air travellers to Turkey are Istanbul Airport and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport and the coastal cities of Antalya, Izmir, Bodrum, and Dalaman. More budget airline Pegasus uses the smaller Sabiha Gökçen Airport. Both offer good domestic connections. Airports on the southwest coast are also well served by flights, with airlines including EasyJet.
turkishairlines.com
flypgs.com
easyjet.com
Average flight time: Around 4h to Istanbul, Ankara or Antalya.
Major cities are linked by a high-speed rail network, operated by TCDD, which connects Istanbul with cities including Ankara (4h 30min) and Konya (5h), and Ankara with Kayseri, the gateway to Cappadocia (7h). Older train networks, such as the scenic Eastern Express to Kars, connect to the high-speed network. Towns on the Turkish Riviera are well connected by bus, as are smaller towns in Cappadocia.
tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr
WHEN TO GO
Turkey’s climate varies widely. There’s a Mediterranean atmosphere in the coastal southwest, where average temperatures in Antalya can hit highs of 35C in August and 15C in January, and a temperate climate in Istanbul, which sees highs of 29C in August and 9C in January. Istanbul often experiences heavy snowstorms in the winter. Cappadocia has hot summers and cold, snowy winters, with average highs of 31C and 4C in August and January, respectively.
MORE INFO
gotturkey.com