Anyone who has visited Turkey at least once will definitely return again. After all, this country can surprise any traveler with its unique nature and a huge number of historical attractions. Yes, it was in Turkey that All Inclusive first appeared. Therefore, the quality of service here is always at its best. However, the state is not limited to just marble hotel halls and white sun loungers on private beaches. Turkey, first of all, is picturesque corners of wild unexplored beaches, myths and legends, valuable architecture, aromatic coffee and world-famous roasted chestnuts, which for many are truly exotic. It is very easy to discover a completely different Turkey and see it from a different angle - you just need to visit the places that we will tell you about now.

Cappadocia

Cappadocia is not an administrative region of Turkey, but a historical one. It is quite large and rich in beauty, so it is worth devoting at least two days to it. And here are some impressions and activities to fill them with:

First, come to the city of Goreme and rent a room in one of the rock hotels. Once upon a time, they served as real homes for local residents, and now they have become part of the local flavor.

Wake up at dawn, go to the edge of the city and watch real hot air balloons rise into the sky one after another. Well, or fly on one of these balloons.

Visit Goreme National Park. Once upon a time, there were more than 400 churches here, in the Christian center. Now you can see only two and a large rock monastery.

Visit the Hittite fortress in the city of Uchisar near Goreme, from the top of which the best view of Cappadocia opens.

And, of course, see the valley with high stone pillars, from which the region got its name.

Datca Peninsula

In super-short terms - this is some incredible place! The peninsula is very windy and stunningly beautiful. In the south - clean beaches, in the west - the ruins of the ancient city of Knidos, in the center - a bright port town. Olive and almond trees are everywhere. It is worth visiting the city of Datca at least for the opportunity to try authentic fish dishes prepared according to recipes that are hundreds of years old.

Lake Van

Lake Van is another distant, but worthwhile Turkish location. It is located almost on the border with Iran and has several record titles to its credit. These are:

the largest lake in Turkey;

the largest soda lake in the world;

the fourth largest endorheic lake in the world.

The Turkish people believe that a monster lives in the lake and sometimes even capture it in photos / videos. And delegations of real scientists are looking for evidence of its existence in all seriousness. However, there is also a real oddity here that you can see with your own eyes - flocks of Van cats that swim in the waters of the lake every morning, hunting for prey. The lake is also home to endemic "pearl" mullet, which is not found in other bodies of water. In local restaurants, it is cooked according to an ancient recipe.

In the middle of the lake there is the island of Akhtamar. On it are the ruins of the palace of the Armenian rulers of Artsrunids. On the smaller islands are the ruins of temples and churches. To the west of the city of Van are the ruins of a majestic citadel, built during the times of the Urartu kingdom. There is also an archaeological museum in the city, which contains all the artifacts found during excavations on the shore of the reservoir. Therefore, if you are interested in history, you will not find a better place to relax.

Lycian Way

The Lycian Way is a walking route along the peninsula between Antalya and Fethiye. Once upon a time, the Lycian Kingdom was on the territory of this peninsula, hence the name. The road passes through the gorge of butterflies, many times comes to the coast with clean beaches, crosses several Lycian cities (Letoon, Xanthos, Myra) and islands. It can reach the Goynuk canyon, to the mountains Olympos and Chimera. In short, on this route there is an opportunity to see a good part of all the interesting places in Turkey.

Kekova Island

You can get to this picturesque island by walking along the Lycian trail. Or you can come specifically to see the mysterious Turkish Atlantis. More precisely, Dolihiste is an ancient city located on the coast of the island, and then began to slowly sink due to the movement of tectonic plates.

It would seem that this is an ideal location for diving. This is what many tourists and archaeologists dream of, but scuba diving is prohibited here. The only available pleasure is to buy an excursion on a boat with a transparent bottom. You can still go scuba diving, but outside the protected area.

Mount Olympos (Tahtalı) and Mount Chimera (Yanartash)

You can also get to these mountains via the Lycian Way. But they are at the very end of the route, so if necessary, it is better to visit them separately. Olympos (or as the locals call it - Tahtalı) is the highest point of the Olympos National Park (the height of the mountain is 2365 m). At the foot of the mountain there was once a city with the same name. First Greek, then Roman, now it has turned into a pile of good ruins. According to legend, its inhabitants believed that gods could well live (permanently or from time to time) on the top of the mountain. Mount Chimera (Yanartash) especially fueled their imagination. The fact is that tongues of fire constantly burst out from its depths. This happens due to a leak of underground gas, which ignites from contact with oxygen. But the ancient inhabitants believed that the mountain contained the Chimera.

Damlatas Cave

The offer to visit a cave in Turkey is a bit of an oxymoron. Here you constantly find yourself in the caves of temples, monasteries, fortresses and even rock hotels. But this cave is different. Its discovery in 1948 was a complete accident: workers were quarrying stones and found the entrance to an unknown cave. Inside they found a cluster of stalactites and stalagmites aged 15,000 years. And the air with a high content of carbon dioxide. The cave is extremely safe, it is difficult to get lost here and it is easy to find - the location is located right in the middle of the city of Alanya.

Of course, this list can in no way be called complete. Turkey has hundreds of interesting places in stock! But this list will definitely help you see different Turkeys: mountainous and flat, airy and cave, European and autochthonous. Unique Turkey.