TURKEY

Istanbul is the only city in the world that spans two continents — Europe on the west bank of the Bosphorus, Asia on the east. The historic peninsula contains the Hagia Sophia (a church for 916 years, a mosque for 482, a museum for 86, a mosque again since 2020), the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace, and the Grand Bazaar — 4,000 shops in a covered complex that has been operating continuously since 1461. But Istanbul's soul lives in Beyoğlu on the European side: the Galata Tower neighborhood, the fish sandwich boats at Eminönü, the meyhanes (taverns) of Nevizade Street, the Sunday antique market at Boğazkesen. Cross to the Asian side for breakfast at a Kadıköy café. Return on the ferry watching the minarets of the old city recede.

The volcanic landscape of Cappadocia in central Anatolia — cone-shaped rock formations (fairy chimneys), underground cities, and cave dwellings carved directly into the tufa — looks like somewhere the imagination invented. The hot air balloon flights at dawn (when the valley fills with dozens of balloons simultaneously and the light turns the landscape gold) are one of the great travel experiences available anywhere on Earth. Book directly with established operators — Voyager Balloons and Butterfly Balloons are the reliable names. Göreme National Park contains the finest collection of Byzantine rock churches in existence. The underground city of Derinkuyu descends eight stories below the surface and once housed 20,000 people.

Ephesus near Selçuk is the best-preserved Roman city in the eastern Mediterranean — the Library of Celsus facade, the Great Theatre (capacity 25,000), and the Temple of Hadrian are all standing and provide a more legible experience of Roman urbanism than Rome itself. The town of Kas is the base for the Aegean coast: turquoise water, sunken Lycian ruins visible through the surface, and a waterfront of fish restaurants where the catch arrives at the table within hours of leaving the sea. Bodrum has the most famous nightlife on the Turkish coast and the finest Castle of St. Peter on the harbor — worth ignoring the clubs for.

Turkish cuisine is one of the three great foundational cuisines of the world (alongside French and Chinese) in terms of its influence on the food of surrounding regions. In Istanbul: simit (sesame bread rings) from street carts at breakfast, balık ekmek (grilled fish sandwiches) at the Galata Bridge, döner at Karadeniz Döner in Beyoğlu, baklava at Karaköy Güllüoğlu. In Cappadocia: testi kebab (meat slow-cooked in a sealed clay pot, broken tableside) is the local specialty worth ordering. On the Aegean coast: meze followed by grilled fish, with raki (anise spirit) and cold water.