A Mediterranean coastal route from the coves of Muğla to the ancient cities and beaches of Antalya, then via Mersin and Adana to Hatay. The journey ends with Hatay's cuisine.
Best time: April–June and September–November. July and August are very hot and crowded.
Bodrum Castle (Castle of St Peter) — A castle built by the Knights of St John around 1402, partly using stones from the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. Today it houses…
Mausoleum of Halicarnassus — A monumental tomb built by Artemisia for her husband Mausolos, king of Caria, and counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient…
Ölüdeniz — South of Fethiye, with its turquoise water and sheltered lagoon, this is Türkiye's most photographed beach. Babadağ, 1,969…
Butterfly Valley (Kelebekler Vadisi) — A valley and beach south of Ölüdeniz, enclosed by sheer cliffs and reachable only by sea. In the summer months it is home to…
Kayaköy (Levissi) — A ghost village 8 km south of Fethiye, made up of hundreds of abandoned stone houses spread across a hillside, where Greeks…
Dalyan Canal and Kaunos — A reed-fringed canal linking Köyceğiz Lake to the sea, with the ancient city of Kaunos on its bank. The Carian royal tombs with…
Local food
🍖 Bodrum Çökertme Kebabı (beef on matchstick potatoes and yoghurt) 🧆 Muğla Köftesi (Muğla meatballs) 🥐 Muğla Saraylısı (Muğla pastry dessert) 🥧 Milas Tepsi Böreği (Milas tray börek) 🐟 Bodrum Tırhandili (Bodrum fish dish)
Local products to buy
Datça Nurlu Bademi (Datça Nurlu almonds)Bodrum Mandarini (Bodrum mandarins)Muğla Çam Balı (Muğla pine honey)Milas El Halısı (Milas hand-woven carpet)
Kaleiçi — The historic city centre, enclosed by sea and land walls, is the heart of Antalya, with streets that carry Roman, Byzantine…
Hadrian's Gate (Üçkapılar) — A monumental gate with three arches and four marble columns on each face, built into the city walls in honour of the Roman…
Yivli Minaret — A 13th-century Seljuk work and the symbol of Antalya, with an eight-fluted shaft of brick and turquoise tiles rising from a…
Antalya Museum — Founded in 1922 to protect antiquities from the occupying forces, the museum holds about a hundred thousand objects from Lycia…
Düden Waterfalls — The Düden Stream splits into two branches to form two waterfalls: Upper Düden near Varsak, and Lower Düden (Karpuzkaldıran) near…
Kurşunlu Waterfall — A waterfall that drops 18 metres inside a 2-km canyon, 7 km off the Antalya–Isparta road at its 24th km, with seven small pools…
Kızkalesi (Korykos) — A medieval sea castle built on an islet about 200 metres off the coast in the Kızkalesi neighbourhood of Erdemli; together with…
Heaven and Hell Sinkholes (Cennet ve Cehennem Obrukları) — Giant sinkholes formed by the dissolving of limestone, 25 km from Silifke and 2 km north-west of Narlıkuyu; steps lead down to…
Mamure Castle — A castle on the seashore at Anamur, founded in the Roman period and enlarged under the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia and the…
Anemurium Ancient City — At Cape Anamur, with its theatre, odeon, baths and extensive necropolis from the Roman and Byzantine periods, it is one of the…
Uzuncaburç (Olba–Diocaesarea) — The sacred centre of the Teucrid priest-kings, 30 km north of Silifke; it is known for the Temple of Zeus Olbios, one of the…
Cleopatra's Gate and Tarsus — A Roman-period city gate in Tarsus that, according to legend, Cleopatra is believed to have entered to meet Mark Antony; nearby…
Taşköprü (Stone Bridge) — A Roman bridge linking the two banks of the Seyhan River, probably built in the first half of the 2nd century AD and attributed…
Great Clock Tower — Begun in the time of Governor Ziya Paşa and completed in 1882 under Abidin Paşa, this 32-metre brick tower is the tallest clock…
Adana Grand Mosque — Begun by Ramazanoğlu Halil Bey in 1509 and completed by his son Piri Mehmet Paşa in 1541, the mosque is the masterpiece of the…
Yağ Mosque — This multi-columned building was formed when the Armenian Church of Surp Hagop was converted into a mosque in 1501 under…
Ramazanoğlu Mansion — According to the inscription over its door, the harem section of this mansion, south-east of the Grand Mosque, was completed by…
Sabancı Central Mosque — Opened for worship in 1998 on the west bank of the Seyhan River, south of Central Park, the mosque can hold 28,500 people…
Local food
🍢 Adana Kebabı 🥤 Şalgam Suyu (fermented turnip and carrot drink) 🍧 Bici Bici (iced starch dessert) 🍢 Ciğer Şiş (liver skewers) 🍖 Şırdan (stuffed lamb tripe) 🍲 Analı Kızlı Çorbası (mother-and-daughter soup)
Hatay Archaeology Museum — One of the largest mosaic collections in the world, with Roman and Byzantine mosaics excavated from ancient Antioch and its…
Church of St Peter — A cave church carved into the rock on the western slope of Mount Stauris, 13 metres deep; according to Christian tradition it is…
Habib-i Neccar Mosque — One of the oldest mosques in Antakya; it is believed to have been built on the site of an old temple and church after the Arab…
Titus Tunnel — A water tunnel and channel cut into the rock in the Çevlik neighbourhood of Samandağ in the time of the Roman emperors Vespasian…
Harbiye (Daphne) Waterfalls — Small waterfalls and springs flowing among laurel trees at Harbiye, south of Antakya; in antiquity this was Daphne, the sacred…
Bakras Castle — A medieval castle on a steep hill at Belen, controlling the pass that links Antakya with Cilicia; in the Crusader period it was…
