From the ancient port city of Ephesus, to the soaring Byzantine dome of Hagia Sophia, Turkey has more than its fair share of world-famous ruins and monuments. A succession of historical figures and empires – including the Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans – have all left their mark on this former stopover along the Silk Road. Experiencing their legacy takes your clients from the closeted quarters of the sultan and his harem in Istanbul’s sprawling Topkapi Palace to the romantic and mysterious Lycian ruins on Mediterranean beaches.
Turkey’s diverse landscapes, from Aegean olive groves to eastern steppe, provide a lyrical setting for its many great ruins. The country’s most magical scenery is to be found in Asian Anatolia, where beautiful vistas are provided by the vertiginous Mediterranean coastline, Cappadocia’s otherworldly ‘fairy chimney’ rock formations and wavy valleys, the alpine pastures of the Kackar Mountains, and golden beaches like the 18km-long Patara Beach.
