Istanbul

Straddling the Bosphorus, its skyline studded with domes and minarets, Istanbul is one of the truly great romantic cities. Its history tracks back from Byzantium to Constantinople to its place at the head of the Ottoman Empire. Today it hums as Turkey's cultural heart and good-time capital.

In this sprawling, continent-spanning city you can tramp the streets where crusaders and janissaries once marched; admire mosques that are the most sublime architectural expressions of Islamic piety; peer into the sultan's harem; and hunt for bargains in the Kapali Çarşi (Grand Bazaar).

Ankara

Ankara was a small town with a Roman citadel on a high hill and a brisk trade in Angora wool, the long, fine hair of the Angora goat. The town had a thriving trade in fine, soft Angora goat hair and the garments made from it. Today this city at an altitude of 848 meters (2782 feet) is a sprawling metropolis of five million people, many of them employed in government ministries and embassies, in universities and schools, in hospitals and medical centres, and some in light industry on the outskirts.

Cappadocia

Cappadocia is Turkey's most visually striking region, especially the "moonscape" area around the towns of Ürgup, Goreme, Uchisar, Avanos and Mustafapasa (Sinasos), where erosion has formed caves, clefts, "fairy chimneys" and sensuous folds in the soft volcanic rock.

Prime activities here are visiting the historic painted cave churches of the many monastic valleys (especially the Goreme Valley), flying in a hot-air balloon at dawn above the incredible landscape, hiking the volcanic valleys and spending the night in a comfortable cave room with all the modern comforts.

Antalya

Antalya (population 2 million), "capital" of the Turkish Mediterranean Coast, is a sprawling modern city with a small, charming historic center, a good archeology museum, long sunny beaches to east and west, the Turquoise Coast's busiest airport, good hotels, lots to see and do, and dramatic sea and mountain views.

Bodrum

Once known as Halicarnassus, the popular Aegean resort and yachting port of Bodrum boasts the ruins of the original Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, as well as the lofty Castle of St Peter, a Crusader fortress which now serves as the world's foremost Museum of Underwater Archeology. Two small picture-perfect bays frame the castle, making Bodrum particularly attractive to yachters.

Fethiye

Fethiye (Telmessos) rests on a broad Mediterranean bay boasting some of Turkey's best beaches and yachting. Visitors like the day-long 12-Island yacht cruise of the bay, especially the stop at Gemile Island, covered in unrestored Byzantine ruins. Boats depart every day in the warm months from Fethiye's busy yacht harbor.

Some 2400 years ago, Fethiye was the prominent town of Telmessos, but earthquakes have left only a few Lycian stone sarcophagi from the old town, along with the dramatic Tomb of Amyntas carved into the sheer rock cliff high above the town.

Paragliders leap from nearby mountaintops, soaring and floating above the beach and the sea, finally landing right on the beach. Tandem paragliding, where two people fly together in the same harness, is very popular.

Kusadasi

Kusadasi is a major Aegean resort town and cruise ship port. Being so close to the renowned ruins of Ephesus (map), it gets more than its share of Turkish and foreign visitors.

Once a sleepy farming village, Kusadasi was transformed by the Turkish tourism boom of the 1980s. It's now a busy resort with a beach along the waterfront boulevard in town and several other beaches north and south of the town. They tend to be crowded in the summer.

Marmaris

Marmaris is Turkey's premier yachting port for Blue Voyage yacht cruises. Sleek boats now crowd its modern full-service marina, and jostle for space along the waterfront promenades. Its small fortress/castle is now a museum.

Ferries cruise to and from the Greek island of Rhodes (map) several times daily during the summer (less frequently off-season), bringing yet another flow of visitors. The small market district in the center of town is usually crowded with foreigners.