Want every site? See our complete guide to all 22 UNESCO sites in Turkey, with a video, directions and visiting tips for each.

Turkey has more than 20 places on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, from Neolithic settlements to Ottoman mosques. Many are easy to combine with a beach holiday or a city break. Here are the highlights and how to fit them into your trip.

Historic Areas of Istanbul

Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace and the city’s land walls, spanning more than 1,500 years of history. Istanbul guide

Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia

Fairy chimneys, rock-cut churches with Byzantine frescoes and underground cities. Cappadocia guide

Hierapolis-Pamukkale

White travertine terraces beneath the ruins of a Roman spa city. Pamukkale guide

Ephesus

One of the best-preserved ancient cities in the Mediterranean, with the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre. Kuşadası & Ephesus guide

Archaeological Site of Troy

The legendary city of Homer’s Iliad, with layers of settlement going back thousands of years. Çanakkale guide

Pergamon

A dramatic hilltop acropolis above Bergama, near İzmir, with one of the steepest theatres of the ancient world.

City of Safranbolu

An Ottoman market town of timber houses and cobbled lanes. Safranbolu guide

Bursa and Cumalıkızık

The first Ottoman capital and a perfectly preserved village nearby. Bursa guide

Çatalhöyük

One of the world’s oldest towns, a Neolithic settlement near Konya. Konya guide

Göbekli Tepe

Massive carved stone pillars near Şanlıurfa, built thousands of years before Stonehenge.

Nemrut Dağ

Giant stone heads of gods and kings on a mountaintop in eastern Turkey, best at sunrise.

Aphrodisias

A beautifully preserved Roman city famous for its sculpture workshops and stadium, inland from the Aegean coast.

Xanthos-Letoon

The capital of ancient Lycia and its religious sanctuary, near Kalkan and Fethiye.

Selimiye Mosque, Edirne

The masterpiece of the great Ottoman architect Sinan, close to the Greek and Bulgarian borders.

Tips for visiting

  • Major state-run sites charge foreign visitors fixed prices in euros. In Istanbul, compare single tickets with the Museum Pass.
  • Go early or late in summer: sites such as Ephesus and Hierapolis have little shade.
  • Wear proper shoes — ancient marble streets are slippery.