Destination Turkey

Ancient cities, centuries-old culture, and some of the Mediterranean's best coastline: welcome to Turkey. Straddling Europe and Asia -- the Bosphorus cleaves between the two -- it's a country of breathtaking natural beauty, with a history to match. Istanbul, of course, is a bucket list city -- a place where layers of history are stacked up along the sides of the Bosphorus. But there's far more to that in Turkey, from capital Ankara, with its blend of ancient and modern, to Antalya, which combines Ottoman mansions and modern skyscrapers with a spectacular coastline. Cappadocia's lunar-like landscape of jagged boulders and houses carved from the cliffs sits in the center of the country, while the Mediterranean coast sees laid back villages plonked amid green-furred cliffs and mountains. Don't forget the classical sites -- Ephesus is one of the best preserved ancient cities around the Med.

Ancient cities, centuries-old culture, and some of the Mediterranean's best coastline: welcome to Turkey. Straddling Europe and Asia -- the Bosphorus cleaves between the two -- it's a country of breathtaking natural beauty, with a history to match. Istanbul, of course, is a bucket list city -- a place where layers of history are stacked up along the sides of the Bosphorus. But there's far more to that in Turkey, from capital Ankara, with its blend of ancient and modern, to Antalya, which combines Ottoman mansions and modern skyscrapers with a spectacular coastline. Cappadocia's lunar-like landscape of jagged boulders and houses carved from the cliffs sits in the center of the country, while the Mediterranean coast sees laid back villages plonked amid green-furred cliffs and mountains. Don't forget the classical sites -- Ephesus is one of the best preserved ancient cities around the Med.

Maureen O'Hare/CNN

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