Alanya
Alanya is a Mediterranean resort city with a hilltop castle, the iconic Red Tower, and Cleopatra Beach, offering budget-friendly boat tours and a free-to-explore Seljuk fortress.
Country
Turkey
18 cities and towns
Turkey straddles Europe and Asia, offering incredible value with generous hospitality, cheap and delicious food, and a depth of history that spans multiple civilizations. The lira exchange rate makes it one of the best-value destinations accessible from Europe, with world-class attractions at a fraction of the cost. Street food like simit and lentil soup keeps daily eating cheap, and many historic neighborhoods and mosques are free to wander. Start in Istanbul and stretch the budget along the coast toward Izmir and Antalya. Spring and autumn are the sweet spot: mild weather, lighter crowds, and lower room rates than the summer beach season.
Where to go
Cities and towns in Turkey
Each one with what it costs to spend a day there.
Ankara
Ankara is Turkey's capital with the free-entry Anitkabir (Ataturk's mausoleum), a massive citadel, and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, all at prices cheaper than Istanbul.
Antalya
Antalya's old town (Kaleici) is a charming maze of Ottoman houses above a Roman harbor, with free beaches, a waterfall park, and budget-friendly pensions.
Bodrum
Bodrum is a whitewashed Aegean resort town with a Crusader castle, a lively marina, and a nightlife scene ranging from budget to boutique.
Bursa
Bursa is the former Ottoman capital, famous for the Iskender kebab, affordable thermal baths, and free-to-enter green mosque and tomb.
Fethiye
Fethiye is a Lycian coast town with free rock tombs carved into cliffs, a bustling fish market, and the departure point for the free-to-hike Lycian Way.
Gaziantep
Gaziantep is a UNESCO-designated creative city of gastronomy and the undisputed food capital of Turkey, where world-class baklava and full kebab meals cost a couple of euros alongside ancient mosaics and a working copper-roofed bazaar.
Goreme
Goreme is the central village of Cappadocia in Turkey, built into and out of the volcanic tuff that defines the region. It is the launch point for the hot air balloon flights that have become Cappadocia's defining image and the closest base to the rock-cut churches of Goreme Open Air Museum.
Istanbul
Istanbul is one of the world's greatest cities for budget travel, where a Bosphorus ferry ride costs pennies, the Blue Mosque is free, and endless neighborhoods span two continents for free exploration.
Izmir
Izmir is Turkey's third city on the Aegean coast, with a vibrant waterfront promenade, a massive bazaar, and a gateway to Ephesus at prices well below Istanbul.
Kas
Kas is a small harbor town on Turkey's Lycian coast, sitting on a peninsula opposite the Greek island of Meis (Kastellorizo). It has resisted the high-rise resort treatment that hit Antalya and Bodrum, keeping a low-built town center wrapped in Lycian and Hellenistic ruins.
Konya
Konya is the home of the Whirling Dervishes and the Mevlana Museum, a deeply spiritual city with conservative character and very affordable prices.
Kusadasi
Kusadasi is an Aegean resort and cruise port town serving as the gateway to the ancient city of Ephesus, with affordable accommodation and beaches.
Pamukkale
Pamukkale's white calcium terraces and the ancient city of Hierapolis above them are one of Turkey's most otherworldly sights, with budget accommodation in the village below.
Sanliurfa
Sanliurfa is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, where the Pool of Sacred Fish draws pilgrims and nearby Gobeklitepe rewrites the timeline of human civilization as the oldest known temple complex.
Selçuk
Selcuk is the base town for visiting ancient Ephesus, with a charming village atmosphere, a Byzantine aqueduct, and budget guesthouses run by welcoming families.
Side
Side is an ancient Greco-Roman port town on the Turkish Riviera with a waterfront Temple of Apollo, a well-preserved amphitheatre, and long sandy beaches.
Trabzon
Trabzon is a Black Sea port city and gateway to the clifftop Sumela Monastery, with a distinct Turkish character and cuisine, and some of Europe's lowest prices.
Coverage of Turkey is still thin. The full list is here.
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