Places
Viewpoints
Towers, castle rocks and terraces: where to stand for the great views, and at what time of day.
Photo: Eusebius / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
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Place · Istanbul
Şile Lighthouse
A striped stone lighthouse of 1859 on the cliffs of Şile, on Istanbul's Black Sea coast, with a Byzantine castle on an…
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Place · Bodrum
Bodrum Windmills
Eight old stone windmills in a row on the Değirmenburnu ridge between Bodrum and Gümbet bays, facing Bodrum Castle across the town.
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Place · Black Sea
Giresun Castle
Giresun Castle stands on a volcanic rock above the city, with cisterns, wells, watchtowers and rock-cut spaces. The ministry's portal calls it…
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Place · Cappadocia
Red and Rose Valley, Cappadocia
Red and Rose Valley in Cappadocia: the Kızılçukur and Güllüdere valleys between Göreme and Çavuşin, with a 4 km trail, rock churches…
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Place · Aegean
Ayasuluk Castle, Selçuk
Ayasuluk Castle in Selçuk: Byzantine, Aydınoğulları and Ottoman walls with 15 towers on the hill above the Basilica of St. John, with…
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Place · Aegean
Güvercinada Castle, Kuşadası
Güvercinada Castle in Kuşadası: a small fortress on Pigeon Island at the mouth of the bay, with walls by İlyas Ağa, an…
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Place · Black Sea
Boztepe, Trabzon
Boztepe in Trabzon: the hill above the city with a view over the Black Sea, a 1,100 m terrace walk opened in…
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Place · Black Sea
Boztepe, Ordu
Boztepe in Ordu: the hill above the city, reached by a 2,372 m cable car from Atatürk Park in about 8 minutes,…
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Place · Ankara
Ankara Castle
Ankara Castle in Altındağ: Byzantine inner walls of the 7th century with 42 pentagonal towers, Ottoman houses and the Alaaddin Mosque of…
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Place · Aegean
Kordon, İzmir
The Kordon in İzmir: the seafront promenade of Alsancak, with lawns, cafés and fish restaurants, the Atatürk Museum house of 1875–80, and…
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Place · Black Sea
Şebinkarahisar Castle
Şebinkarahisar Castle in Giresun: a fortress on Hacı Kayası hill, 109 km from Giresun, with rock-cut cisterns, Mengücek, Seljuk and Ottoman walls,…
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Place · Black Sea
Bedrama Castle, Tirebolu
Bedrama Castle near Tirebolu, Giresun: a castle of unknown date, widely thought to be medieval, on a pointed rock above the sea,…
About this section
Viewpoints
Some viewpoints in Turkey explain a whole landscape in one turn of the head. Stand in the right place at the right hour, and the city or the valley suddenly makes sense.
In Istanbul, the gallery of Galata Tower shows the Golden Horn, the old city and Asia across the Bosphorus. The Genoese built the tower in 1348, and it reopened in 2024 after its latest restoration. We plan your visit at the best hour.
In Cappadocia, Uçhisar Castle rises above its town like a hollowed-out tower of rock. From the summit, the valleys of Göreme, the Rose Valley and, on clear days, Mount Erciyes spread out below. It is a classic sunset spot, while at dawn the balloons rise over the same valleys.
Other viewpoints: the terrace behind the Süleymaniye above the Golden Horn, or the rooftops of Mardin over the plain. On a balloon morning, wind decides the view, and we follow the official weather forecast.
