For Baltic travelers booking this summer, Türkiye makes the whole thing almost suspiciously easy. You get long coastlines, warm seas, enormous resort hotels, all-inclusive packages, and enough sunshine to make you forget what Baltic weather did to you last winter. It is no surprise that Türkiye is now one of the most popular summer holiday destinations in Europe. This is not a destination where you will spend seven days looking for the all-you-can-eat buffet in an all-inclusive resort. Türkiye has range. From Aegean villages and ancient Mediterranean cities to mountain landscapes and bizarre rock formations in central Anatolia, this transcontinental country has everything for every type of traveler, be they seeking leisure, bleisure, or adventure.
It is easier to get there from Northern Europe, mainly due to better package holidays, more direct flights, hotels, and organized tours. For example, Join UP! Baltic is one of the region’s leading travel companies. It entered the Baltic market in 2022, offering holidays to Türkiye, Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, Montenegro, and many other countries.
“Türgi” has retained its popularity within the Baltic package holiday market. In its 2024 sales review, Join UP! Baltic included Türkiye and Egypt as its best-selling destinations.
So, where does that leave you if you want to get away from the resort’s usual holiday routine and the daily struggle for a sunbed?
Antalya for the classic Mediterranean holiday
Antalya is a reasonably “convenient” destination. In addition to Antalya Airport (IATA: AYT, ICAO: LTAI), the city boasts many hotels, beaches, restaurants, and shops. So you will never be short of something to do, even when you have seen enough of the swimming pool.
Along the coast, you will find every type of hotel, ranging from large, all-inclusive hotels with a children’s club and all-you-can-eat buffets to small and intimate establishments.
Make time for Kaleiçi, Antalya’s old town, even if you’re staying in one of the large hotels by the sea. This will give you a nice contrast with what you will have at the big beach hotels: small winding alleys, Ottoman-era houses, small restaurants, and an old harbor. You can stroll, stop for a coffee, and pretend that you are not checking the temperature every five minutes.
Antalya is a solid pick if you want easy transport, good beaches, history, and nightlife all in one place.
Kaş for a slower kind of holiday
Moving westwards, Kaş is a very different side of Türkiye on the Mediterranean coast.
Here, you can expect to see a small but still very picturesque town with magnificent views across the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, where boutique hotels, apartments, restaurants, and terraces replace large resort areas, offering you an opportunity to sit there with a drink and watch the sunset in an absolutely unforgettable way.
Kaş may be a great destination for vacationers who enjoy fresh air. Here, you can have fun with diving, kayaking, or even hiking. There are numerous walks and viewpoints in the area, so you will not need to choose between having some active vacation and eating lunch in the right place. You can enjoy both, and lunch is always a very good reason to stop.
The place is close to many historic sites, including the ancient city of Xanthos and other Lycian ruins. You can spend the morning visiting those tombs and theaters, while in the evening, you can have fun swimming in the clear Mediterranean waters.
For couples and solo travelers tired of standard all-inclusive resorts, Kaş may be a more balanced option. Not only will you have access to beaches and beautiful Mediterranean views here, but you will also have access to local history, cuisine, and towns that look like actual places and not big hotels with flags in front of them.
Bodrum for the Aegean lifestyle
Bodrum is a place with its own character. This seaside town is situated on the Aegean coast and offers guests opportunities to enjoy sailing, fine dining, vibrant nightlife, shopping, and luxurious accommodations.
The whole Bodrum Peninsula has a more cosmopolitan atmosphere than most of the Mediterranean holiday resorts. Besides foreign guests, it receives visitors from all over Türkiye and even attracts Turkish citizens to spend their vacations in Bodrum during summertime.
The castle of Bodrum is a major attraction point of the city, but there is no doubt that the whole peninsula can provide visitors with other landmarks. For instance, one can discover charming villages, spend time at calm beaches, see marinas, or take boat tours along the coast. Moreover, one can arrange the vacation as one wants, while Bodrum nightlife is likely to have another opinion concerning one’s sleep regime. And here, Bodrum Bar Street and Bodrum Tekilacılar Street are the top points of call, where locals and tourists mingle every night.
Visit Bodrum if you wish to enjoy a beach holiday with nice restaurants, shopping, bars, and nightlife. It is a place where one should be if one wishes to have something other than an all-inclusive isolated resort after having dinner.
In addition, the town can be used as a base for trips around the Aegean Sea by boat. One can visit beaches and villages along the coast during the first two days and understand why it is necessary to use sunscreen during the midday boat tour on the third day.
Çeşme and Alaçatı for food and character
If you are a fan of Turkish cuisine, pay attention to the Çeşme Peninsula.
It is famous for its beaches, thermal springs, and a nice seaside environment. Not far from Çeşme, there is Alaçatı, which will offer you stone-built houses, alleys, colorful doors, cafes, restaurants, and places of interest where your camera would have fun even if it were not supposed to.
Unlike Antalya resorts, Çeşme and Alaçatı offer you an authentic Aegean environment. Moreover, it is a popular destination for windsurfing due to the area’s stable winds.
Alaçatı would be a perfect destination for those who like combining their trip with eating. Restaurants use local products and cook Turkish food as well as new dishes of Aegean cuisine. Seafood, meze, grilled dishes, pastries, and desserts—you won’t need to worry that dinner is not a priority here.
Your holiday can be dedicated to both the sea and the cuisine. In the morning, you can enjoy the beach, and in the afternoon, explore Alaçatı. In the evening, find a restaurant. Maybe you were going to have a light dinner, but Turkish cuisine never respects these plans.
Istanbul for a completely different Türkiye
A holiday in Istanbul offers something the coast simply cannot: history, culture, and a city that feels alive in a totally different way. Here you can tour historic buildings, stroll up uphill streets, shop in bustling bazaars, and much more.
You simply must add the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Topkapı Palace, and the Grand Bazaar to your list. These historic sites are popular, and for a reason, although at times the many people visiting them make you regret making such a decision.
You will learn more about the city by moving away from the major tourist attractions. A ferry ride across the Bosphorus, a tour around Kadıköy, spending an evening in Beyoğlu, or dining at a local restaurant are some examples of activities that will allow you to discover more about modern Istanbul, from touring historic buildings to snapping photos on your phone.
You can also tour local markets, galleries, relax by the waterside, and just wander without any plans. There is a lot to do in Istanbul if you are curious, although the city could also leave you with tired feet and a craving for baklava.
Cappadocia for something completely different
This unique region of the world proves that Turkey is more than just beaches. Cappadocia is famous for its hot air balloon rides; however, the balloons are just one part of the picture.
You can explore valleys with odd-looking rock formations, visit churches dug out from rocks, and even stay in villages carved out of the ground. The scenery is truly surreal, although the fact of getting up at dawn for the sake of a balloon trip is anything but.
Cappadocia also features underground cities, cave hotels, historical attractions, and great views. You can spend your morning walking around the area, your afternoon visiting local villages, and spend the evening enjoying Turkish cuisine against a backdrop of changing landscapes.
This area provides an entirely new view of the country. While one holiday brings you to the beautiful Mediterranean coast, another one can bring you to an area with valleys, caves, and rock formations that will make you feel like someone played with geology.
The Lycian Coast for history and hiking
Those people who want to explore the ancient ruins and spend some time outdoors might consider the Lycian Coast.
The ruins of the ancient Lycian civilization are dispersed all over southwest Türkiye. Along with other interesting historical objects, one can see rock tombs, ancient cities, amphitheaters, and various other archaeological sites located among the mountains and the sea. The very view of this landscape is wonderful, which does not mean that any improvements are necessary because there are mountains, clear waters, pine forests, and a whole millennium of history here.
There is an opportunity to travel along the Lycian Way – one of Türkiye’s long-distance hiking trails – to explore these places. Nevertheless, there is no necessity to go along the entire trail if you do not like blisters on your feet and people’s comments about hiking uphill.
Just several parts of the Lycian Way are enough to make your vacation absolutely unforgettable, because you will be able to go on foot along the shore, visit the ruins of ancient cities, have a swim, and return to your small guesthouse or hotel in the evening.
In other words, the Lycian Coast is recommended for such vacations where people can enjoy their activities and the sea at the same time. Instead of lying in the sun every day, holidaymakers will be involved in hiking, visiting the historical sites, going into the mountains, and exploring the coastal villages.
Depending on your preferences, holidaymakers can choose between Antalya for convenient transportation, Kaş for a relaxing atmosphere, Bodrum for the nightlife, Alaçatı for its cuisine, and Istanbul and Cappadocia for unique landscapes. There is something for everyone in Türkiye, except for the beach.
