It’s almost 30 years since I booked the holiday that would change my life. Fresh out of uni and looking for adventure, I still remember that first transfer from Dalaman airport to Kalkan. A winding, single-track road, leading through forested mountains, past crumbling whitewashed cottages, the grandiose scenery like nothing I’d ever seen.
In the mid-Nineties, tourism was still relatively new — three decades later, villages have grown into resorts, hillsides are dotted with villas and hotels and those winding roads are now dual carriageways, whisking millions of visitors to their hotels. Yet Turkey’s soul remains unchanged: a great, warm hug of a country that still feels like home every time I step off the plane.
I love Turkey for its spectacular landscapes, warm seas, rich and varied cuisine (it’s fantastic for vegetarians) — but mostly for its people, who welcome visitors with good humour, warmth and a deep sense of pride in their country and its traditions.
• Turkey travel guide: all you need to know
• 14 best places to visit in Turkey
We all know it’s not without its issues, but for me, at least, a country is not its government or its politics — it’s the people you meet and the welcome you receive. Last summer, more than three million Brits visited — lots, like me, visitors who’ve been returning for many years, drawn back to a genuinely extraordinary place. Here are the Turkish trips you should be considering for 2024.
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Istanbul: history, hammams and the Hagia Sophia
Istanbul continues to up its cultural game in 2024, with the opening of the 500-year-old Zeyrek Cinili Hamam in March, combining a state-of-the-art museum with one of the most beautiful bathhouses in the city (museum £4; zeyrekcinilihamam.com). It follows on from the Hagia Sophia History Museum (£21; demmuseums.com) and Istanbul Modern (£13; istanbulmodern.org) — both of which opened last summer, with the latter designed by Renzo Piano and included in Architectural Digest’s “Works of Wonder 2024” list. Combine visits to all three with a stay at the newly opened Sanasaryan Han hotel, a slick, modernist reinvention of an elegant neoclassical building in the Sirkeci neighbourhood, in the heart of the old town.
Details Three nights’ B&B from £950pp, including flights, transfers and a half-day’s guided sightseeing (wixsquared.com)
Walking the Taurus mountains
Turkey’s gargantuan Taurus mountains offer spectacular hiking for experienced walkers, and this new small-group holiday from Ramble Worldwide brings together the highlights of the 300-mile St Paul’s trail, which stretches from Perge, close to the Antalyan coast, to the ancient city of Sagalassos in Anatolia. Each day explores a different section, from the jagged beauty of the 400m-deep Koprulu Canyon to the atmospheric ruined cities of Pisidia and Sivri Hill, where the great, glittering Lake Egirdir rolls out below. Accompanied by a local walking guide, you’ll stay in simple pensions that offer fantastic home-cooked food and classic Turkish warmth.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £1,630pp, including flights and transfers (rambleworldwide.co.uk)
New seafront boutique hotel near Kas
Often overlooked for its glitzier sibling, Kalkan, Kas is a charming seaside town where much of the tourist development is tucked away on the Kas peninsula, five minutes’ drive from the centre. New from Simpson Travel for 2024 is Casa Bi, a 16-room boutique hotel right on the waterfront, with each of six low-rise buildings designed to make the most of the glorious sea views and peach-coloured sunsets. Breakfast and lunch are taken on the terrace above the sea, while in the evening taxis buzz back and forth from the centre, making it easy to dip into Kas’s vibrant restaurant scene.
Details Seven nights’ B&B from £1,395pp, including flights and car hire (simpsontravel.com)
Cycle and sail the Lycian coast
Exploring Turkey’s small mountain roads and quiet byways means you can immerse yourself in the country’s spectacular scenery and peaceful villages — particularly if you’re doing it on two wheels. This new tour from UTracks takes in the backcountry behind popular resorts such as Bodrum and Fethiye, beginning on the unspoilt Datca peninsula and stopping by the tranquil waters of Lake Koycegiz as well as the abandoned Greek city of Kayakoy, high above the package resort of Olu Deniz. The terrain is fairly challenging, but nights are spent on a motor cruiser that glides between resorts, offering restful evenings after active days.
Details Seven nights’ half-board from £1,950pp (utracks.com). Fly to Bodrum or Dalaman
Izmir and the Urla wine trail
New flights to Izmir from Heathrow with British Airways and Bristol with Wizzair are opening up Turkey’s Aegean coast to independent travellers, with the chic resorts of Alacati and Ayvalik both handy for the airport. It’s also an ideal starting point for discovering the Urla region, fast becoming Turkey’s answer to Tuscany, with a wine route that links eight of the best vineyards, all open for tastings and within easy driving distance of one another. The Urla Sarapcilik winery is also home to the 2 Rooms Hotel; two serene, white-walled bedrooms, lovely landscaped gardens and a breakfast terrace overlooking the vines.
Details B&B doubles from £188 (2roomshotel.com)
Private cruise from Bodrum
A week on a gulet can be one of the best ways to discover Turkey’s history-laced coastline, and this new private-charter History Voyage from Salamander Voyages offers the chance to explore with a group of friends or family. Beginning in Bodrum, with visits to the Halicarnassus amphitheatre and Myndos, the route takes in the ancient site of Knidos on the Datca peninsula and Cleopatra’s Island, in the beautiful Bay of Gokova. Life on board the gulet is lazily luxurious, with a private chef and all meals and house drinks included along with paddleboards and canoes, while waterskiing and wakeboarding are available at an additional charge.
Details Seven nights’ full board for 12 from £19,950 (salamandervoyages.com). Fly to Bodrum
Kalkan’s cool new villas
Kalkan now has so many villas that many are several miles out of town, making location an increasingly important factor when booking (taxi queues and parking are both pretty challenging). Dalga One, new to Vintage Travel, is just 15 minutes’ walk from the old town, in the grounds of a small hotel complex with its own beach club where complimentary breakfast is served, while guests also get the use of a private cabana. Further around the headland (but still walkable) is Villa Babil — new to Simpson. It’s an altogether grander affair, with Kalkan’s longest villa pool, minimalist design and floor-to-ceiling windows letting in the cinematic sea views.
Details Seven nights’ B&B for six at Dalga One from £4,234 (vintagetravel.co.uk). Fly to Dalaman. Seven nights’ self-catering for six at Villa Babil from £4,720, including flights and transfers (simpsontravel.com)
Hike, dive and kayak from Kas
If lazing by a pool seems a waste of Turkey’s rugged landscapes, this new group activity trip from Exodus offers the chance to scramble through canyons, kayak over ancient sites and dive beneath the waves, take a scenic coastal walk and spend a relaxing day on a gulet. No previous experience is necessary, there’s a tour leader on hand throughout, and you’ll enjoy a free day to explore the charming resort town of Kas, where you’ll be based. Take the ferry to the nearby Greek island of Kastellorizo or (for an additional cost) soar above Kas on a paragliding flight.
Details Seven nights’ B&B from £949pp, plus some other meals (exodus.co.uk). Fly to Dalaman
Delice’s delicious new resort
The Delice peninsula — best known for the rather tatty beach resort of Altinkum — gets a spangly new place to stay in late spring when the Anda Barut Collection opens its doors in Didim, with three different hotel zones and a clutch of luxury villas spread across a headland, overlooking a pristine private beach. With ten restaurants, a world-class spa, kids’ clubs and a whole programme of activities and entertainment, it’s the consummate fly-and-flop resort — but it also makes a great base for exploring the spectacular ancient sites that dot the surrounding area, most notably the Temple of Apollo, one of the best-preserved temples of the ancient world.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £1,722pp, including flights and transfers (britishairways.com)
Exploring Ephesus and beyond for solos
New to Newmarket Holidays’ programme of trips for solo travellers, “Ephesus, Sirince and the Western Coast” takes in some of Turkey’s biggest historic hitters, from the ancient shrines and fortifications at Latmos to the Unesco site of Aphrodisias, along with the Temple of Dionysus at Teos and Ephesus itself. Between history fixes, there are excursions to the pretty hillside wine town of Sirince and the charming village of Sigacik, as well as a free day to explore independently. All rooms are en suite, with no single supplement, while hosted meals are available for guests to dip in or out of as they choose.
Details Seven nights’ half-board from £1,424pp, including flights and transfers (newmarketholidays.co.uk)
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