Turkey - Istanbul, Cappadocia & Antalya

About the destination: Istanbul owes its historical significance and its incredible cultural and architectural heritage to its perfect strategic location, straddling the Bosphorus straits which separate Europe and Asia Minor. Throughout most of its 2,500-year-long history, the city (first known as Byzantium, then as Constantinople and since 1930 as Istanbul) was a cultural melting pot. Today, its population of over 13 million is almost exclusively Turkish, and many of its people are recent migrants from provincial Turkey, drawn by the promise of jobs and careers in this vibrant, rapidly growing city. Istanbul is no longer the nation's capital, but is Turkey's economic and cultural powerhouse - a status emphasised by its role as a European City of Culture in 2010 and the award of UNESCO World Heritage listing to many of its most important landmarks, which range from stunning Ottoman mosques and Byzantine churches and catacombs to the columns of Hellenistic temples and the remains of massive medieval city walls. But there's more to Istanbul than Byzantine and Ottoman heritage. A rapidly growing economy has contributed to a thriving arts and music scene, with a wealth of new bars, clubs, private art galleries, restaurants and designer fashion outlets.

About the destination: Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in the Nevşehir, Kayseri, Kırşehir, Aksaray, and Niğde Provinces in Turkey. According to Herodotus,[1] in the time of the Ionian Revolt (499 BCE) the Cappadocians were reported as occupying a region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine (Black Sea). Cappadocia, in this sense, was bounded in the south by the chain of the Taurus Mountains that separate it from Cilicia, to the east by the upper Euphrates, to the north by Pontus, and to the west by Lycaonia and eastern Galatia.[2] The name, traditionally used in Christian sources throughout history,[citation needed] continues in use as an international tourism concept to define a region of exceptional natural wonders, in particular characterized by fairy chimneys and a unique historical and cultural heritage. Cappadocia is staraíochta réigiún i Anatolia Lárnach, go príomha i na cúigí Nevşehir, Kayseri, Kırşehir, Aksaray, agus Niğde in An Tuirce. De réir Herodotus,[1] i rith an Ionian Revolt (499 BCE) tuairiscíodh na Cappadocians mar a bhí ag glacadh réigiún ó Mount Taurus go dtí comharsanacht an Euxine (Black Sea). Cappadocia, sa chiall seo, bhí teoranta sa deisceart ag slabhra na Taurus Mountains a scarann sé ó Cilicia, go dtí an oirthear ag an Euphrates uachtarach, go dtí an tuaisceart ag Pontus, agus go dtí an iarthar ag Lycaonia agus Galatia thoir.[2] An t-ainm, a úsáidtear go traidisiúnta i bhfoinsí Críostaí ar fud na staire,[citation needed] leanann in úsáid mar choincheap turasóireachta idirnáisiúnta chun réigiún de iontais nádúrtha eisceachtúla a shainmhíniú, go háirithe a bhfuil saintréithe ag fairy chimneys agus oidhreacht staraíochta agus cultúrtha uathúil.

About the destination: Antalya is the largest city on the Turkish Mediterranean coast, and is one of the hubs of the so-called Turkish Riviera. Boasting the most beautiful and cleanest shores of the Mediterranean, along with the long coastal line of Antalya, one encounters antique sites, old ports, monumental graves, dramatic shores, endless beaches, green forests, rivers and waterfalls. Kaleici, enclosed in ancient city walls, is Antalya’s Old Quarter. It is one of the liveliest parts in the city with shops, bars, restaurants and entertainment facilities. The streets of Kaleici extend to the old harbour, which is used as an international yacht marina today. In the picturesque Old Quarter, you’ll find examples of Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman eras and numerous archaeological cities and historic buildings to explore. Antalya is an attractive city with shady palm-lined boulevards, considered by many as a paradise on earth and the pearl of the Mediterranean. Not bad, huh?