Limestone travertines with green, blue water in Pamukkale, Turkey.
Pamukkale's flowing limestone travertines have such an otherworldly air.
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto.com / Adam Lazar

10 Surreal Destinations in Turkey That Will Leave You Constantly Breathless

Pamukkale

Pamukkale is all kinds of unbelievable, a fairy-tale staircase of pale pink and white terraces, punctuated by sky-blue pools of hot water, leading up to a spectacular Roman ruin. The flowing limestone travertines have such an otherworldly air that is perfectly matched to the magnificent Hierapolis ruins.

With the incredible views and natural hot springs, it’s not hard to see why the Romans set up camp here all those years ago.

Volcanic rock and open flames on a cliff side in Olympos, TurkeyAlmost completely unexcavated, Olympos feels like something out of an Indiana Jones movie as you’re scrambling over fallen blocks of stonePhoto Credit: iStockPhoto.com / MykolaIvashchenko

Olympos

Olympos is a complete escape from reality. At the bottom of a steep mountain road, isolated from any major towns, this little village is a haphazard affair of treehouses and bungalows that stop just short of Roman ruins.

Almost completely unexcavated, it feels like something out of an Indiana Jones movie as you’ll scrambling over fallen blocks of stone. Fighting through the tangled undergrowth, you’ll eventually emerge onto a vast and mostly deserted beach.

The wonder doesn’t stop there though. If you keep walking you’ll discover the Chimera; eternal flames leaping forth from a rock face, with no apparent fuel sustaining them. Magic? You will just have to see it for yourself to decide.

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Greco-Roman era structures at sunset in Ephesus, Turkey.An ancient city in a modern world, Ephesus is a window in time, allowing visitor a glimpse of the bygone Greco-Roman era.Photo Credit: iStockPhoto / muratart

Ephesus

An ancient city in a modern world, Ephesus is a window in time, allowing visitors a glimpse of the bygone Greco-Roman era. Europe’s most complete classical metropolis, Ephesus’s history reaches as far back as the 10th century BCE.

Among the ruins, the foundations of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, are still visible. The romance of this fascinating city can seduce even the most unromantic souls.

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