Beyond Cappadocia's famous valleys lies a quieter side of the region. This scenic walk from Mustafapaşa to İbrahimpaşa connects hidden rock-cut churches, lush canyon landscapes, and two villages rich in history and local character. If you've come to Cappadocia for hiking, chances are you've set aside a few days for the valleys around Göreme and Uçhisar, and walked among those moon-like valleys and fairy chimneys. Cappadocia's growing fame has made these spots quite popular, a

The best way to understand Cappadocia isn't only by exploring its valleys, but by gathering around a local kitchen table. In Mustafapaşa, generations of culinary traditions come together through recipes, stories, and shared meals. After spending the morning wandering the valleys of Göreme, we head to Mustafapaşa for our cooking class. This lovely village, once known as Sinasos, actually carries three culinary traditions in its history: Turkish cuisine, the cooking of the Orth

Between Ephesus and Bodrum lies one of the ancient world's most remarkable intellectual landscapes—a journey through the birthplaces of philosophy, medicine, and scientific thought. Many times, as a travel agent, I get requests on popular sites such as Cappadocia, Istanbul, or Ephesus, the beautiful Greco-Roman city in western Turkey. Usually, if the trip ends around Ephesus, some travelers decide to add a beach stop by Bodrum. I add this extension gladly. However, I always r

Some places you visit once and check off the list. Others pull you back, year after year, for reasons you can't fully explain until you're standing there again. Assos is the second kind, a small corner of Türkiye's Northern Aegean that never seems to run out of good reasons to return, and this time, one of those reasons has a name: V'asbos. There's a particular kind of June heat that settles over Türkiye's southern coast this time of year, and it's exactly the reason I find m

The story of Artemis did not end in antiquity. In Ephesus, mythology, archaeology, psychology, and living faith continue to overlap, revealing why one ancient goddess still feels surprisingly present today. I was in middle school when our history teacher asked us to write an impromptu essay on a historical figure that inspires us. For me the answer came easily. What better inspiration than Artemis, the beautiful goddess of hunting and abundance? The next class, our teacher re

Stretching along the rugged Datça Peninsula, the Carian Trail offers far more than spectacular coastal scenery. This walk to the ancient city of Knidos follows forgotten paths, revealing layers of history, breathtaking landscapes, and stories that have endured for centuries. If you've never heard of the Carian Trail, you're not alone — and that's part of its charm. The trail was the brainchild of Altay Özcan, Yunus Özdemir, and Dean Livesley, three friends who spent four wint