The Sea of Marmara and the North Aegean: Places to Explore

Ayvalik is the biggest resort in the region. Like many Turkish seaside towns, it has been somewhat exploited by package tourism in recent years, but its superb geographical setting, stretching onto a peninsula... Read more

Babakale is a small, sleepy fishing village at the southern tip of the Çanakkale Peninsula. Legend has it that it was originally a pirate's lair, discovered by Sultan Ahmet III on one of his sea... Read more

The port is a marvel, pressed against the sheer cliff walls. It's crammed with small hotels that were built of volcanic rock, a fleet of fishing boats, and a small rocky beach at each end. Behramkale village... Read more

Bursa is a large city, stretching out along an east-west axis. The town square, at the intersection of Atatürk Caddesi and Inönü Caddesi, is officially called Cumhuriyet Alani (Republic... Read more

West of Bursa, on the southern shore of the Dardanelles, Çanakkale is the largest city of the north Aegean coast. The city itself doesn't have much to offer, other than a decent selection of hotels... Read more

Like Ayvalik, Cunda Island was once predominantly Greek, and some Greek is still spoken here. The island has a mix of the two cultures in its food, music, and nightlife, and lately has been deliberately... Read more

Eceabat, on the Aegean coast, is the closest town to the most-visited battlefields and cemeteries. From where the Eceabat ferry lands on the northern front (car ferries make the 25-minute crossing from... Read more

Tours are an excellent way to see the sites of Gallipoli.... The Gallipoli Peninsula lies to the north of the Dardanelles. Turks call it Gelibolu—though there's also a town of the same name 40 km (25... Read more

Iznik has a distinguished past but a faded present. Nobody knows when the city was actually founded, but it was put on the map in 316 BC when one of Alexander the Great's generals claimed the city. It... Read more

The area above the Gulf of Edremit is known as Kaz Daglari in Turkish, but to the Greeks it was Mount Ida, home of ancient gods and goddesses. It was here that Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, was given... Read more

The windswept ruins of Pergamum, which surround the modern town of Bergama, are among the most spectacular in Turkey. The attractions here are spread out over several square miles, so if you don't have... Read more

Bursa is the jumping-off point for excursions to Uludag (8,300 feet high), where you will find lush Uludag Ulusal Parki (Uludag National Park) and Turkey's most popular ski resort.... To fully appreciate why... Read more