There's so much more to Turkey than beaches – and these destinations prove it
Have you ever found yourself sunbathing on one of Turkey's stunning Mediterranean beaches, or exploring the atmospheric remains of an ancient Roman city on its picturesque Aegean, and idly wondering – what lies behind this beautiful coastline?
Plenty, I assure you – and if you're curious, there's never been a better time to find this out. Turkish airline Pegasus has just announced that in late June it plans to launch direct flights to the central Anatolian city of Kayseri, gateway to Cappadocia, and to the country's gastronomy capital, Gaziantep, in the fascinating south east.
There are many more overlooked places well worth exploring too, plenty of them (at least, all the others in this list) easily reached from the UK via Istanbul with Pegasus, Turkish Airlines and Sunexpress.
Tens of millions flock to Turkey's coastal resorts every year, yet only a fraction of them find out what this vast (more than three times bigger than the UK), hospitable and history-and culture-steeped country has to offer. So go on – be one of the few, and explore its wilder side.
Konya
Set on the fringes of the sprawling Konya Plain in south-west central Turkey, a famous early visitor to the city was St Paul. Today visitors and pilgrims flock here to see the Mevlana Complex, where the poet and mystic Rumi started the Mevlevi (Whirling Dervish) order some 800 years ago.
The turquoise-tiled dome of Rumi's tomb is a city landmark, a whirling dervish performance an ethereal experience.
Equally compelling is the nearby 'World's First City' of Çatalhöyük. At 9,000 years old, it's a Unesco World Heritage site with an excellent new museum.
Maruf Türbeönü has great views of the Mevlana Complex. Try local dishes like okra soup and etliekmek (mince-topped crispy flatbread).
The smart Dedeman has a nice outdoor pool, fine breakfast buffet and doubles from £155.
Kayseri
This fascinating central Turkish city stands astride the ancient Silk Road, on the skirts of the dramatic, snow-capped volcanic cone of Mount Erciyes, which stands 12,850 feet high.
As well as being the natural gateway to the fairytale landscape and rock-cut churches of Cappadocia, an hour away by road, it has several attractions of its own.
The well-restored citadel dates back to Byzantine times, there's a sprinkling of Medieval Seljuk Turkish mosques, and the Bedestan and Vezir Hani for bazaar-style shopping. Visit in winter for decent skiing on Mount Erciyes, a 20-minute drive away.
Elmacioğlu (0090 352 222 69 65) is renowned for its succulent İskender kebap (lamb with yoghurt and tomato sauce) and its yoghurt-doused, spiced-meat dumplings, manti.
The five-star Wyndham Grand has a spa and wellness centre. Doubles from £53.
Kars
Remote Kars, in northeastern Turkey, was spurned by most Turks until the 24-hour, snow-bound winter train journey from Ankara on the Eastern Express became the 'in thing' to do a decade or so ago. With its stern citadel rock, turbid river, and entire quarter of grand, stone-built, 19th-century Russian houses, it's unique in Turkey.
The ruined Armenian church-studded 'ghost' city of Ani, a 45-minute drive away, is one of the most atmospheric sights in Turkey – and another Unesco World Heritage site.
Kaz Evi specialises in Kars' local delicacy, goose. Once the preserve of the home, it is now – thanks to female entrepreneur Nuran Ozyilmaz – a restaurant staple.
Cheltikov still has the grandeur of the 130-year-old Russian mansion house it was converted from. Doubles from £87.
Gaziantep
Fanning out beneath a rocky outcrop surmounted by an imposing medieval citadel, the narrow streets of this southeastern Turkish city's bazaar quarter offer some of the country's most colourful shopping opportunities.
Watch copper vessels being beaten and tinned and knives forged and honed in tiny workshops, or test the different grades of locally grown pistachios from huge sacks fronting hole-in-the-wall shops. The old, honey-hued stone houses of this quarter are beautiful, the huge collection of Roman-era mosaics in the city's chief attraction, the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, simply stunning.
Imam Cağdaş is an institution. Try lahmacun, a large flatbread topped with spicy ground lamb, followed by a slice of pistachio-stuffed baklava.
Anadolu Evleri offers stylish doubles in an historic mansion from £77.
Mardin
Tumbling down a steep limestone bluff overlooking the vast flatlands of the Mesopotamian plain below, old Mardin is one of Turkey's most arresting sights.
A couple of decades ago, it was a run-down backwater. Today's Mardin is full of elegant boutique hotels and fancy restaurants catering to droves of domestic tourists among the pale-stone houses, packed around narrow alleys punctured by the ribbed domes medieval mosques and graceful Syrian Orthodox church belfries. Kurdish, Syriac and Arabic as well as Turkish are spoken here, making it one of Turkey's most cosmopolitan cities.
Al Hayyal dishes up an array of regional dishes, best enjoyed on the airy terrace for sweeping sunset views over Mesopotamia.
Fashioned from a fine old mansion house, Reyhani Kasri is superbly located in the centre of the old town. Doubles from £85.
Şanliurfa
A longstanding pilgrimage centre for Muslims (who believe it to be the birthplace of Abraham), Turkey's most bustlingly Middle Eastern city today attracts visitors of all stripes to see the remarkable nearby Neolithic sites of Göbekli and Karahan Tepes.
The T-shaped megaliths at Göbekli, some 5 metres high and carved with an array of wild animals, are 7,000 years older than Stonehenge. The Pools of Abraham, at the foot of a towering citadel rock, are ringed by green parkland dotted with shady tea gardens, the adjacent bazaar an amazing warren selling everything from the almost black local isot chilli flakes to artisan olive oil soaps.
Gülhan, a traditional tradesman's place, offers delicious stews, tender döner kebabs and crispy lahamacun.
Double Tree by Hilton is a haven of comfort and tranquillity, and has doubles from £99.
Van
The waters of high-altitude Lake Van are scintillatingly blue, its picturesque shores ringed by towering peaks. The city of Van, east of the lake and just 60 miles from the Iranian border, makes the ideal base to explore this captivating highland region.
A boat ride out to the beautiful, tenth century Armenian Church of the Holy Cross on the islet of Akdamar is a must, as are the evocative ruins of the Rock of Van, riddled with the tombs of the enigmatic, Iron Age Urartians.
Predominantly Kurdish Van is famed for its breakfast spreads, assembled using the region's superb dairy products, and its endangered fluffy white swimming cats.
Sütçü Kenan is the best place on Van's 'breakfast alley'.
The glitzy Elite World is the most comfortable hotel in central Van. Doubles from £53.
Essentials
Pegasus will fly direct from London Stansted to Kayseri from June 21 (from £84 one way), and to Gaziantep from June 25 (from £84 one way).
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