Since the Early Bronze Age (2000 BC), Anatolia has been a melting pot of various tribes and kingdoms, including Persians, Seljuks, Phrygians, Assyrians, Greeks and Romans. There are countless places where you can find their impressive legacy and testimonies.
Collapsed lion's head in the Phrygian Valley (about 250 km south of Istanbul) from the Yılantaş rock tomb probably for Phrygian nobles, dated 800 to 700 BC
On June 21, 2025, we crossed the border from Bulgaria into beautiful Türkiye and explored the bustling mid-sized city of Edirne (population 170,000), Türkiye's westernmost city.
Selimiye Camii Mosque in Edirne with the monument of Mimar Koca Sinan, who designed this mosque 500 years ago
We wanted to avoid the megapolis of Istanbul and therefore drove south from Edirne. After enjoying the Sea of Marmara in the beach resort of Sarköy, we arrived in the Asian part of Turkey for Alfred's birthday – his first and perhaps last one spent on two continents.
Marion and Alfred on the ferry from Gelibolu to Lapseki - from Europe to Asia
The small village of Sevketiye was a wonderful place to swim. The next day, we found another lovely, free place to stay right on the beach in bustling Ocaklar, where we met many Turkish tourists but no foreigners. Ocaklar is located on the beautiful Kapidag Peninsula, whose western part we circled by bike.
Ocaklar seen from the ascent to the saddle between Ocaklar and Turan
Wild turtle on the way
Beach Küçükova Koyu on the northwest corner of the Kapidag peninsula with the Marmara Island on the horizon
After several days on the Maramara Sea, we were eager to head to the Uludag Mountains near Bursa, Turkey's fourth-largest city with 3.2 million inhabitants. From Bursa, an excellent road leads to the Uludag ski resort at an elevation of 1,760 meters. Even by alpine standards, it's a magnificent ski area with numerous lifts, hotels, and downhill slopes of varying difficulty levels, offering people of the megacities of Bursa, Istanbul, and the surrounding area excellent skiing opportunities.
On the day of arrival, we cycled to the 1,746-meter-high Bakacak, which offers spectacular views of Bursa. This peak is accessible by car, so we met a lot of people there. The next day, we hiked a 20-kilometer circular route to Zirve Tepe, the second-highest peak in the Uludağ Mountains at 2,486 meters, and to four other subsidiary peaks west of Zirve Tepe.
Mine in eastern Bursa seen from Bakacak
On our way to Zirve Tepe we encountered a huge herd of goats with many dogs and a shepherd - the only person we saw on this hike
As we reached the high plateau of Uludag at 2400 meters above sea level, there was a violent storm. The summit of Zirve Tepe with its house is left of Alfred
Purple flowers of Uludag
Our next topic was culture. So we drove about 200 kilometers southeast to the Phrygian Valley in the Isanhiye district of Afyonkarahisar Province. Admission to the monuments was free, and we found marvelous free campsites right next to the ancient buildings.
Doğanlı Fortress from the Phrygian Period (12th century to 7th century BC) which was also used in the Byzantine Period (330 to 1463 AD)
Gerdekkaya Anıtı Monument, a burial site from the Hellenistic period (3rd to 1st century BC)
In Yazilikaya, the former Midas city, which was the religious center of the Phrygian Kingdom and was founded 5000 years ago
Ancient stairs in Midas City
"Modern" house in Yazilikaya
The stunning town of Ayazini is famous for its rock churches, which are also free to visit. Here we met other tourists, including two young men from Germany. We had a great time together and drank our last bottle of Bulgarian red wine on our free campsite just in front of the Avdalaz Kalesi Castle.
Virgin Mary Church in Ayazini which is dated between the 10th and 12th centuries AD
Two Lion's Heads
Depiction of King Midas with donkey ears – warning against greed, dangers of arrogance and lack of humility
Goddess Tomb in Ayazini, dated 2nd to 5th century AD
Two happy Ladies in Ayazini
Our next destination was the small town of Sultanhani (approx. 300km east of Ayazini), as it has an excellent campsite with a washing machine, which we desperately needed. An absolute must-see is the impressive caravanserai, built by the Seljuks in 1229 AD and one of the most important stops on the caravan routes during the Middle Ages.
Gate of the Sultanhani Caravanserai
Sixty kilometers east of Sultanhani lies another treasure of Central Anatolia: Selime Castle, the largest and most elaborate cave complex in Cappadocia, built some 1,100 years ago. Here, we met many foreign tourists, and there's an entrance fee for the castle, which also applies to the Ihlara Valley. However, we found a very nice free overnight spot on the border between the villages of Selime and Yaprakhisar, where the owners of a nearby hut provided us with an excellent dinner for very little money. From there we hiked to a small peak overlooking the nearby fairy chimneys.
Our camper with the Fairy Chimneys
South side of Selime Castle
In the Selime Castle
In the huge cathedral of the Selime Castle
The Ihlara Valley is famous for its rock-hewn churches dating from the 10th to 12th centuries AD – there are more than 50 Rock Christian Churches. We'd never visited so many churches in one day before. We explored the first part of the valley on our bikes, which was a bit challenging. We parked them at the ticket office and hiked a few kilometers through the incredibly green and lush valley.
In the green northern part of the Ihlara Valley
The route was partly a bit challenging for bicycles
Donkey near the entrance ticket office in the central part of the Ihlara Valley, where we parked our bikes
Ancient wall painting in the Sümbüllü / Hyacinth Church
Agaçalti Church
Inside the wonderful Agaçalti Church
Tiny mosque in the Ihlara Valley
Frescoes of the Karagedik Church from the 10th or 11th century, collapsed in 2011
Selime and the Ihlara Valley lie at the northwestern foot of the mighty Hasan Dagi volcano, which, at 3,268 meters above sea level, is the second-highest mountain in Central Anatolia. A winding but paved road leads from the village of Helvadere to the 1,964-meter-high Karbeyaz Hotel. Run by a Turkish-German couple, it is known for its excellent food. In winter, skiing is also possible; a longer lift is located nearby.
It was Sunday, July 6, 2025, when we began the long and strenuous hike to Hasan Dagi early in the morning and met some Turkish hikers. On the descent, we had a great time with Ibrahim, who told us a lot about life in Turkey - thank you so much, Ibrahim.
Hasan Dagi at sunrise - the main peak is on the right
Trucks on the northeastern summit Hasan Dagi Küçük Zirve, 3215 meters above sea-level with a view of the Taurus Mountains, up to 3756 meters high
The winding but decent road to the starting point near the Karbeyaz Hotel
Alfred on top of 3268 meters high Hasan Dagi with the Turkish flag
Celebration of the summit ascent in the evening at the Hotel Karbeyaz
We skipped the world-famous, but very touristy, Göreme in Cappadocia, as we had already seen more than enough rock churches and had already been there in 1989. Instead, we continued on to the larger city of Kayseri, located at the northern foot of the 3,916-meter-high Erciyes Dagi, which we had also climbed in 1989. In Kayseri, we found an ideal parking space at the local science center, but it was already so hot in the morning that we didn't visit the city but continued driving east.
We spent our last night in Central Anatolia at the parking lot of the Şuğul Canyon, not far from the border with Eastern Anatolia. A short path leads into the gorge to beautiful waterfalls and the Vadisi Cave.
In the Vadisi Cave at the end of the trail
Wonderful fresh and cold water of the Şuğul Kanyonu Gorge
For more pictures, please click here
For a map of our itineraries, click here
To download our GPS coordinates file Türkiye, click here