Old Towns and Castles: Walking Turkey's Historic Quarters

Alanya's old town is a compact circuit of harbour, sea walls, shipyard and hilltop castle. This guide sets out a walking order, where the climb gets steep, and what is free to wander versus ticketed.

Alanya Castle crowns the rocky peninsula above the harbour, a walled citadel 250 m above the sea with the Red Tower, the Seljuk shipyard and a cable car climbing to it. This guide covers what stands inside the walls, how the cable car and road access work, how long to allow and where to confirm tickets and hours.

The Alanya Grand Bazaar is a tourist market of clothing, bags, jewellery and souvenirs in Şekerhane, not the ancient covered bazaar of Ottoman legend. Here is where it sits on Müftüler Sk, why evening is the better walk, how it differs from the Old Bazaar in the castle quarter and Alara Grand Bazaar at Okurcalar, and how to counteroffer and check quality before you pay.

Alanya harbour is a working quay of gulets and café terraces at the foot of the castle, free to wander and best enjoyed as a slow loop from the old town down to the water. This guide walks the quay, the promenade and İskele Caddesi, and explains how to slot it into a day.

Ankara's bazaar is not one building but a cluster of market streets in Ulus: a restored 16th-century caravanserai, a steep antiques hill, an old hay market and a copper quarter. Here is how they fit together, what each sells, and how to bargain.

Kaleiçi is Antalya's historic heart, a tangle of Ottoman houses, carpet shops and stone steps that drops from Hadrian's Gate down to a small harbour. This guide explains how the old town is laid out, which lanes are busy and which are quiet, where the viewpoints sit and how long a walk through it takes.

Kaleiçi is Antalya's walled old town, spread over the clifftop above the marina and entered through Hadrian's Gate or climbed to from the harbour. Here is the layout, the free sights against the ticketed ones, walking routes through the lanes, and how to split a half day from a full one.

The Antalya Bazaar is the city's old covered and open market, set beside the clock tower and the lanes of Kaleiçi. Here is what is sold, which city markets stay open all week, which run as farmers' markets with fixed prices, and how bargaining works.

The Antalya Clock Tower, the Saat Kulesi, marks the entrance to Kaleiçi at Cumhuriyet Square in Muratpaşa. It is free to see, open round the clock, and works best as the starting point for the old town, Hadrian's Gate and the seafront walk towards Konyaaltı.

Antalya marina is the small semicircular harbour tucked below Kaleiçi old town, and you enter it free at any hour. This guide covers the stone steps down from the old town, the yachts and fishing boats along the quay, the boat trips and cafés that line the water, and the museums and walls within a few minutes' walk.

Two mosques in Kaleiçi carry most of Antalya's mosque sightseeing: Murad Pasha, described as the city's largest, and the Kesik Minare, the Broken Minaret on Hesapçı Sokak. Here is what each one is, what to wear, how to behave, and how they fit into a walk from Hadrian's Gate to the harbour.

Hadrian's Gate is a free-standing Roman triumphal arch that still works as a doorway between modern Antalya and the old town of Kaleiçi. Allow ten to fifteen minutes to read its carvings, arches and mixed towers, then walk on into the bazaar streets behind it.

Belek Mosque, or Belek Merkez Camii, is the central mosque in Belek town, a short walk from the shops and cafés of the centre. This guide covers what the building looks like, how non-Muslim visitors should dress and behave, why prayer times shape a visit, and how to slot it into a morning away from the resort strip.

Bodrum old town is a compact loop of castle, harbour, bazaar streets and ancient ruins. Here is how the pieces connect on foot, what each part is like, and how to split a half day from a full one.

Bodrum's bazaar is two things: covered lanes of clothes, leather, jewellery and spices in the old town near the castle, and a weekly street market at Yokuşbaşı. This guide separates them, gives the cited market days and hours around the peninsula, and explains how to reach the stalls by dolmuş or on foot from the harbour.

Bodrum Castle and the Museum of Underwater Archaeology are one place on one ticket, so plan a single visit rather than two stops. Here is what stands in the towers and courtyards, where the Mausoleum stones sit in the walls, how the castle lines up with Bodrum's two bays, and how long to allow.

Milta Bodrum Marina is a working 425-berth marina in central Bodrum, with cafés, a bazaar of shops, an art gallery and a fitness centre. Walk it as part of a harbour and old-town circuit rather than as a standalone sight, and treat it as the working waterfront it is.

Bodrum Mosque in Laleli, Istanbul, is the former Myrelaion church, built around 920 and later converted into a mosque. Here is what to look for outside and inside, why a lower storey gave it its name, and how to visit respectfully around prayer times.

The Bursa Grand Mosque is free to enter and sits in the old centre beside the bazaar quarter. Allow one to two hours for the twenty domes, the fountain inside the prayer hall, the calligraphy panels and the carved minbar, then walk to Koza Han and the silk market.

The Bursa Grand Bazaar is a covered market network in Osmangazi, best treated as a slow hour of shopping folded into a walk that also takes in Koza Han and the Grand Mosque. Here is what is sold, how the covered lanes and open streets fit together, how to haggle, and who should give it a miss.

Bursa's Green Mosque and the Green Tomb opposite it are two buildings facing each other across a narrow street in the Yeşil neighbourhood, and an unhurried hour covers both. Here is what to look for inside the prayer hall, why the north façade was never finished, and how to plan the walk between mosque, tomb and museum.

The Selimiye Mosque in Edirne is Mimar Sinan's 16th-century mosque with a single great dome and four slender minarets. Here is what to see inside and out, what the surrounding külliye adds, and how to pace a visit.

Uçhisar Castle is a 60-metre rock cone on the highest hill in Cappadocia, with a bare interior and a wide summit view. Here is what is inside, how the climb works and how to reach it from Göreme.

Didim Marina holds 591 yachts, 90 of them superyachts, with a 400-tonne lift and a deep boatyard behind the pontoons. This guide covers the berth split, the on-site services, entry by sea, the rules that affect a walk along the water, and how to pair a look at the harbour with the Temple of Apollo and the rest of Didim.

Fethiye old town is the compact Paspatur quarter between Atatürk Caddesi and Çarşı Caddesi, a short walk from the harbour and beneath the castle hill. Here is how the lanes, bazaar, fish market, rock tombs and waterfront fit together for a half-day on foot.

Fethiye's bazaar is two things: the vine-shaded Paspatur lanes in the old town, open for browsing most days, and the big weekly Tuesday market at the Pazar Alanı beside Fethiye Stadium. This guide separates them, covers the Friday and Çalış markets, names the shopping streets worth walking, and explains where to haggle and where not to.

Fethiye harbour packs the town's boat life into one walkable bay: gülets and day-trip boats at Marina Fethiye, charter yachts at ECE Marina, the ferry port between them, and the old town and Lycian rock tombs straight up the hill.

Fethiye's mosques are working neighbourhood places of worship rather than ticketed attractions, so a visit is a short, quiet stop fitted around prayer times. This guide covers the Cezayirli Mosque of 1792, Ottoman buildings nearby, dress and etiquette, and how to slot a mosque into a walk between the castle hill and the harbour.

Izmir has no walled old quarter: its historic core is the Konak district, where the Clock Tower, Kemeraltı Bazaar, the Agora of Smyrna and Kadifekale sit within walking distance of the bay. Here is how the pieces fit together, in what order to walk them, and how to move between Konak, Alsancak and Karşıyaka.

Kemeraltı is İzmir's historic open-air bazaar, a maze of lanes in Konak where hans, mosques and modern shops sit side by side. This guide lays out a walking route from the Clock Tower, names the streets and squares worth knowing, and covers food stops, opening patterns and how to handle the crowds.

The İzmir Clock Tower is a 25-metre landmark in the middle of Konak Square, a minute from the waterfront. Here is what the tower is, when it was built, how its clock has worked since 1901 and what else you can walk to in Konak.

Hisar Mosque is the historic mosque to see in central İzmir, set in Konak beside the Kemeraltı market. Here is what to look for inside, how to dress, when the prayer hall is busy, and how to pair it with Konak Square, the Clock Tower and the Agora.

Kalkan old town is a compact knot of cobbled lanes, whitewashed houses and a working harbour on Turkey's Turquoise Coast. Here is how the harbourfront, the lanes behind it and the road out to Patara fit into a day.

Kalkan harbour is a compact, sheltered quay with the old town climbing the slope directly above it, which is why a waterfront walk here doubles as a tour of the town. This guide covers the quay, the gulets and day boats, the pebbly town beach, and the ancient sites within day-trip range.

Mustafa Özgen Cami, Kalkan's working neighbourhood mosque, sits in the town centre, with a vine-shaded courtyard and air-conditioned interior that make it a realistic summer stop. This guide covers what you see inside, how to dress, and how to time a visit around Friday prayers and Kurban Bayramı.

Kaş old town is a compact knot of harbour, bazaar lanes and whitewashed backstreets climbing one low hill, with the Antiphellos theatre looking down on it all. This guide sets out the layout, a route through the lanes and how the old town fits around boat trips and days out.

Kaş's ancient theatre is the Antiphellos amphitheatre, a free, sea-facing Hellenistic auditorium a short walk from the centre. Allow 30–60 minutes, go late in the day for the light, and pair it with the lion-head tomb in the marketplace and the rock tombs above town.

Kaş's mosque you'll pass in the centre is Kaş Merkez Cami, listed at 52B. Here's how a short, respectful visit works — dress, shoes off, timing around prayer.

Kemer Marina sits on the Kemer waterfront, one mile west of Koca Burnu, a compact harbour where yachts and day boats share the water. Here is how the marina is laid out, why the basin is so busy, what to expect on the waterfront walk and how far it is from Antalya Airport.

Kuşadası old town is a compact walking quarter: the Kaleiçi lanes sit beside the harbour, the bazaar runs through the centre, and the castle on Pigeon Island closes the view offshore. Here is how the pieces fit, how to loop through them on foot, and why cruise-ship days and evenings feel like two different towns.

Kuşadası Bazaar is a market district of narrow alleys beside the harbour and old town, split into clothing, crafts, traditional products and everyday goods. Expect ceramics, textiles, jewellery and leather, Turkish delight and spices, morning-to-evening trading that shifts with the season, and vendors who expect you to bargain.

Kuşadası Castle guards Pigeon Island at the edge of the bay. Work through the Ottoman walls, watchtowers, gardens and sea views, then decide whether to walk out in the quiet morning or for the sunset.

Kuşadası Marina is a working Setur marina inside downtown Kuşadası with a waterside shopping promenade attached, worth an hour of browsing and eating rather than a day on its own. Here is how the berths, shops, cafés and the walk from the town centre fit together.

The mosque visitors come to see in central Kuşadası is the old town mosque, known as Kaleiçi Camii, Öküz Mehmet Paşa Camii or the Fortress Mosque, in the Camikebir quarter. This guide covers its setting beside the market streets, the mosaics and garden inside, dress and prayer-time etiquette, and the separate İsa Bey Camii at Selçuk.

Manavgat has two weekly street markets, on Monday and Thursday, plus a permanent covered bazaar around Aşağı Pazarcı in the town centre. This guide separates them, sets out what each sells, how the day fills up and how to bargain without friction.

Manavgat Central Mosque sits in the town centre on 1517. Sk., a short walk from the shops and cafés rather than out on the resort strip. Its dome and minarets are easy to spot, and a visit fits neatly into a half day with the river and waterfall.

Marmaris Old Town is a knot of pedestrianised alleys climbing the hill behind the marina, crowned by the castle and its museum. Walk it from the waterfront, take the bazaar entrances near the quay, and know which street turns loud after dark.

Marmaris Castle sits on the peninsula behind the harbour and holds the town's archaeology museum in four vaulted halls. Here is what each room displays, the walk up Kale Sokak, the rampart views, and the ticket bands, pass rules and seasonal hours published for visitors.

The Marmaris Grand Bazaar is a covered and open market quarter in the city centre, packed with carpets, textiles, ceramics, jewellery and spices. Here is what is sold, how the stalls are laid out, how to haggle calmly and what to combine with a shopping stop in Marmaris.

Marmaris Marina is a working yacht harbour on the seafront, with gulets and private tour boats alongside waterfront restaurants and bars. Walking it is straightforward once you know the seafront route and the parallel Bar Street, and renovation work shapes how you get around the quay.

Marmaris has one old-town mosque worth seeking out, the Mosque of İbrahim Ağa in Tepe Mahallesi, a short walk from the bazaar. This guide covers where it sits, what to wear, how the five daily prayers shape your timing, and how to fold a visit into an hour in the old town and harbour.

Side Old Town is not a walled museum you buy a ticket for: most of the ancient city lies open-air among the lanes of a working peninsular town in Manavgat district, Antalya province. This guide sets out the layout, the walls and gate of Vespasian, the colonnaded streets, agora, theatre, museum and Temple of Apollo, then walks you through the peninsula in order.

Side Bazaar runs on Saturdays opposite the big mosque in Side, selling clothes, souvenirs, fruit and local food in much the same range as the Manavgat markets. Go early, expect friendly haggling on the textile side, and pair it with a riverside lunch in Manavgat.

Side Harbour sits at the tip of Side's old-town peninsula in Manavgat district, Antalya province, where the ancient port, the Temple of Apollo columns and the lanes of the old town meet the sea. Here is how to order a walk from the gate to the water, what is free to wander, what carries a separate ticket, and how the boat trips and evening seafront fit in.

The Side promenade links the beach with the ancient city and the shopping lanes behind it. Here is what you pass, how the loop from the bus station measures up, and when to walk it.