Turkey

You should go to istanbul ;)

Turkey is amazing, Istanbul is amazing.
Pamukkale, Cappadocia, Ephesus...
Spend at least 3 days in Istanbul, although you can easily spend a whole week just taking in all the architure. Aya Sofia is one thing, but you have so much more there. Do not miss going to a hamam.

I did not get the appeal of Taksim (surroundings I likes), so I say, just avoid Taksim. That's where the biggest protests happen. Make sure to take a boat, also cross the Bosporus bridge (there are regular buses going to and fro all day).

I actually enjoyed the modern area too, even though it ain't no Tokyo or New York.

Bulgaria if you also want to check out Soviet era grim. Greece if you need some more water and older architecture.

>>1234481

Just because you didn't get the appeal of Taksim doesn't mean OP should avoid it.

I stayed there for nearly a month and fell in love with Istanbul. Coincidentally, my first trip to Turkey also coincided with the Gezi Park protests in 2013. Despite the tear gas, pepper spray, and loose rubber bullet, I still enjoyed the area and all it had to offer. Sultanahmet and Fatih were just too tame and lackluster in comparison, especially after dark.

Anyway, OP, I second the bits about taking a boat down the Bosporus and seeing the Ayasofya.

Word of caution: buy your boat tickets from the public ferry company at Eminönü, across Galata Bridge and near the Yeni Cami. If you buy "boat tour" tickets from hawkers selling them for $20-$100, you'll get the exact same thing you could have had for $5 and probably on a shittier boat.

The beauty of Turkey is that you can go pretty much anywhere and find interesting shit, assuming you stay away from the Syrian border. Even in a shithole like Kars in the north-east you have ruins, and beautiful old Armenian churches.

>>1234473
Izmir and Istanbul are the only two cities you need in Turkey. My gf is from Izmir and it's honestly in my opinion one of the best, if not the best, city in Turkey. Beautiful place. Very secular as well