Turkish Riviera

The Turkish Riviera (also known popularly as the Turquoise Coast) is a term used to define an area of southwest Turkey encompassing Antalya, Muğla and to a lesser extent the provinces of Aydın, southern İzmir and western Mersin. The combination of a favorable climate, warm sea, more than a thousand kilometers of shoreline along the Aegean and Mediterranean waters, and abundant natural and archeological points of interest makes this stretch of Turkey’s coastline a popular national and international tourist destination.
Among the archeological points of interest are two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - the ruins of the Mausoleum of Maussollos in Halicarnassus and the remains of the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, which can still be seen today.
The Riviera is also the home for the internationally-known Blue Voyage, which allows participants to enjoy a weeklong trip on Gulets to ancient cities, harbors, tombs, mausolea and intimate beaches in the numerous small coves, lush forests and streams that lace the Turquoise Coast.
The coastline is further regarded as a cultural trove that provides a fascinating mixture of factual and mythological individuals, conflicts and events, and has frequently has been referred to in the folklore of various cultures throughout history. As such, it is regarded as the home of scholars, saints, warriors, kings, and heroes, as well as the site of numerous well-known myths. Mark Anthony of the Roman Empire is said to have picked the Turkish Riviera as the most beautiful wedding gift for his beloved Cleopatra of Egypt.[2] St. Nicholas, later known as Santa Claus, was born in Demre (ancient Myra), a small town close to present-day Antalya.[3] Herodotus, accepted as the father of History, was born in Bodrum (ancient Halicarnassus) in ca. 484 BC.[4] The volcanic mountains to the west of Antalya, near Dalyan, are believed to have been the inspiration for the mythical Chimera - the firebreathing monster that Bellerophon slew. A little inland are the trees of the gardens of Daphne, where the nymph was believed to have been turned into a laurel by her father Peneus to escape the amorous advances of Apollo.
Places on the Turkish Riviera include:
 
Adabükü
Adrasan
Akbük
Aksaz
Akyaka
Akyarlar
Alaçatı
Alanya
Antalya
Armutalan
Aslanbucak
Bağla
Beldibi
Belek
Beycik
Bitez
Bodrum
Bozburun Çamköy
Çamyuva
Çayova
Çeşme
Çıralı
Çiftlik
Dalaman
Dalyan
Datça
Demre
Didim
Emecik
Eşen
Fethiye
Finike
Foça
Gazipaşa
Göcek Gökova
Gömbe
Göynük
Gümüşlük
Gündoğan
Güvercinlik
Güzelçamlı
Hisarönü
Ilıca
İçmeler
Kabak
Kalkan
Karaburun
Karadere
Kaş
Katrancı
Kekova
Kemer Kızkumu
Kiriş
Kumluova
Kundu
Kuşadası
Kuzdere
Konyaaltı
Köyceğiz
Lara
Manavgat
Marmaris
Milas
Muğla
Olympos
Ortaca
Ovacık
Ölüdeniz
Ören