{"id":17609,"date":"2024-06-04T22:19:25","date_gmt":"2024-06-04T20:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyclingdestination.cc\/?p=17609"},"modified":"2026-10-06T05:56:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T05:56:10","slug":"turkey-as-the-newest-cycling-destination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cyclingdestination.cc\/en\/verhalen\/turkije-als-nieuwste-fietsbestemming","title":{"rendered":"Cycling in Turkey: the newest cycling destination"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anyone who has followed professional cycling in recent years knows that Turkey has been working on becoming a cycling destination for several years now. With the Tour of Turkey and the Tour of Antalya <\/a>Investment is being made in Turkey as a cycling country. In the meantime, the brutal Babada\u011f<\/a> The climb has already taken its place in the collective memory. This climb is a pure misery of 18km, the hardest climb ever in an UCI race. Is there still something fun to experience for the average cyclist? Absolutely! We dug a little deeper into the matter and found a lot of fun and interesting places for a great cycling vacation! Are you going to cycle in Turkey too?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Adana (c) GoTurkiye<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cycling in Turkey at a glance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  • Antalya: Turkey\u2019s best-known road cycling destination, with flat coastal roads and mountains inland.<\/li>\n\n\n
  • Babada\u011f near \u00d6l\u00fcdeniz: 18.2 kilometres at an average of 10.4%, with almost 1,900 metres of climbing. One of the hardest climbs in Europe.<\/li>\n\n\n
  • Izmir: on the Aegean coast, on the route of EuroVelo 8.<\/li>\n\n\n
  • Cappadocia: gravel riding among the rock formations and hot-air balloons.<\/li>\n\n\n
  • Best time: March to May and October to November. In summer the coast is too hot, in winter the mountains are cold.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Updated in October 2026 with the key facts and practical tips. The story below is our original article.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sustainability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Just a small disclaimer: from the Netherlands and Belgium, Turkey is a flight destination. You can\u2019t avoid it unless you want to take two days of train travel, with a lot of transfers and a somewhat unclear route between Vienna and Istanbul. This makes the combination of \u2018sustainable\u2019 and \u2018cycling in Turkey\u2019 more difficult, but one thing is certain: Turkey is doing everything to be a sustainable cycling destination. A lot of money is being invested in making hotels more sustainable and protecting nature. Mind-boggling numbers about the number of hotels that receive the government\u2019s sustainability label. According to the experts, by 2030 every hotel will have this label. That makes cycling in Turkey suddenly interesting again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Cycling from Istanbul<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    When you think of Turkey, you think of Istanbul and the Turkish Riviera. Istanbul still doesn\u2019t have the most appeal for cyclists. A tour along the Bosphorus might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but there is a beautiful bike path on both the European and the Asian side. The tour through the \u2018Istanbul Forest\u2019 (who would have thought that I would ever write this) is also one to recommend. Away from the enormous crowds of this metropolis, you can still enjoy yourself wonderfully here. A unique piece of Turkey. You can also head to Izmir via Istanbul and Bursa for a longer trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n