Skip to Main Content

TURKEY

On a Holland America Line cruise, explore Turkey, a country that for millennia has straddled East and West, Christianity and Islam, independence and invasion. Experience Istanbul’s magnificent Sophia Museum, Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque. Visit (Kusadasi) Ephesus, where one of the earliest Christian churches took root. Spend a day cruising the Dardanelles between the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean, one of the world’s most strategically important waterways. Relax on a sunny beach in Marmaris, once a safe haven for Alexander the Great.

 

A shot of cruising along the Dardanelles of Turkey.

Cruising The Dardanelles

On the far northwest coast of Turkey, the 60-kilometer-long (37-mile-long) Dardanelles divides the continents of Europe and Asia, and is the sole waterway between the Aegean and Marmara seas and beyond to the Black Sea.
Eruption of the Stromboli volcano on Stromboli island, Sicily

Evening Cruising Stromboli Volcano

One of eight Lipari Islands off the north coast of Sicily, tiny Stromboli is the most active—in that it is home to the second-most-active volcano on Earth, one that's been erupting continuously for more than 2,000 years. Most visitors who cruise around the island have a singular focus: the volcano.
Ortakoy Mosque with the Bosphorus Bridge behind

Scenic Cruising Bosporus

The Bosporus Strait ebbs and flows through the heart of Istanbul, its presence lending the city an added vitality. As the only means of passage between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea and a gateway for trade to the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, the 31-kilometer (19-mile) strait has been the lifeline.
A view of the landscape of Port Marmaris Turkey

Marmaris, Turkey

Once a sleepy fishing village, Marmaris transformed into a tourism hotspot in the 1980s, catering to everyone from backpackers to hedonistic partygoers. Scratch the surface, though, and you'll discover the history, people, landscape and unique ecosystem of the area.
An ancient castle  in Port Sinop Turkey

Sinop, Turkey

Sinop’s soaring stone fortifications are the first sight for visitors to the city. Perched on Turkey's Boztepe Peninsula in the Black Sea, its protected harbor has been coveted by some of the world's greatest empires.

Trabzon, Turkey

Strategically located on Turkey's eastern Black Sea coast, Trabzon is a fascinating destination. Founded in 756 B.C.E. by the Milesians and later ruled by the Roman and Byzantine empires, Trebizond (as it was known) flourished as a center for trade along the ancient Silk Road.