Totally Türkiye - Destination Special with Trip.com
The Travel Diaries
Holly Rubenstein
4.5 • 813 Ratings
🗓️ 21 April 2026
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this Destination Special episode, we head to Turkey or Türkiye as it’s now officially known - a country where continents, cultures and centuries collide. From the energy of Istanbul to the surreal landscapes of Cappadocia, and from the beach clubs of Antalya to the hidden coves of the Turquoise Coast, this is a journey through one of the world’s most diverse travel destinations.
Along the way, you’ll hear stories and recommendations from past Travel Diaries guests including Simon Reeve, Beverley Knight, Jamie Laing and Fiona Duncan, alongside expert insight from travel writer Annabelle Thorpe, who shares where to go, what not to miss, and her favourite hidden gems.
Whether you’re planning a multi-stop itinerary or dreaming of your next escape, this episode is packed with inspiration for exploring Turkey.
Destination Recap:
Istanbul
- Hagia Sophia
- Bosphorus
- Pudding Shop
- Kadıköy
- Eminönü
- Beyoğlu
- Topkapı Palace
- Blue Mosque
- Bebek
- Moda
- Çukurcuma
- Istiklal Street
- Tarabya
- Kıyı
Cappadocia
- Derinkuyu
- Kaymaklı
- Red Valley
- Argos in Cappadocia
Antalya & Surrounds
- Kaleiçi
- Lara
- Belek
Turquoise Coast / Southwest Coast
- Fethiye
- Hillside Beach Club
- Göcek
- Dalyan
- Marmaris Bay
- Marmaris
Kalkan & Kaş Area
- Kalkan
- Villa Mahal
- Merkez
- Kaş
- Kekova
- Meis
- Çıralı
Bozburun Peninsula
- Selimiye
- Orhaniye
- Bozburun
Datça Peninsula
- Datça
- Knidos
- D Maris Bay
Dalaman Area
- Ahama hotel
Eastern Turkey
- Gaziantep
- Mount Nemrut
With thanks to trip.com for their support of today’s episode. If you’re anything like me and tend to plan quite layered, multi-stop trips, trip.com is a really useful tool to have in your back pocket. What I love is being able to see everything in one place, whether that’s flights, hotels, trains or experiences, and to just map it all out properly. With trip.com I can book everything - perfect for exploring a destination as vast and diverse as Turkey.
If you’re enjoying The Travel Diaries, don’t forget to follow or subscribe on your podcast app so you never miss an episode.
You can also follow me on Instagram @hollyrubenstein and on TikTok for more travel inspiration and behind the scenes.
Thanks again for listening, and see you next week!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Today's episode is brought to you in partnership with Trip.com. |
| 0:09.4 | Hello and welcome to the Travel Diaries podcast. |
| 0:14.0 | I'm your host, Holly Rubinstein, and today's episode is a very special one. |
| 0:19.2 | We're heading to a country that sits at the crossroads |
| 0:22.5 | of continents, cultures and centuries. Turkey or Turkey, as it's now officially known. |
| 0:30.0 | From the buzz of Istanbul to the stillness of the Aegean coast, ancient ruins to hidden |
| 0:36.5 | coves, this is a country of extraordinary contrasts. |
| 0:40.6 | And guiding us along the way, we'll be hearing from some very well-known voices from past |
| 0:45.2 | episodes of the podcast, each sharing their own memories of Turkey and the places that have |
| 0:50.4 | stayed with them. Joining me throughout is travel writer and turkey expert Annabelle Thorpe |
| 0:56.2 | who will help bring each of these destinations to life, where to go, what not to miss, and those hidden |
| 1:01.6 | gems you won't find in a guidebook. This episode is brought to you in partnership with trip.com. |
| 1:07.4 | Now if you're anything like me and you tend to plan quite layered multi-stop itineries, |
| 1:12.6 | it's a really useful platform to have to hand. I'm someone who'll sit quite happily spending |
| 1:18.0 | hours stitching an itinery together, different cities, different regions, and what I really |
| 1:22.5 | like is being able to look at everything in one place. With trip.com you can search and book flights, hotels, |
| 1:30.0 | trains, car hire, experiences all in one place, which is ideal for a destination as vast and varied |
| 1:37.2 | as Turkey. And it's all supported by 24-7 customer service which gives you that extra |
| 1:42.5 | reassurance once you're there. Now we're going to start |
| 1:45.5 | in Istanbul, Turkey's cultural heartbeat of course, a city that quite literally straddles two continents, |
| 1:53.0 | Europe and Asia, divided by the Bosphorus. It's where Byzantine churches sit alongside |
| 1:58.9 | Ottoman mosques where the call to prayer echoes across |
... |
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