Travelers can find a quieter side of Turkey in its 29 Cittaslow towns. This group started in Italy in 1999. It helps towns keep their local culture alive. Today, 310 towns around the world belong to it. Seferihisar was the first member in Turkey. It has orange-like fruit called tangerines and organic markets. Farming remains an important way for people to earn money. The old city of Teos stands nearby, but only parts of its buildings remain.
Akyaka has houses with wooden window covers and balconies. The town lies near the Azmak River. The area has special protection for nature. Visitors can take boat trips, watch birds, or walk through the quiet countryside.
There are slow towns beside lakes, too. Eğirdir stands beside Turkey’s fourth-largest lake. Apple trees grow around the water, with mountains to the southwest. Visitors can take boat trips or stand on boards and move across the water with a paddle. Ahlat sits beside Lake Van, the country’s largest lake. It has very old caves. Its historic cemetery, a place for dead people, has thousands of engraved stones.
