Antalya, Turkey

Antalya sits on Turkey's Mediterranean coast with about 2.6 million residents and ranks as the country's largest international tourism gateway. King Eumenes II of Pergamon founded the city in 159 BC, after which Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks, and Ottomans each ruled in succession. The 38-meter Yivli Minare of the Alaaddin Mosque dates to 1308, while Hadrian's Gate, built in 130 AD, opens through three marble arches. Kaleiçi preserves restored Ottoman houses inside second-century Roman walls, and the 13-kilometer Konyaaltı Beach stretches west from the cliffs below.