The coast that doesn't make the group tour brochure
Turkish tourism sold Istanbul's minarets and Cappadocia's balloons so effectively to Indian travellers that an entire coastline got left off the map. The Aegean west, roughly 500 kilometres of Roman ruins, fishing villages, olive groves, and water that runs turquoise rather than grey, draws European visitors by the millions every summer and barely registers in Indian travel planning. The reason is partly habit, partly the group tour structure, and partly the fact that this stretch requires building your own itinerary rather than buying one. That last part is easier than it sounds.
