Central Turkey in $510s-$560s RT

Ankara has some pretty cool stuff (check out the chess museum!), but its central location also makes it the perfect home base for some killer day trips.

History nuts already have an embarrassment of riches when visiting Turkey, but you can never go wrong with the ruined capital of a Bronze Age empire. The Ottomans don't have a monopoly on Turkish historical sites—although you'll see plenty of those too.

Speaking of which, take a break from your whirlwind Turkey tour with some traditional small-town vibes. You'll come to Beypazari for the markets and restored Ottoman buildings, but you'll stay for the carrots. Seriously, world-famous carrots, you gotta try them.

Oh, and guess what? This was secretly a ski trip the whole time :-)