Turkey

Turkey strikes you first with the diversity of its landscapes: the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, flown over at dawn by hundreds of hot air balloons, the Mediterranean coast and its coves, then Istanbul, a bridge-city between Europe and Asia, with mosques and the Bosphorus as a backdrop. Hospitality here is almost systematic — a çay offered without you asking, a meal paid for on your behalf despite your protests. But the country also has its far more commercial pockets: in Istanbul, certain streets are run by restaurant touts who won't hesitate to plant themselves in front of you to force a look at the menu; in some canyons like Göynük, the natural experience quickly turns into an amusement park, with ziplines, boats, and paths crowded with pickup trucks. A country clearly worth the detour, as long as you know where to look for the magic — and where to avoid it.