Best Places to Swim Among the Ruins?
 

My husband and I have just been invited by a friend of ours to come stay at his home in Istanbul in late April. Well, we've decided to make a full vacation out of going to Turkey, and one of the things we really want to do is swim among ancient ruins.

Ever since I was a child, I have seen photos of places in Turkey where one could swim among Greek and Roman ruins, and I was wondering: Are there were any places on the western coast of Turkey that people would really recommend?

Thank you!

The best place I think is in Pummakale

http://www.soultravelers3.com/blog/4...271A5F99B.html

That is a great time to go. You can do it as a daytrip from Ephesus area like we did ( and do see Aphrodisias on your way), but if I had to do it again, I would do at least an overnight.

The water is really healing and the tavertines are open all night so you can do it at sunrise, sunset or in the moonlight.

I have lots on blog entries on Turkey that you might enjoy in my archives ( and Greece):

www.soultravelers3.com

The gulet cruise or hiring a sailboat is well worth the time and money to see some fantastic ruins and swim in them.

All the ruins in Turkey are really fabulous...enjoy!!

Thank you! Yes, we certainly plan to go to Ephesus. However, are there any sunken ruins around the place you mention?

I am not clear on your question. Just click on the link and you will see pictures of us actually swimming in the same sacred pool that ancient Romans swam in.

Maybe this makes it more clear:
http://www.soultravelers3.com/blog/9...BA952F9CE.html

Or this gives more details about the same place:

http://www.greatestescapes.com/index...;issue=1998-10

an oldie but goodie on the same topic

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...pagewanted=all

You might also be thinking of the sunken city of Simena which is a boat ride from either Kas or the Demre harbour.

You can see them, but it is forbidden and illegal to swim in and around these ruins. It is a protected site. Many people take the boat trips to visit this historical area and there are a couple of places where one can get off the boat and go for a swim.

You can also take a sea kayaking tour to get up close to the ruins as well.

So those are the two best sites that I can think of in that part of the world. The first one I mentioned at Pummakkale sacred pool is the most famous one and it is quite a treat to swim there as the waters are special.

There are tons of great ruins on the Turquoise coast, so you can swim near them in a gulet or sail boat cruise which is another way to go.

Hope that helps and is more clear.

Oops I meant this link by turkeyplanner

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/g...cred_pool.html

as my first link above ( instead of the Paris one from my site).

Sorry for not being clear. The place I saw in photos showed people swimming in the shallow water around sunken ruins (pillars, walls, statues).
All I know is that it is in Turkey and I've heard vague mention of people being able to visit.

While we do intend to see many land-based ruins, seeing them under water seems like a pretty neat experience.

Yes! Perhaps it was those sunken ruins you mentioned...but the photo I saw showed tourists that were able to swim around them (though I recall it noted that they were not permitted to touch them). Maybe swimming is now banned?

I still think you are talking about Pummakkale ---the sacred pool there and that is what you saw. If fits the description.

It is huge and not like a normal pool. There are ancient sunken columns as the articles and pictures show and the experience is awesome.

It is shallow and you can touch the column, statues etc.

The only other that I can think of is those by Kas, but you can not swim there, only kayak. It is not so shallow either.

There are tons of Lycieum ruins that you can also swim by in a boat or other type ruins.

But I still think you saw and are thinking about the ancient sacred pool at Pummakkale. You can swim with the artifacts and touch them. It is a world Heritage site. Several Roman emperors bathed at this site.

Hierapolis means sacred city. When you see the pictures it does not look like a pool, but like it could be outside.

Ahhh, I was thinking you were just speaking of a sacred pool that was NEAR ruins but had nothing in it. Okay then! So, the question is, about how many hours is it from Istanbul and what's the best way to get there?

As I mentioned in my first post, it is a day trip away from Ephesus, although I suggest that you do an overnight instead of just a day trip and do stop at Aphrodisias on the way.

Don't miss Cappadocia while you are in Turkey. Get some guide books on Turkey or read the Turkey travel planner website I left or look at my Turkey pages to get some ideas about what you want to do.

Turkey is wonderful, but it is very big and the best sights are spread out, so you will have to include travel time in your plan.

Dear Racheilla,

The place you have been talking about is definitely "Pamukkale" near Denizli. The best way to go and see there from Istanbul is:

1. Take an early flight from Istanbul to Izmir.
(either rent a car or book a guided tour starting from the airport)

Visit Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary, Archaeological Museum in the morning and drive on to Pamukkale late in the afternoon. (Driving takes about 3 hours) Overnight in Pamukkale.

The next day visit Hierapolis, swim in the sacred Roman pool and leave around noon for Izmir Airport. Visit Aphrodisias in the afternoon. Take the late night flight from Izmir to Istanbul.

As you see, you will need 2 full days to do this either on your own by rented car or by a travel agent through a guided tour.

With all good wishes

Good advice, but If you are interested in history, I would spend much longer than a morning to see all of that in Ephesus.

We stayed a week in that area and stayed at this wonderful hotel:
http://www.soultravelers3.com/blog/4...68C099425.html

( Great for families, but mostly just couples there...great food & pool).

There is a lot to see there, the history is fascinating and a morning is not enough for all of that. I think we spent a day on each one of those things (Ephesus, museum, mary's house etc)

It is VERY easy to book everything yourself in Turkey ( every hotel is connected to the others and they can book things for you). We did not book anything in advance in Turkey in high season and had no problems what so ever.

Things are also very cheap in Turkey ( we stayed at a very nice place in Istanbul that included a great breakfast on terrace with sea and Hagia Sophia views near the 4 Seasons Hotel) for 20 something dollars.

It is even cheaper in the country side. We splurged at Esbelli Evi ( 4000 year old cave house) in Cappadocia, but it was still a great deal for such a luxurious world class boutique hotel.

It is easier than you can imagine now...you will have a wonderful time. The hospitality in Turkey is the best in the world!

Ack! It appears that now we're probably going in mid-late March? Would it be impossible to swim then? I don't know if it's closed to swimmers or not (though it seems like hot springs might be open, the sacred pool is a warm spring, right?). Thanks!

I'm hoping someone can help...

We will be in Turkey in mid November of this year. Will the pools be open to swim in at this time? Has anyone done this in November?

Just wondering if it will be too cool, or perhaps the pools are shut-down?

Thanks!
Donna-Lee

YES, actually March & November are probably perfect times to swim from what I have read.

It will be much less crowded, but as far as I know they are open all year and 24 hours a day.

I just googled and found that these people had a blast doing it in March in 2000:

http://www.worldtrek.org/odyssey/mid...0abejapam.html

Get a guide book, they all talk about this place or just google it and you will get endless information.

My guidebook said that spring or late fall was the best time to go.

I hear it is very cold there then, so dress warm. Much of Turkey tourism does not get going til summer months.

Also have a read and look throgh these photos from Pamukkale..

http://travelswithbillandnancy.com/turkey-4.htm

I have just posted this same information in another post...but here it is again...In Selcuk you have the Isa Bey Mosque, Church of St. John the Baptist, temple of Artemis and the House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus, museum of Ephesus, Sirince, all close by to visit.

The Isa Bey mosque was built by the famous architect Ali in the name of Mehmet Bey's son Isa Bey in 1375. Many architectural pieces and columns used in construction were brought in from the Ephesus ruins and the temple of Artemis. The structure, which displays an asymmetric plan, is the oldest known example of Turkish mosques with courtyards and Anatolian columns with transepts. The Mosque also exhibits typical Seljukian characteristics in the details of its rich elaborations and the mosaics of the southern dome as well as the monumental height of the main portal in the west.
Close by as well are the areas of Priene, Miletus, and Didyma. These place will take at least a day's visit.

We spent just the morning visiting the Church of St. John the Baptist, Ephesus and the Virgin Mary house.

My photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/canmom/...7594522635754/