We will be in Kusadasi for three days and we have two solid days organised for the "A" list spots in the area. Do any of you knowledgable folk have any suggestions for some other maybe lesser known sights I can get our guide/driver to take us to.

Maybe I'm naive, but I thought one of the main reasons for hiring a guide/driver is for him to take you to places you wouldn't find on your own. Especially after a couple days getting to know him, he should have better ideas that those any of us would have.

My only other idea is to take a boat to Samos, Greece for the day.

Guides generally will take you to places they expect that you want to see. Now as I have a guide that I don't have to share I am searching for places that other people have been to that are a little less than mainstream.
"If you don't ask a question you never get an answer !" (quote attributed to Marko's Mum )

mmmm??

What do the guidebooks say are in that area? Are any of these sites of interest? If yes, then tell the driver that is where you would like to visit.

I'm not sure if you missed my point or not, but what I was saying and still saying is that if you have a guide who is a local, he should have far better ideas of things that aren't in the mainstream than most of us, even those of us who have traveled the area. If he is an experienced guide he will know places that none of us would ever think of. My point is, that you should be able to ask him to take you to the types of places you're looking for -- the off the beaten track places that only a "local" like him would know about. If I were to hire a guide, that's what I'd be looking for from him. There's no point in my hiring a guide to take me to the places I already know about it -- I could go there on my own own.

Dear Marko

I am one of the guides in Kusdadasý.
Besides Ephesus
I can recommend Priene Miletos and Didyma.
But keep in mind Priene is beautiful but has a lot of climbing.
Ancient train Museum old steam trains
Sirince old picturesque Greek village and driving to Bodrum vias Lake Bafa for two hours of trip is wonderful.
there is not much in Samos.
And everything is closed from 12.30 to !7 p.m.

regards
Nejat

For any help ý can dso nbot hesitate in emailing me or posting your message here.


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Marko,
The places that Nincedogan mentioned, Priene, Miletos & Didyma, are all easily doable in one day (with car). I loved Didyma and Priene, but found Miletos less engaging. The ruins are very spread out, and not in very good shape. Still, it's between the other two, so you can easily stop there if you want.

Priene is a bit of a climb, but well worth the trek. And after driving through a lovely plain and passing the river Menderes, you'll really understand the word "meander" in a new way! Didyma is superlative-- a magnificent temple to Apollo with many huge columns still standing-- and when we were there in early September 2001, there were few other tourists at the site. I found these sights much more satisfying than Ephesus (Efes); the latter is amazing to see because of of the extent of it, but it's so filled with tour groups that it's hard to experience the sense of the place. I found the intimacy of the smaller places and the lack of crowds really made me more aware of their ancient history; you could begin to imagine real people living in these places. I never could get that feeling in Ephesus, though I would say I appreciated it, and am very glad I saw it.
I'm sure that your guide will have other suggestions, but these are the most well known in the area after you've seen Ephesus.

thank you much appreciated.