Places to Explore In The Central and Southern Aegean Coast

Aphrodisias

Aphrodisias, the city of Aphrodite, goddess of love, is one of the largest and best-preserved archaeological sites in Turkey. It's interesting to compare this site...

• 0 Restaurants
• 2 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

Çesme

Known for its hot springs and beaches, Çe?me has always been a summer resort for ?zmirians, but in recent years the gorgeous sands have been...

• 10 Restaurants
• 11 Hotels
• 14 Things To Do

Dikili

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Ephesus

Ephesus (Efes in Turkish), the showpiece of Aegean archaeology, is probably the most evocative ancient city in the eastern Mediterranean, and one of the grandest...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 2 Things To Do

Izmir

At first glance, Turkey’s third-largest city (formerly known as Smyrna) may seem modern and harsh—even the beautiful setting, between the Gulf of ?zmir and the...

• 11 Restaurants
• 6 Hotels
• 17 Things To Do

Kuşadası

Ku?adas? long ago lost its local charm to invasive, sterile buildings and overpopulation, and these days it's often overrun with cruise ship passengers disembarking to...

• 4 Restaurants
• 6 Hotels
• 3 Things To Do

Pamukkale (Hierapolis)

Pamukkale (pronounced pam-ook-ka-lay), which means "cotton castle" in Turkish, first appears as an enormous, chalky white cliff rising 330 feet from the plains. Mineral-rich volcanic...

• 3 Restaurants
• 4 Hotels
• 5 Things To Do

Priene, Miletus and Didyma

The three towns of Priene, Miletus, and Didyma make up part of Ancient Ionia, homeland of many of the ancient world’s greatest artistic and scientific...

• 1 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 4 Things To Do

Selçuk

Selçuk, the closest city to Ephesus, lies beneath the ancient Fortress of Ayasuluk and is unfortunately often overlooked. The former farming village has interesting sights...

• 6 Restaurants
• 8 Hotels
• 5 Things To Do

Sirince

Once upon a time, villagers of this picturesque little hilltop aerie christened their town Çirkince (Turkish for "rather ugly"), allegedly to keep outsiders from discovering...

• 4 Restaurants
• 4 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

The Bodrum Peninsula

Until the mid-20th century, the Bodrum Peninsula was little known, and its gorgeous coastline was home to fishermen and sponge divers. Then a bohemian set...

• 28 Restaurants
• 20 Hotels
• 29 Things To Do

Urla

The long peninsula west of Izmir ending at Cesme holds a cornucopia of inlets, coves, beaches, peninsulas, and agricultural valleys. While most visitors used to...

• 4 Restaurants
• 4 Hotels
• 5 Things To Do