9 Best Sights in The Central and Southern Aegean Coast, Turkey

Construction of the magnificent 5,000-seat ancient theater began during the 4th century BC reign of King Mausolus, back when Bodrum was known as Halicarnassus of Caria. The Hellenistic theater was used and updated through the Roman era, and remains one of the ancient city's best-preserved monuments; restored in recent times, it is again used for concerts and other performances for up to 3,000 seats. The view of Bodrum and the Aegean sea is breathtaking from this high, hillside vantage point, though the outlook is marred by the loud, busy highway that runs alongside the theater.

This late-19th-century mansion has been beautifully restored into a small museum, featuring rotating exhibits of painting, glass and textile art, and the like, usually with a historical bent. The philanthropist Lucien Arkas has also restored the historic Whittall mansion in Bornova to house the Arkas Marine Historical Center, and built new art galleries in each of Urla and Alaçatı towns.

Named for St. Charalambos (also known as Haralambos), a local bishop martyred at the age of 113, and whose skull is still venerated in Greece, this large, early-19th-century Greek basilica church is a relict of Çeşme's former Greek Orthodox inhabitants, and was restored by the municipality in 2012. The space is now used as a cultural center that hosts art exhibitions and handicrafts bazaars. If it's open for one of these events, it's worth taking a peek inside as you stroll down the main street of Çeşme's shopping district; look up to see painted saints peering down at you from the ceiling.

There aren't many sights in Kuşadası proper, but the causeway just south of the harbor connects the town to an old Genoese castle on Güvercin Adası (Pigeon Island). Once home to three infamous Turkish pirate brothers in the 16th century, the fortress has been restored and opened to visitors, with its tree-studded grounds providing a lovely space for strolling, relaxing, and taking in the sea and city vistas. To the right of the castle entrance, there’s a swimming platform well-used by locals in summer (despite the proximity to the city center, the water appears quite clean) and a casual café serving reasonably priced snacks and drinks with a million-dollar view.

Only 7 km (4 miles) from Pamukkale, this down-to-earth village attracts visitors for its "red springs," where the warm water—which bears a red glow due to its mineral content—and gooey mud are popular for their supposed health-giving properties. A small section of the springs is open to the public and flanked by inexpensive restaurants—mud baths and pools that have dead-skin-nibbling "doctor fish" are also available. There's regular dolmuş service from Pamukkale to Karahayıt, which also has a busy covered market area with lots of small local eateries and cafés. On the outskirts are giant new thermal holiday hotels.

Kuşadası's 300-year-old caravanserai (an Ottoman-era trading post) is a short stroll from the cruise ship dock; its central courtyard is open to the public during the day but there's not much to see. Previously a hotel, there are now plans to turn the building into a city museum.

At the water's edge, this vast space is one of the city's two main squares (the other, Cumhuriyet Meydanı, or Republic Square, is to the north along Atatürk Caddesi), and is a good place to pick up a cheap street snack from roving vendors. The Saat Kulesi (clock tower), the city's icon, stands out at the center of the plaza, with its ornate, late-Ottoman design. The tower was built in 1901, in honor of Sultan Abdulhamid's 25th year on the imperial throne, and the clock itself was sent as a gift from Kaiser Wilhelm II. The small, 18th-century single-domed Yalı Camii (sometimes known as Konak Mosque), set back from the clock tower, is decorated with colorful tiles and was originally built by Mehmet Paşa's daughter, Ayşe. Just to the north is Konak Pier.

On the waterfront an easy stroll north from Konak Meydanı (turn right if you're facing the water), this 19th-century pier is now an updated shopping mall with several restaurants, a movie theater, a bookstore with some English-language options, and fabulous views. It was originally designed as a customs house reputedly by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel. Note that it is not the Konak Ferry Terminal near the Clock tower.

Today a lone column towering over a scattering of fallen stones in a marshy lowland on the Selçuk–Ephesus road is all that remains of a temple that was once four times larger than the Parthenon in Athens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Fragments of the temple are on display at İsa Bey Mosque. Begun in the 7th century BC, greatly expanded by the wealthy Lydian king Croesus, and redone in marble in the 6th century BC, the temple was torched by a disgruntled worshipper in 356 BC. Rebuilt by Alexander the Great, it was captured by Goths in AD 263 and later stripped for materials to build Istanbul's Aya Sofya and Selçuk's St. John Basilica. As goddess of the hunt and wild creatures, Artemis might well approve of the temple's new inhabitants: lizards, frogs, storks, and dozens of other birds. The temple is an easy 10-minute walk along a tree-lined road from Selçuk center, and more evocative if you visit it on your own.