Day-trip options around Selcuk include:
3 Ancient Cities (Priene, Miletos, Didyma)
Sirince
Milli Park
Pamukkale
3 Ancient Cities (Priene, Miletos, Didyma)
***** Highly recommended
A full-day tour is available which covers all 3 ancient cities and includes an
excellent lunch (more than 15 delicious turkish dishes to try with many
vegetarian options), time for a swim at a beach near Didyma, at least 1 - 1.5
hours at each site, all transport, english-speaking turkish guide, and all
entrance fees.
Priene is considered one of the most beautiful and best-planned cities built
during the Hellenistic period. The impressive Temple of Athena set against a
majestic craggy mountain backdrop of Mt Mykale is the highlight of the ruins.
The temple for Athena Polias was built by the famous architect Pytheos, the
eastern part of the temple was finally completed by Alexander the Great during
the 4th Century BC. Also at Priene you will be able to see the well preserved
theatre complete with marble VIP chairs, business centre and market, a temple
dedicated to Egyptian gods of Isis, Serapis and Anubis, Byzantine church, roman
baths and gymnasium.
Miletos was a larger port town than Ephesus. This was the birth place of the
alphabet to the classical world and of many famous scientists and philosophers,
including 6th Centruy BC philosophers Anaximander, Anaximenes, and Thales('know
thyself', Delphi), the town planner Hippodamus and Isidorus, the architect of
Aya Sofya, Istanbul. The highlights of the ruins include the great Roman theatre
and the Baths of Faustina with a relatively intact reclining statue of the River
God 'Meander'. The area is also famous locally for its' onyx.
Didyma is the site of the spectacular Temple of Apollo which had 120 columns
each soaring over 60 feet in height, 3 columns still remain standing in orignal
condition. It was not a city but a sanctuary linked to Miletus by a sacred road
lined with statues. The temple was the largest building of its time, built
during the 6th Century BC. The internal sanctum has many detailed carvings and
was where the Didyma priestess would seek inspiration before prophesying, the
calming and inspirational feeling is still felt by many who visit the site today.....
Sirince
Sirince is a nearby hilltop village famous for the local production of wine
including delicious fruit wines - strawberry, blackberry, cherry, apple, peach
to name a few! You can spend a relaxing afternoon roaming the cobbled streets
lined with old mansions, visit old Greek Orthodox Churches and glimpse their
traditional greek way of life. Along the streets local sell their handcraft,
jewellery, antiques, yellow sourdough bread, and of course wine. Free wine
tastings are available along the way. We can organise private transport in our
car at a cheap price or you can catch a dolmus for a 15 minute trip (hourly
minibus from the bus station).
We also stock Sirince wines including dry white, dry red and a selection of the
fruit wines. The cherry is a house favorite!
Milli Parki
Dilek National Park has approximately 28,000 acres of thick woods and pristine
beaches, located 1.5 hours drive south of Selcuk. It is home to local wildlife
such as wild horses, bears, jackals, boars & rare lynx. Birdwatchers can see 209
species including flamingoes . "Zeus' Cave", walking, fishing, swimming at
beautiful undeveloped beaches, can all be included in a day tour to this
beautiful area. If time permits a visit to the Canyon where you can walk through
old forests, giant trees and undisturbed wildlife with magnificent views from
the top of the canyon, sunset should not be missed!
Pamukkale
Pamukkale is a UNESCO World Heritage Site & "Natural Wonder of the World". It is
located 3 hours from Selcuk and is a comfortable day-trip option or can be used
as a stepping stone for ongoing travel.
The site is most famous for the "white terraces", however on the plateau at the
top are the ruins of the ancient Roman Bath Town Hieropolis, with the largest
Roman Graveyard in Asia Minor, excellent Theatre, Martyrium and the beautiful
"Sacred Pool of the Romans" with its fallen pillars and warm bubbly mineral
water. Swimming is possible here all year round.
You can walk around the "Travertines" (calcium terraces), which are improved and
healing year by year, after over-zealous tourism pushed them to the brink, this
led to them being protected with more restricted walk-ways and reduced swimming
access, so now they are white, clean, and growing again. Nothing like them
anywhere else in the world, what more can we say - spectacular!
Please contact us for further details...