Things to do in Ephesus, Pamukkale & the Aegean

At Ephesus, the former Roman capital of the province of Asia, marble streets lead past the great theatre, the Library of Celsus and the agora, the Terrace Houses on Mount Koressos keep coloured floor mosaics and frescoes of mythological scenes, and the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk displays statues of Artemis and a marble statue of Marcus Aurelius; nearby, the hillside village of Şirince has lanes of restored historic houses and local olive oil and fruit. Inland, Pamukkale's white travertine terraces sit beside Roman Hierapolis with its theatre and arcaded main street of about 1 km, and Aphrodisias, dedicated to Aphrodite, has a 270 m stadium that seated about 30,000 and a white marble theatre. Further north, the hilltop Pergamon Acropolis has a very steep theatre and the site of the Great Altar of Pergamon, and at Troy nine layers record more than 3,000 years of settlement, explained with dioramas and touch screens in the Troy Museum. Along the coast, the Temple of Apollo at Didyma is surrounded by a double row of columns and guarded by its Medusa relief, Bodrum Castle holds Türkiye's only museum devoted to underwater archaeology with the Late Bronze Age Uluburun wreck, the seaside Çeşme Castle displays amphorae raised from the sea, and İzmir's Kemeraltı Bazaar sells ceramics, carpets, kilims and leather goods.

Good to knowThe Ephesus ticket also covers the Ephesus Experience Museum, but the Terrace Houses have their own entrance fee, and at Pergamon the Asklepion at the foot of the acropolis needs a separate ticket. At Troy one ticket covers the ruins and the Troy Museum, so start in the museum to understand the layers, and pair the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk with the ancient city. Some halls and part of a tower at Çeşme Castle are temporarily closed for restoration, and sunscreen and comfortable shoes help at open-air sites such as Ephesus, Pamukkale and Pergamon.