rare trips somewhere in the suburbs. Wealthy family tourists with children are the main audience of the resort, which leaves an imprint on its reputation.
You won’t believe it, but there are places associated with Cleopatra in Marmaris too. According to legend, the island of Sedir was one of the places of secret meetings of the Egyptian queen with Mark Anthony. If you get tired of stories about the personal life of ancient celebrities, feel free to book a walk through the central part of the city. There is no way to avoid the castle, the Netsel port area and the Hawsa caravanserai.
Country trips are a special pleasure. The village of Akyaka is out of competition — because of the touching appearance of the houses, it was nicknamed the birthplace of poets. In summer and early autumn, juicy photos are obtained here. It is also convenient to get to the ruins of ancient Hierapolis from Marmaris. This is almost the only ancient city that has been partially reconstructed in modern Turkey to the delight of tourists.
Kemer: parks and mountains for every taste
Turkey presents themed excursions in Kemer with appropriate style. The city is called the younger brother of Antalya for a reason — there is everything you need for a comfortable vacation at sea, but without kilometer-long queues. The sights are no worse, especially in suburban areas. Guests will probably be invited to visit one of the reserves, and then return to the program places.
Takhtaly Mountain is a must—visit – it completes or completes a sightseeing tour. There is no need to climb to the top on foot — every hour tourists are delivered by cable car in a trailer with panoramic windows. To continue the natural idyll will be offered in the Tekirova eco-park. According to the judge, this is an impressive botanical garden near another nature reserve — Paradise Bay.
But Kemer was even more lucky with antiquities. A 40-minute drive from the resort is the open-air museum of Demre, known among Orthodox Christians as Mira. From here, Nicholas the Wonderworker began his legendary journey. The rock necropolis is rightly compared to the Jordan Petra. One of the top places is the ancient Phaselis, partially preserved in the middle of a pine forest.
Uludag: mountains in winter, springs in summer
Speaking of forests. Ski tours to Uludag from December to March are well known, but not everyone knows that the resort has proven itself in summer. Yes, you will have to travel a lot here, forget about luxury hotels for a while, but it’s worth seeing a completely different Turkey. It is not for nothing that it is called the Little Olympus, from where Zeus watched the battles of the Trojan War, and in the Middle Ages Christian monks fled here.
The top excursion destination from Uludag is a trip to Bursa. It is the fourth largest city in Turkey, home to 2 million people, and there is a lot to see. One of the shrines is the Grand Mosque, also known as Ulu. What makes it unique is the architectural style in the spirit of Hagia Sophia with a multi-domed vault. The Archaeological Museum is a valuable collection of finds from the Roman period with informative lectures.
The nature of Uludag is its main asset. The Karakel fishing pond near the slopes is good from May to September, and grouse hawks, peregrine falcons and snake eaters live in the protected area nearby. If you are lucky enough to arrive at the very beginning of summer, there is a chance to see the red book Apollo butterflies. Of course, tour groups are initially instructed about the rules of conduct.
Izmir: Ephesus and Pamukkale in a week
Travel to Izmir was not advertised by travel agencies until recently. The port city is too fussy, and the beaches are unsuitable for swimming. But with interesting places, on the contrary, dozens of routes are arranged from the market quarter of Kemeralty to the caravanserai of Kyzylar Agasi Khans. Children are taken to the toy museum and the zoo, being delighted by the enclosures with crocodiles.
The exit option is ancient Ephesus, where slightly fewer foreigners come every year than to Istanbul. The reason is simple — antique buildings have been preserved on entire streets. Yes, their condition leaves much to be desired, but almost nowhere in the world is there such an accurate layout of the Greco-Roman period. The sightseeing tour takes 2-3 hours, there is nothing more to do in the historical settlement, but there are a lot of impressions.
There are also regular buses from Izmir to Pamukkale. The legendary terraces with thermal waters literally occupied tourist postcards, although they look much grander in person. 17 types of mineral water are extracted from local sources, most of which are unsuitable for drinking, but therapeutic procedures in sanatoriums nearby help to get rid of a hundred ailments.
Side: waterfalls and theatrical seasons
If someone says that excursions from Side to Turkey are the best way to get acquainted with the ancient heritage, he will be right. Few European cities boast such a concentration of monuments from the Greek and Roman periods. Another plus is that most of the attractions are within walking distance from the beaches, and in some places you can sunbathe against their background.
The main sightseeing route around Side is dedicated to its historical center — Agora Square. Once there was a large Greek market, around which an impressive city has grown. The ruins of the temple of Apollo, the well-preserved fountain of the Nympheum, the street of columns and the Roman gate are mandatory for inspection. If desired, you can drive to the Manavgat waterfall, which is small but pretty.
Most tourists come to the Aspendos Amphitheater for the arts festival. Unlike others, this venue has been preserved exceptionally well, and it is suitable for both theatrical productions and musical concerts. There is no exact date for the festival season, it all depends on the organizers, but usually the cultural program starts in mid-July and lasts until the end of September.
Kash: treasures on earth and under water
Tours to Kash among Russian tourists have become synonymous with a kind of downshifting in the midst of civilization. The fact is that the resort town is literally located on the border of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, which is why the main highways bypass it. It is all the more interesting to find yourself in an unexplored corner with picturesque sandy beaches, ancient neighborhoods and something else.
The acquaintance begins with the areas that were once free Antiphellos. There are few evidences of Greek rule left, but each of them is carefully guarded. For example, the Lion Tomb, standing right in the middle of the busy Uzun Street. There is also an amphitheater, it has 26 rows of seats, and there is now a sports arena where competitions are held on the site of the stage. You don’t need to buy tickets.
The underwater world of the water area is no less curious. Diving in Kasha is not just scuba diving training or studying marine fauna. After the Second World War, local divers began to find the remains of ancient Greek and Phoenician ships on a massive scale. The star of extreme tours is the sunken Italian bomber Savoia-Marchetti, shot down over Turkey in the forties.
Fethiye: Valley of butterflies and ghost towns
For a seasoned tourist, a trip to Fethiye is associated with fashionable private beaches, nature and club hotels of the Holiday Village format. Many people do not even realize how rich the history of these regions is, that they literally walk through the priceless sights of Antiquity. It is not surprising that UNESCO has included the sights in the World Heritage List.
The necropolis of Amyntas, known as the Lycian Tombs, is the place of attraction for most tourist groups. The graves hollowed out of the sheer cliff are impressive and terrifying at the same time. Before our era, the city was called Pinara, there are about 900 tombs in total. It will not be possible to visit them all — the inaccessibility has saved the archaeological treasure from looting and destruction.
If the ancient cemetery did not scare you, continue the hike to the village of Kayakey, which has received the status of a ghost town. In 1923, the Greeks who lived here were forcibly evicted, but no one came to the empty houses. Butterfly Valley, a secret beach that can only be reached from the sea, will help to dispel the gloom. And yes, harmless insects flutter almost all summer, they are at home.
Afyon: the place where time stood still
As you have already understood, excursions in Turkey are not always dedicated to the top all inclusive resorts. Therefore, our selection concludes with a quiet provincial Afyon, which has become a popular alternative destination in recent years. He was loved for his unique landscapes, as if they had descended from the frames of a fantasy film. And they also take care of the traditional way of life, without a hint of noisy revelry.
A walk through Afyon begins with its main, in fact, the only major attraction. It’s about an unnamed (for some unknown reason) mountain that resembles El Penol in Colombia. An impressive staircase of 700 steps leads here too, and at the top are the ruins of a pre—Islamic citadel. The archaeological museum in the Zafer quarter will help you find out more about what happened in the city.
Finally, arriving in Afyon, it is definitely worth visiting what the city is famous for all over Turkey — hot springs. Within walking distance are two villages that have earned the reputation of the main health resorts of the region — Gazlygel and Khudai. The second one is more focused on mass recreation — the authorities have built baths and modern mud baths. It is customary to admire the first place more.
