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Travel bucket list idea:

Last updated: 26 June, 2023
Expert travel writer: Jeremy Seal

In Greco-Roman terms it pays to think of southwest Turkey as eastern Greece, as the extraordinary profusion of ancient cities, temples and other sites demonstrate.

These lands, home to Herodotus, Homer and Heraclitus among other major historical figures, are an archaeological paradise, with tumbledown theatres, bathhouses, temples, fountains, defensive walls, and tombs at every turn.

The ruins, often wonderfully ‘unimproved’ in beautiful natural settings, generally show rich evidence of later civilisations including the Byzantines and Ottomans.

The crowds that comparable European sites attract are thankfully absent, and the access is largely unlimited.

Recommendations

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Arycanda

Finike, Mediterranean Region, Turkey

Ruins of an ancient site on a mountainside

This ancient Lycian mountain city dates back to the 5th or 6th century BC. Set on a series of terraces with exquisite views over the valley, it has an especially lovely theatre and some of the most extensive bath buildings in Anatolia.

Best for ages 18+

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Ephesus

Selcuk, Aegean Region, Turkey

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Bucket List Experience
Many tourists at the ancient site of the Library of Celsus

Turkey’s top ancient site combines intact colonnaded streets, painstakingly restored facades and stunningly painted villa interiors to evoke Roman-era life in unparalleled richness.

Adult price: £7

Best for ages 18+

Heraclea

Milas, Aegean Region, Turkey

Historical site with ruins of Heraclea, surrounded by mountains

Heraclea’s impressive Hellenistic-era defensive walls enclose not only ruined temples, theatre and agora but also the simple settlements of Kapikiri, a fishing community on the shores of Lake Bafa. The mountains behind the lake are scattered with ruined monasteries and ancient cave paintings.

Best for ages 18+

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Hierapolis

Denizli, Aegean Region, Turkey

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Bucket List Experience
Hierapolis

An ancient and evocative Roman spa city dating back to AD 80 with a fabulous inland setting, above the famed calcite travertine pools of Pamukkale.

Adult price: £8

Best for ages 18+

Knidos

Datca, Aegean Region, Turkey

Ancient ruins at sunset

Occupying a spectacular position at the tip of the Datca Peninsula, with its harbours still used by visiting gulets, Knidos is in the midst of an extensive archaeological restoration. Works continue along the ancient stoa, the theatre and the numerous temples.

Best for ages 18+

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Olympos

Cirali, Mediterranean Region, Turkey

The ruins of an ancient building with a rocky hillside behind

The riverside setting is the key here as much of this ancient city, barring a few stand-out sarcophagi, is choked in vines and laurels. Enjoy the nature, the birdlife and turtles, and the beach, which leads beyond a headland to the adjacent one at Cirali.

Best for ages 18+

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Patara Beach & Ancient Ruins

Kalkan, Mediterranean Region, Turkey

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Bucket List Experience
Aerial view of the beach, backed by a green slope with bright blue sea water in front

Turkey’s outstanding beach is 15 kilometres of perfect sand backed by dunes and the extensive ruins of ancient Patara – and home to populations of nesting loggerhead turtles.

Pinara

Fethiye, Mediterranean Region, Turkey

Impressive view of tombs carved in crag in ancient Lycian city of Pinara

The most beautiful of all ancient Lycian cities, Pinara is a tumble-down joy set deep in the hills above the Xanthos Valley. The theatre is especially beautiful, as are the so-called Royal Tombs set in a glade of ancient plane trees.

Best for ages 18+

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Priene

Izmir, Aegean Region, Turkey

Ionic columns of the Temple of Athena surrounded by mountains and greenery

This lovely ancient site, occupying steep pine-clad slopes above the Meander Delta, is a rare example of an intact ancient Greek settlement. With an especially beautiful odeon (auditorium) and temple, Priene offers a winning evocation of Hellenistic city life at the time of Alexander the Great.

Best for ages 18+

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Sidyma

Dodurga, Mediterranean Region, Turkey

Ancient tombs of kings on a mountain

Little Sidyma is a place of enormous charm; a picturesque and little visited ancient town whose sarcophagi and beautifully coffered tombs are now scattered amidst the gardens and fields of the present hamlet of Dodurga.

Best for ages 18+

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Stratonikeia

Denizil, Aegean Region, Turkey

The amphitheatre of the ancient site Stratonikeia

An inland site, home even now to a scattering of villagers, Stratonikeia is a magnificent and little-visited city with outstanding remains, not least the monumental North Gate and the gymnasium.

Best for ages 18+

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Temple of Apollo at Didyma

Didim, Aegean Region, Turkey

Columns amid the ruins of an ancient temple of Apollo

The monumental Temple of Apollo is largely intact within its hem of tottering or fallen fluted columns. Home to one of the great oracles of the ancient world, the temple stood for hundreds of years without ever being completed, as the mason’s marks on uncarved stonework reveal.

Best for ages 18+

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Xanthos

Kas, Mediterranean Region, Turkey

Ruins of an ancient amphitheatre with a blue sky above

A UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site, Lycia’s ancient hilltop capital is famous for its ‘pillar tombs’ – whose exquisite friezes were removed to the British Museum in the 19th century – and the grand colonnaded way leading to the sarcophagus-scattered necropolis.

Best for ages 18+

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Logistics

Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

Turkey’s ancient sites can easily be discovered independently. The major sites are well signposted, though some less well-known gems may take some finding.

Sites are commonly manned by a ticket seller-cum-companion/guide who is likely to include his local knowledge and even a glass of tea in the ticket price. On-site information boards vary in quality. Expect to scramble in places.

Many excellent tour companies and tour guides operate in the region, offering expert-led holidays that take in the main archaeological sites. Editor: Jeremy Seal, our Turkey writer, is a Turkey expert with a special interest in archaeology. See his website for expert-led tours. 

When to do it

Long opening hours, in most cases seven days a week and all year round, often with free entry in the case of smaller sites.

Spring and autumn, ideally in the morning and late afternoon, is the best time to explore these exposed sites. Avoid the searing midday heat in July to August.

Who to go with: tour operators

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Our writer’s recommended tour operators to book with

Peter Sommer Travels

Peter Sommer Travels

Monmouth, Wales, United Kingdom (UK)

Highly-regarded, multi-award-winning cultural tour and upscale gulet cruise expert operating a fleet of boats in Turkey, Croatia, Greece. There’s a range of expert-led themed tours available including foodie, archaeology, hiking and special family tours for small groups or private land-based tours or gulet charters.

Somewhere Wonderful

Somewhere Wonderful

Turquoise Coast, Turkey

Delightful small-group tours around Turkey, both by gulet and on land, personally led by two top Turkey specialists – leading Turkish travel writer Jeremy Seal, and Turkish archaeologist Yunus Ozdemir.

Destination guides

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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Turquoise Coast

Turquoise Coast, Turkey

Turquoise Coast

Turkey’s beautiful Turquoise Coast offers an unbeatable mix of mountain-backed beaches, classical ruins and adventure activities, with superb food and delightful owner-run hotels.

Bodrum

Aegean Region, Turkey

Bodrum

A vibrant resort area with the buzzy town of Bodrum at its heart, and picturesque smaller resorts and villages strung out along the adjoining peninsula.