Kusadasi Trip Overview
Explore Ephesus and Pamukkale from Kusadasi with this 2 days private tour.
Day 1: Make a journey to the history by visiting Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary,
Day 2: While exploring the ancient city of Hierapolis at the same time feel the warm waters of Pamukkale hot springs.
Additional Info
Duration: 2 days
Starts: Kusadasi, Turkey
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Kusadasi Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Kusadasi, Turkish Aegean Coast, Turkey
Explore Ephesus and Pamukkale from Kusadasi with this 2 days private tour.
Day 1: Make a journey to the history by visiting Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary,
Day 2: While exploring the ancient city of Hierapolis at the same time feel the warm waters of Pamukkale hot springs.
Itinerary
Day 1: Ephesus Tour from Kusadasi
Stop At: Ancient City of Ephesus, Selcuk 35920 Turkey
Ephesus; Ancient Greek city of Asia Minor, near the mouth of the Menderes River, in what is today West Turkey, South of Smyrna (now Izmir). One of the greatest of the Ionian cities, it became the leading seaport of the region. Its wealth was proverbial. The Greek city was near an old center of worship of a native nature goddess, who was equated with the Greek Artemis, and c.550 B.C. a large temple was built. To this Croesus, who captured the city, contributed.
When Lydians attacked their cities, Ephesians defended themselves by tying a rope from The Temple of Artemis. But it was not a good way to defend a city. Croesus of Lydia captured it easily however he did not destroy. The city reached the “Golden Age” and became a good model to the Antic World in culture and art, as well. Building of the Artemission was going on.Croesus had a great respect to Artemis and he donated 36 columns with sculptures in relief. Some parts of these sculptures are in the British Museum today.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: State Agora, Selcuk Turkey
The agora on the southern part of the Basilica is the State Agora, and was built in the Roman Period in the first century B.C. This agora was used not for commerce but for business, it played an important role as a meeting place for the governmental discussions. During the excavations in the northeast corner of the Agora were found a great number of graves from the 7th-6th centuries B.C and a stone-paved road, and a archaic sarcophagus of terra cotta.
From this it is understood that in the archaic period this part of the Agora was used as the necropolis of Ephesus. There is a water reservoir at the corner of the Agora, which played an important role in Ephesus.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: The Odeion, Efes Selcuk Merkez, Selcuk, Selcuk Turkey
This building has the shape of a small theatre with the stage building, seating places and the orchestra.It had double function in use. First it was used as a Bouleuterion for the meetings of the Boulea or the Senate. The second fuction was the Odeum as a concert hall for the performances.It was constructed in the 2nd century A.D by the order of Publius Vedius Antonius and his wife Flavia paiana, two wealthy citizens in Ephesus.
It had a capacity of 1500 spectators. It had 3 doors opening from the stage to the podium. The podium was narrow and one meter higher than the orchestra section. The stage building was two-storeyed and embellished with columns.The podium in front of the stage building and some parts of the seating were restored. The Odeon used to be enclosed with a wooden roof.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Hercules Gate, Acarlar, Efes Harabeleri, Selcuk 35920 Turkey
located towards the end of the Curetes Street, it was called the Hercules gate because of the relief of Hercules on it. It was brought from another place in the fourth century AD to its current place, but the relief on it dates back to the second century AD.
Only the two side of the columns remain today and the other parts of it have not been found. The relief of the flying Nike in the Domitian Square is thought to also be a part of this gate.
The Heracles Gate narrowed the access to the street, preventing the passage of vehicles.We can understand that from the Fourth Century, the street had become a pedestrian area.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Curetes Street, Selcuk Turkey
It is one of the three main streets of Ephesus between The Hercules Gate till to the Celsus Library.This street took its name from the priests who were called as Curetes later.Their names were written in Prytaneion.
There were fountains, monuments, statues and shops on the sides of the street. The shops on the south side were two-storied. Ephesus had many earthquakes, in which many structures including the Curetes Street were damaged. These damages especially on the columns were restored by the new ones, but after the earthquake in the 4th century, the columns were replaced by the other ones brought from different buildings in the city. The differences between the design of the columns can be seen today. The street has its appearance from the 4th century.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Bibliotheque de Celsus, Efes Selcuk Merkez, Selcuk, Selcuk Turkey
is one of the most beautiful structures in Ephesus. Celcius Library was built in 117 A.D. Celsus Library was a monumental tomb for Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, the governor of the province of Asia; from his son Galius Julius Aquila. The grave of Celsus was beneath the ground floor, across the entrance and there was a statue of Athena over it. Because Athena was the goddess of the wisdom.
The scrolls of the manuscripts were kept in cupboards in niches on the walls. There were double walls behind the bookcases to prevent the them from the extremes of temperature and humidity. The capacity of the library was more than 12,000 scrolls. It was the third richest library in ancient times after the Alexandra and Pergamum.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Meryemana (The Virgin Mary’s House), Sultaniye Mahallesi, Selcuk 35100 Turkey
House of Virgin Mary is located on the top of the “Bulbul” mountain 9 km ahead of Ephesus, the shrine of Virgin Mary enjoys a marvelous atmosphere hidden in the green. It is the place where Mary may have spent her last days. Indeed, she may have come in the area together with Saint John, who spent several years in the area to spread Christianity. Mary preferred this remote place rather than living in crowded place.
The house of Virgin Mary is a typical Roman architectural example, entirely made of stones. In the 4th century AD, a church, combining her house and grave, has been built. The original two-stored house, which consisted of an anteroom (where today candles are proposed), bedroom and praying room (Christian church area) and a room with fireplace (chapel for Muslims). A front kitchen fell into ruins and has been restored in 1940’s. Today, only the central part and a room on the right of the altar are open to visitors.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: The Temple of Artemis, Ataturk, Park Ici Yolu No:12, Selcuk Turkey
The Temple of Artemis is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. It has been built in the areas of Ephesus on a flat area which has over the centuries turned into a swamp. If you visit Ephesus today, you can only see the ruins of the foundations of this marvelous construction of the Hellenistic Age, entirely made of marble and full of sculptured columns’ capitals and shafts. The most beautiful remaining of this temple are today exhibited in the London British Museum.
The oldest remaining found date back till the 6th century BC. It was surrounded by 36 huge columns, later enlarged upon the orders of the Lydia King, Kreisos, during the 6th century BC. Most of the exhibits in the London British Museum belong to this period.
Duration: 30 minutes
Meals included:
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 2: Private Pamukkale Tour from Kusadasi
Stop At: Pamukkale, Pamukkale
Pamukkale, meaning “cotton castle” in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli in southwestern Turkey. The area is famous for a carbonate mineral left by the flowing of thermal spring water. It is located in Turkey’s Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.
The ancient Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis was built on top of the travertine formation which is in total about 2,700 metres (8,860 ft) long, 600 m (1,970 ft) wide and 160 m (525 ft) high. It can be seen from the hills on the opposite side of the valley in the town of Denizli, 20 km away.
Known as Pamukkale (Cotton Castle) or ancient Hierapolis (Holy City), this area has been drawing visitors to its thermal springs since the time of Classical antiquity. The Turkish name refers to the surface of the shimmering, snow-white limestone, shaped over millennia by calcite-rich springs.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Pamukkale Thermal Pools, Pamukkale Turkey
Pamukkale is a city is located in southwestern Turkey, known for its hot springs and travertines (terraces of carbonate materials that are typically a remnant of flowing water). In the total area, there are 17 thermal springs which range in temperatures from 35 degrees Celcius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) all the way up to 100 degrees Celcius (212 degrees Fahrenheit), so some of the pools will not be suitable for swimming. Don’t even get close to the hottest springs! Additionally, there is a museum in the city (that was originally a Roman bath) containing artefacts from all over the country (5 Lira entrance fee). Well worth a look.
The city is located in the River Menderes valley and it has a temperate climate for the majority of the year. This conveniently makes it an ideal destination for those wanting to escape the cold.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Hierapolis & Pamukkale, Pamukkale 20280 Turkey
Hierapolis is an ancient city located on the top of Pamukkale and is a World Heritage site. There is a mixture of Pagan, Roman, Jewish and early Christian influences. Since the hot springs of Pamukkale were used as a spa since the 2nd century, people came to Hierapolis to soothe their ailments and often retire and die. The ruins sprawl over a large area and there is a large necropolis filled with sarcophagi.
The baths were made from large stone blocks and there are various open and closed areas linked together. The complex was constructed in the 2nd century and there are few historical facts known about the origin of the city. Many of the statues were transported to museums across the world and in 1970 a museum was built onsite.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Hierapolis Arkeoloji Muzesi, Orenyeri Kasabasi Pamukkale, Denizli Merkez, Denizli Turkey
Once a Roman bath, the Archeological Museum is near the Antique Pool atop the travertines at Pamukkale.
If you’ve already visited the ruins of Hierapolis and the Roman theater, this is the next logical stop for anyone with a fairly lively interest in Roman archeology.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Pamukkale Amphi Theatre, Izmir Blv. Yanyolu No:3, Pamukkale 20150 Turkey
The Roman Theatre was built over two stages; the first theatre was destroyed by an earthquake, so the second was hollowed out of a slope in the mountain. Most of the stage is still visible, as well as some decorative panels and VIP seating areas. At full capacity, the theatre could hold 12,000 – 15,000 people. The theatre is divided by eight vertical passageways and nine aisles. The theatre is constantly undergoing excavation projects and new relics and statues depicting mythological figures are continually being discovered.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Cleopatra Pools, Pamukkale Turkey
Situated above the Pamukkale white travertine pools is one particularly spectacular location fed by the same hot springs. Here you can bath in the same waters in which Cleopatra once swam! A professionally run modern spa facility allows you to enjoy these historical healing waters.
Unlike the white water of the lower pools the Antique Pool favored by Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, is pure clear warm water. Once it was surmounted by a Roman Temple to Apollo with ornate roof held up with Doric columns. Imagine how Cleopatra must have experienced this when you imagine it in it’s glory day.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.
