Priene, Miletus, and Didyma Day Tour from Kusadasi
Description
Immerse yourself in history during this full-day, small-group tour of Didyma, Miletos, and Priene from Kusadasi. Discover the ancient beauty of this area of Turkey and its gorgeous landscape, touring ancient ruins and crumbling temples. Leading the tour is an art historian who provides the perfect introduction to the area’s rich architecture, culture, and art scene. Roundtrip transportation to and from your hotel in Kusadasi is provided.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Didyma was famous throughout the ancient world as the place where a colossal Temple of Apollo stood, and the oracle revealed the future. The Word meant ‘the twins’ and the place was the meeting place of Zeus and Leto, to have their twins Apollo and Artemis. In its heyday, Didyma was not a city, but a place of worship, connected with Miletus by the so-called Sacred Way. This road was used by the pilgrims who arrived at Didyma, seeking answers to nagging questions. The first temple in Didyma was built by the ancient Greeks in the late 8th century BCE. Today, the remains of the archaic temple are located under Hellenistic construction.
Miletos was one of the cities in Ionian League; challenging the power of Ephesus. Today, the crowds of sightseers from all over the world rub shoulders in Ephesus, leaving the pleasure of discovering the secrets of Miletus to small groups of curious visitors who manage to reach this site.According to legend which has three versions, the city is believed to be founded by a hero named Miletos. The area was a place for settlement even in Neollithic period (3500-3000 BC). In Hittite documents, the area was named as Millawanda. Before 500 BC, Miletus was the greatest Greek city in the east. It was the natural outlet for products from the interior of Anatolia; and the city was distinguished for its literary and scientific-philosophical figures, among them are Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, and Hecataeus. Inour Miletos tour, we'll be seeing Theater, Byzantine Fortress, Harbour Monuments, Delphinium, South Agora, Baths of Faustina, Mosque of Ilyas Bey, and Caravansaray.
The ancient city Priene was important in the byzantine era, situated north of Miletus and south of Ephesus. The most important building in Priene is the temple of Athina on top of the hill .Also the theatre from Priene is worth a visit , with its 5 king chairs on the front row. The theatre could store 6500 people and it was constructed in the hellenistic era, it is the only theatre that is not being renewed by the romans.The acoustic is realy great in the theatre.Priene had a harbour and was based on the sea , and was one of the 12 city’s bonded with each other in ionic era.Priene was a rich city with luxe houses almost 33 procent of the citizens had their own bathroom with toilet , with is realy a high number in those years
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick up from all hotels and from the port in Kusadasi
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Reviews(11)
First, thank you Apasas for being flexible on the start time on a very hot day. It made all the difference being able to get out early. Second, these ruins require a little extra effort to get to but are so worth it. Priene is such an incredible place and walking amongst the ruins makes you feel like you’re walking in Alexander the Great’s footsteps. Pretty magical. Miletus and Didyma boast these incredible theater and temple respectively. The scale is something you must experience first hand. Our guide, Mel, and driver were so great and managing the day and keeping us one step ahead of everyone else. Thank you for a great day!
Everything was memorable. The most impressive site was Didyma. Thanks to our guide Gul for a lot of new information.
This was an excellent trip. Our Guide, Mehmet, was very knowledgeable and personable. Her took us to a local restaurant for lunch and was great.
This company provided an excellent tour and our tour guide Melike was excellent. Her English was excellent. She had good knowledge of the sites we saw and was very mindful of our walking abilities as 70 year old couple and took it slow in the extreme August heat. She always made sure the driver was at the pickup point and the van was cool. They provided an excellent lunch in a local village restaurant We would recommend this company based on our experience.
Thank you very much for your valuable online review. We are happy that you enjoyed our excursion. We wish you all the best again.
The trip was amazing. Gül is an experienced, very knowledgeable English speaking guide. She walked us through the ruins the whole day, showing and explaining the history and the architecture. The car was fully air conditioned and the food was great. What else?? The best ever
Thank you very much for your valuable online review. We are very pleased that you enjoyed our excursion. We wish you all the best again.
We had an excellent PMD tour with Apasas. They were able to fit us in at the last minute as we made arrangements through our hotel just the night before, including pickup and drop-off from Selçuk and a nice itinerary without unwanted stops at carpet shops or other tourist traps. Transportation was a modern and spotless van with seat rows facing each other for a much nicer time talking to our guide during the drive. Gul was an excellent guide throughout. She spoke and understood English excellently, down to common idioms, and was very knowledgeable about each of the places we visited and their context in history. We will happily tour with Apasas and Gul again when we have the opportunity.
For anyone who is in the Kusadasi area and already been to Ephesus, this is a great tour. The Greek remains in Priene, the Roman theatre in Miletus and the magnificent Apollo Temple in Didim are well worth visiting. Our lunch was delicious and our guide Gul was not only knowledgeable but she was a pleasure to spend a day with.
<p>Mini bus turns up at the Hotel with driver and extremely knowledgeable English speaking guide and went ahead in spite of there only being just the two of us. Quite a magical experience. Would certainly recommend this tour.</p>
