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Turkey - The Central and Southern Aegean PDF

193 Pages·2016·13.4 MB·English
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Contents How to use Introduction to The central and southern Aegean İzmir The Çeşme peninsula Selçuk and around Kuşadası and around Didim and around Bafa Gölü Milas and around Bodrum The Bodrum peninsula Marmaris The Hisarönü peninsula The Datça peninsula Pamukkale Around Pamukkale Turkey Basics Maps Small print HOW TO USE THIS ROUGH GUIDES SNAPSHOT This Rough Guides Snapshot is one of a new generation of informative and easy-to-use travel-guide ebooks that guarantees you make the most of your visit. An essential tool for pre-trip planning, it also makes a great travel companion when you’re on the road. Introduction to the central and southern Aegean is a good place to start, with an overview of the region’s big attractions and a list of highlights. From the table of contents, you can click straight to the main sections of the guide, which includes features on all the major sights. You’ll find practical information on the country as a whole, including details on flights, in Turkey Basics. Shorter contents lists appear at the start of every section in the guide to make chapter navigation quick and easy. You can jump back to these by tapping the links that sit with an arrow icon. Detailed area maps can be found in the guide and in the dedicated map section, which also includes a full country map, accessible from the table of contents. Depending on your hardware, you can double-tap on the maps to see larger-scale versions, or select different scales. There are also thumbnails below more detailed maps – in these cases, you can opt to “zoom left/top” or “zoom right/bottom” or view the full map. The screen-lock function on your device is recommended when viewing enlarged maps. Make sure you have the latest software updates, too. Throughout the guide, we’ve flagged up our favourite places - a perfectly sited hotel, an atmospheric café, a special restaurant - with . You can select your own favourites and create a personalized itinerary by bookmarking the sights, venues and activities that are of interest, giving you the quickest possible access to everything you’ll need for your time away. INTRODUCTION TO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AEGEAN Highlights The central and southern Aegean coast and its hinterland have seen foreign tourism for longer than any other part of Turkey. The territory between modern İzmir and Marmaris corresponds to the bulk of ancient Ionia and just about all of old Caria, and contains a concentration of Classical Greek, Hellenistic and Roman antiquities unrivalled in Turkey. Of these, Ephesus is usually first on everyone’s list, but the understated charms of exquisitely positioned sites such as Priene and Labranda hold at least as much appeal. Of course, most visitors are drawn especially by the beaches – Kuşadası, Bodrum and Marmaris are among the largest resorts in all Turkey, bursting with cruise passengers and package tourists but rather likeable places nonetheless. Independent travellers may prefer to seek more secluded sections of coast: the resort of Çeşme is certainly not overblown, the Datça peninsula is unspoiled and quite spectacular, and the towns and villages on the Çeşme, Bodrum and Hisarönü peninsulas are highly popular with moneyed locals. There’s plenty to see once you get away from the coast, too. Sprawling İzmir, the third-largest city in Turkey, is an earthy place that attracts almost no foreign visitors – swing by to see how “real” Turkey functions, and for an excursion west along the peninsula to Alaçatı, a well-preserved former Greek village that’s now a weekend magnet for affluent Turks. The territory of ancient Ionia begins to the south, bookended – in travel terms – by little Selçuk, most famed as the jumping-off point for Ephesus but a delightful place in its own right. South of here is Kuşadası, an unabashedly utilitarian resort that serves well for excursions to the major antiquities and the nearby Dilek National Park. Ruins spanning numerous eras pepper the former coast – now some way inland – as you head further south, including Priene, perhaps the most dramatic site of all the Ionian cities; sprawling Miletus; and Didyma, with its gargantuan temple. South of the main Ionian sites, the southern Aegean begins with reminders of another ancient civilization – the Carians, a purportedly barbarous people indigenous to the area (a rarity in Anatolia) who spoke a language distantly related to Greek. The waters of Bafa Gölü, and ancient Heracleia ad Latmos on its northeast shore, make a suitably dramatic introduction to this once-isolated and mysterious region. From Milas, the nearest substantial town, a cluster of ancient sites provides tempting excursions. South again, party-hard Bodrum and its peninsula are the big event on this coast. While the tentacles of development creep over the surrounding land, the features that first attracted outsiders to the area still occasionally shine through. Next up is Marmaris, another big, rather overblown resort; the Hisarönü peninsula beyond, bereft of a sandy shoreline but blessed with magnificent scenery, offers the closest escape – Datça and the remote beaches nearby are more rewarding than the much-touted ruins of ancient Knidos. Lastly, inland you’ll find the otherworldly travertine terraces that surround the hot springs of Pamukkale – picture-perfect proof that beaches are not the only natural attraction in this spellbinding region. If you’ve been travelling in other parts of Turkey, the Aegean area’s high accommodation prices may come as an unpleasant surprise – rates at the coastal resorts go through the roof in summer, though inland (including İzmir, Selçuk and Pamukkale) you can find budget rooms at any time of year. As for Aegean cuisine, it’s unusual in placing far less emphasis on meat, and far more on fresh herbs and vegetables. ZOOM LEFT ZOOM RIGHT < Back to Introduction to The central and southern Aegean EPHESUS Highlights 1 Alaçatı This marvellous little village has become one of the best places in which to sample the Aegean area’s unique cuisine. 2 Selçuk More than a mere base for visiting ancient ruins, this is one of Turkey’s most pleasant small towns, and a great place to shack up for a few days. 3 Ephesus Hot, crowded and exhausting it may be, but you simply can’t miss Turkey’s best-preserved ancient city – a magnificent monument to the wealth of Rome. 4 Priene Scramble over the ruins of a superbly preserved Hellenistic town and gaze out over the Meander basin. 5 Bodrum Spend a few days sampling the nightlife at Turkey’s most fashionable and sophisticated beach resort. 6 Pamukkale Visit the geological oddity that has found its way onto every Turkish tourism poster. 7 Aphrodisias New excavations at this beautifully sited Roman city are revealing a site to rival Ephesus in grandeur and importance. For details on getting to the central and southern Aegean and travelling across the rest of Turkey, as well as information on entry requirements and currency, plus travelling with children, national holidays and sport, turn to the Turkey Basics section. < Back to Introduction to The central and southern Aegean

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