Kusadasi Trip Planning & Itineraries

10:26 AM Wednesday, Oct 8
Sunny. Cool.
7 day forecast »

About 13mi (20km) from Selçuk is Kusadasi, which, at first glance, is as much of a shameless tourist trap as any cruise-ship port. In summer, it becomes swollen out of all recognition with package holiday-makers from Europe.

However, outside high season it is a laidback town with some lovely beaches and stunning views. A room at a nice pension with a rooftop terrace makes a great base for excursions to the ancient cities of Ephesus, Priene, Miletus and Didyma. Plus, the nightlife is cheesy but full on, and the city's taxi fleet includes a number of very cool, bright-yellow 1960s Chevrolet Impalas.

Kusadasi Top Experiences

Kuşadasij (Bird Island) gets its name from a small island, called Güvercin Adasij (Pigeon Island), connected to the mainland by a causeway. Unfortunately, the small stone fortress that is its most prominent feature is usually locked, but that doesn't stop it from being a popular stroll for Turkish families.

The town's most prominent landmark is the caravanserai near the harbor. In the early 18th century, Öküz Mehmet Paşa, sometime grand vizier to sultans Ahmet I and Osman II, ordered the building of this caravanserai, together with the Kaleiçi Camii and hamam, and the city walls.