Aegean Coast

The Turkish Aegean Coast stretches over nearly 400 km between the Gulf of Smyrna (Izmir) to the north and the Bodrum peninsula to the south, facing the Greek islands of the Dodecanese (Kos, Samos, Rhodes visible from the shore). This region concentrates the densest accumulation of ancient sites in the entire eastern Mediterranean — a Greco-Roman heritage of unmatched richness, combined with a magnificent coastline of rocky coves, pebble beaches and bays with turquoise waters.

The ancient heritage is the region's main asset. The ancient city of Ephesus (Selçuk), capital of the Roman province of Asia in the 2nd century, is the best preserved in the entire eastern Mediterranean — the Library of Celsus (135 AD) with its two-storey façade, the Great Theatre of 25,000 seats where the Apostle Paul preached, the temple of Hadrian, the marble public latrines, the commercial agora — striking testimonies to Roman urban life. 200 km to the east, Hierapolis-Pamukkale deploys a unique geological landscape: the white travertines (limestone terraces formed by hot springs) cascading down 200 m, topped by the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis with its theatre, baths and necropolis (one of the largest in the world). Further east still, Aphrodisias (UNESCO 2017) is famous for its school of marble sculpture — the monumental statues there rival those of Athens.

Beyond heritage, the Aegean Coast offers an exceptional seaside experience. Bodrum, former Halicarnassus where the Mausoleum stood (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, now in ruins), has become the 'Turkish Saint-Tropez' — chic port, castle of the Knights of Saint John, peninsula beaches (Gümbet, Bitez, Türkbükü, Yalıkavak), intense nightlife, marinas hosting superyachts. Kuşadası and Çeşme offer a more family-oriented and affordable experience. Izmir, Turkey's third city, is the modern cosmopolitan metropolis that serves as a regional hub — less touristy but enlivened by its university scene, its bazaars (Kemeraltı) and its old Alsancak quarter.