Like all popular resorts on Turkey’s Aegean Coast a holiday in Kusadasi will certainly not leave you bored! With some great beaches and attractive resort style hotels you can of course come on holiday to Kusadasi and simply relax, but it’s always nice to get out and enjoy the surroundings.

 

Kusadasi has a good share of its own historical attractions which you can read more about on the Historical Kusadasi page, but most holidaymakers will head to nearby Ephesus for an excellent fix of ancient history.

 

Ephesus is a truly spectacular place and is highly recommended, so if you only visit one ancient site in Turkey, make sure it’s Ephesus! This rival to Italy’s Pompeii is less than 30 minutes drive from your hotel in Kusadasi, and to make the most of your visit you should plan on being here for most of the day. The drive in a hire car is quick and easy or you can make use of one of the many organised tours that make the trip from Kusadasi to Ephesus every day.

 

While Ephesus is spectacular there are other impressive ruins within a day trip reach of your hotel in Kusadasi. Didyma is less than 50 miles to the south and very easy to get to. This to is an impressive site, and once you’ve done the tour you can visit the beach and nearby smallish tourist resort of Altinkum.

 

If you’re doing the drive to Didyma you may like to take a side trip to Miletus which also has numerous ruins to see. The closest ancient city, other than Ephesus, is Priene, about 25 miles from Kusadasi. This hillside city is not as large as others but it does have a beautiful setting and is usually much quieter than other ancient sites in this part of Southern Turkey. If you want to escape the hordes who visit Ephesus every day then you should definitely visit Priene while on holiday in Kusadasi. Our Kusadasi Driving Tour describes a tour that takes in these ancient cities and more.

 

You don’t have to spend every day of your holiday in Kusadasi traipsing around ancient cities though! The area also has some great beaches to enjoy. Kusadasi has several good beaches but they’re often a little too crowded. The most famous, and busiest, is called Ladies Beach and it’s just under 2 miles from the town centre and accessible via dolmus. If you want a quieter beach though, travel a little further out from your Kusadasi hotel and you’ll discover some unspoilt beaches to the north, or go south and enjoy the beaches of the Dilek National Park. You can read more about the Dilek National Park on our Kusadasi Off the Beaten Track page.