💎 Hidden gems remaining: 8
Just one hour drive away from Izmir, Selçuk is a completely different town. Mind I wrote town and not city, because it is so cutely small and lovely that it was such a pleasure to stay here. From the moment we arrived at the city, we regretted that we were only staying here for 2 nights. Staying in the hearth of the town, everything was less than 500 m away. It was like a fresh breeze to come here from Istanbul – and we enjoyed every bit of it.
Before we talk anyting about Selçuk, let us comment our journey. We waved a goodbye to Istanbul at 10:30, driving with a packed yet comfortable bus (company Lüks Yalova) that should have taken 8 h but ended up taking more than 10 h. We did not complain as our backs did not hurt and there were outlets to top up our computer while watching an action packed movie. It is a thing you need to consider when travelling with buses and we learned it the hard way. But this was not the end of our jouney. The final destination of our coach was Izmir – but we had to come to Selçuk. Let us introduce you to "the mini bus". Not the other word for comfort – should you be anything taller than "mini", you will find yourself squashed by the time you reach Selçuk. We arrived at 10 pm ☹️.
Selçuk bus station with a minibus
Tucany Pension
When we finally arrived, finding our accommodation was easy. Only a few minutes of walk, a knock on the door and a smile on the face. The host was super friendly and we payed in Euros and Lyras combined. What a deal! We were even offered to pick a brighter room with an additional window to allow the sun to wake us up in the morning.
Speaking of morning, do not hesitate to get up early (at 8 am) – the morning ambient of the pension's garden, accompanied with a freshly served breakfast will draw a smile on your face. Once you satisfy your hunger, you will be ready for a day full of adventures.
Rather expensive to enter, but well worth the visit, Ephesus is protected by the UNESCO cultural heritage. It used to be an ancient Greek town, built 1000 B.C. by Greek colonists. Then it was conquered by the Romans around 100 B.C. The city was mostly known for Arthemis' temple which is considered one of the seven wonders of the world.
The Library of Cel
St. Mary's church
Amphitheatre
But it is not only the temple. Visiting the historical site, we explored a well preserved amphitheatre, the ruins of St. Mary church and the Library of Celsus. Accompanied by other town facilities (now in ruins), you can get a great insight into the city that used to posses a great power. Also inside, we took a look at terrace houses.
You can reach Ephesus either by foot (45 min from Selçuk) or by minibus (5 TL, 5 min)
Ticket: 120 TL
Combined tickets: 160 TL or 200 TL (Google it!)
Sarcophagus
Agora
Spot sometnig different?
might be known to you from the geography class. But these terraced houses here are cultural in another meaning. Built more than a millenium ago and damaged by earthquakes in the past, the cultural herritage is still preserved: various mosaics and wall paintings can be seen here.
As the name suggests, they are built in different levels to make the best use of the hilly area. It is also a great place to cool down after walking around being .
Terrace houses from above
Standing on the top of a hill, building it was a pretty big deal. The size of this majestic building (before it collapsed into ruins) allows for many different compartments. St. John came here with St. Mary, wrote his last letters and passed away in Ephesus. His tomb is now located here.
If you climb up furthermore, you can reach the Ayasuluk Castle. You will have a panoramic areal scenic overview of Selçuk from up there.
St. John's Tomb
What is this hole doing here?
Castle fortress
Don't really do it.
Haven't had enough Ephesus for one day? We haven't, so we visited a museum. Full of ancient statues (some certain body parts are not in proportions ... or ?) and everyday objects, you can get a grasp of the beauty ideals of that time.
If you are visiting all those sights, we suggest you to take a look at combined tickets to save some bucks. Plan your visits in advance.
His face had been deformed prior to our visit. Or did I break his nose?
This time we indulged us fully in Turkish cousine. Firstly an abundant breakfast in the morning to replenish your hunger, served by our wonderful host. When you get hungry again, just make a few steps and enjoy crunchy but still juicy classic and Turkish pizza at Selçuk Pedicisi restaurant. And for the evening, take your time at a slower paced local Turkish restaurant Ejder in the wounderful ambient of the downtown.
As for what we ordered, we had a special meat & cheese Turkish pizza and a classic but very juicy tuna one. A bowl of mixed salad was inlcuded in the meal. They found a great way to fold the edges of the Turkish pizza, filling it to the end but still providing a grip not to grease your fingers. As for the dinner, we ordered Aubergine meat kebap and Casarole meatballs. The food was simply delicious with meatballs being spicy in kind of Moroccan way. But we did like that addition.
Breakfast in the garden ambient
Pizza: Turkish and non-Turkish
Spicy? Yes. Problem? No.