Miletos – Didyma - Priene (3 Ancient City) Tours from Çeşme

PRIENE Ancient City

Visitors to Priene can view the Temple of Athena and the well-preserved Bouleuterion. The site has the remains of a Greek theater, Roman baths and gymnasiums, ruins from an ancient synagogue, and the house of Alexander the Great in which he stayed for a while when he is fighting agains Miletus.

Priene offers visitors an opportunity to explore the ruins of a Hellenistic city that may not be as crowded and bustling with tourists.

MİLETUS Ancient City

Miletus played an important role in the history of western Anatolia as one of the 12 Ionian Cities of Asia Minor. The ruins located 30 kilometres south of Soke (Soke is a city and district) next to the Maeander (Buyuk Menderes) river are one of Turkey’s most attractive sites. Miletus was home to several great philosophers, scientists such as Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Hippodamus, and Hecataeus.

DIDYMA Ancient City

A small popular seaside resort town, located within the western a part of the turkey. To be precise, Didim is found 123 km from the capital city of Aydın. This town is where you'll trace back the ruins of the Temple of Apollo and therefore the ancient cities.

This place is home to ruins from 8th and 7th centuries BC. in fact the temple of Apollo is the most important site to go to here, but that temple of Artemis and Roman theatre are other places you'll be able to visit yet. The subsequent paragraphs are dedicated to the temple of Apollo for you to understand what makes it worthwhile.

Didyma Apollo Temple, one of the most important prophecy centers of the ancient world, is located in the city center of Didim district of Aydın Province. It was the sanctuary of the ancient city of Miletus, to which the Temple of Apollo, which was the prophecy center of important cities such as Ephesus and Priene, which constituted the city states of Ion, was originally connected. Didyma is not actually an ancient city, but a holy place. The first written source about Didyma is Herodot. As Herodotus said; Alexander the Great, who gave the temple management to the city of Miletos after Alexander the Great took Miletos, was declared as the son of Zeus by the local people because of this behavior. With the help of Iskaer, the temple took its present form. If we talk about the current state of the temple, it is surrounded by 124 columns on a platform that can be climbed by steps on all four sides. The temple was destroyed by the Persian army attacking Miletus in 494 BC. Its rebuilding begins with Alexander the Great's liberation of the region from Persian rule. The construction of M.S. The magnificent temple, which lasted until the middle of the 2nd century, was not completely finished. The dimensions of the temple, which took its current form during its reconstruction, are approximately 109 x 51 meters. Located in the middle of the building, 53 x 21 m. The "Sella Sacred Space" of the size of today hosts concert and art organizations. The famous Medusa figure, which has become one of the symbols of Didim, is located at the entrance of the temple garden

Priene-Miletus-Didyma Tour: This tour covers 3 magnificent cities of ancient times, close to each other.

Tour Program:

The Greeks (Ionians) who migrated to the Aegean Region after the attacks of the Dorian Tribe in Northern Greece in 1000 BC, took refuge in the Aegean region.
The Ionians, who fled from Greece and the islands, mixed with the Lelegs, Carians, and Lydians living in the region. And today, we will visit 3 legendary Ionian cities.
First, we will visit Priene. The ancient city of Priene, which was established 2500 years ago at the foot of the Mykale Mountain, was a port city at that time. There are many works of art and architecture belonging to the ancient Greek period such as the marble streets laying parallel to each other and water channels. The Priene Theater and the Temple of Athena Polias were built by Alexander the Great as a gift.
After a 20 km ride, we will visit the Miletos ruins. We will see the ancient theater with a capacity of 15,000, the Miletos Museum, the Temple of Serapis, and the Faustina Bath, built by Marcus Aurelius in the name of his wife. There is a 20 km-long sacred marble road between the Temple of Serapis in Miletos and the Temple of Apollo in Didim. Miletos people used to go to the temple of Apollo for pilgrimage and religious rituals through this holy path. Then, we will continue on our way towards Didyma (30 km). Nowadays, Didyma is a tourism center thanks to its golden sand beach. The Temple of Apollo built in 600 BC here was a sacred religious center in ancient times. We will visit the temple that features magnificent marble columns.

Afterward, we’ll have a lunch break at a local restaurant and return to Çeşme

This tour is between 08:00-18:00 every day.

Duration: 10 hours

Places to visit: Priene-Miletus-Dydima

Tour Prices:

• 220 € Per Person

Included

• Hotel Pick up and Drop off (from Çeşme Hotels)
• Professional Tour Guide
• Transportation by A/C vehicle,
• Entrance Tickets ( Priene-Miletus-Dydima )
• Lunch
• Parking fees for the vehicle.
• Drop-off to your hotel

Excluded

• Drinks (at lunch)
• Any Private Expenses
• Optional tips to the drivers and guides

Important to know

All of our tours are group tours. Contact us for your private tour requests.
Please dress accordingly to the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes
This tour may be operated by a multilingual guide
If you have special dietary requirements, please contact directly the local tour provider. You can find their contact information in the voucher after booking
The duration of transfers is 2 hours approximate, the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions
A passport is required for the tour
This tour is not wheelchair accessible .Entrance fees to Terrace House and Virgin Mary House are not included, as this is not an obligatory part of the tour. You can pay to our Agency before joining the tour