Selçuk

6 places to see from here2 nights on Ephesus to the travertines

A small town on top of the ancient city’s last home. Stay two nights: one day for Ephesus and the town, one for Priene, Miletus and Didyma.

What to see from here

Distances are straight lines from the town centre.

in town
Temple of Artemis
One column re-erected in a marsh, of a Wonder of the World.
in town
Basilica of St John
Justinian’s basilica on Ayasuluk hill, below the castle.
in town
İsa Bey Mosque
Built in 1375 for the Aydınid emir İsa Bey, with columns taken from Ephesus.
in town
Ephesus Museum
The ‘Great’ and ‘Beautiful’ Artemis statues and finds from the Terrace Houses.
9 km
House of the Virgin Mary
A chapel on Bülbül Dağı where tradition says Mary spent her last years.
8 km
Şirince
A hill village of old Greek houses, known for its fruit wines.
3 km
Ephesus (Efes)
One of the great cities of Roman Asia: the Library of Celsus, a vast theatre and marble streets lined with terraced houses. Allow about 3–4 hours.
33 km
Priene
A small Hellenistic city laid out on a grid, on terraces under a sheer cliff. Allow about 1–2 hours.
47 km
Miletus
Once a harbour city, now far inland because the Büyük Menderes (Maeander) silted up its bays. Allow about 1–2 hours.
64 km
Didyma
The oracle temple of Apollo, one of the largest Greek temples ever begun, and never finished. Allow about 1 hour.
84 km
Sardis
Capital of Lydia and of King Croesus, where some of the first coins were struck. Allow about 2 hours.
87 km
Bin Tepe Tumuli
The Lydian royal cemetery: more than a hundred burial mounds on the ridge north of Sardis. Allow about 1 hour.

History of the town

Ephesus moved as its harbour silted up. Selçuk sits on the third site, and you can see all three in a day.

Before 300 BCBy the Artemision

The archaic city grew around the temple in the plain.

c. 290 BC – AD 600In the valley

Lysimachus moved it between two hills: the ruins you visit.

Middle Ages →On Ayasuluk hill

Byzantine, then Aydınid and Ottoman. Renamed Selçuk in 1914.

TrainRegional trains from İzmir’s Adnan Menderes airport station stop in the town centre.

CarAbout 80 km from İzmir. Parking at both Ephesus gates.

From a cruiseKuşadası port is about 20 km away.