Considering a holiday in Turkey? At Villa Vali our services go much further than being a hotel holiday complex: we aim to ensure that you have every opportunity to explore Akyaka, the local area and the region.
Even though Akyaka is a wonderful place to just sit and do nothing, on occasions the urge may hit you to go explore further afield. .The personnel at Villa Vali will help you discover the hidden Akyaka and the magic of the Mugla region. Consider day trips found on :
Ephesus is the most famous and the most complete ancient site in Turkey. It really is a ‘must see’ – if not on your first visit to Turkey, then certainly at some point.
Organised trips (and, for that matter, the admission ticket) also cover the house of the Virgin Mary.
Ephesus is simply stunning. The tour can be done either on your own, or you can hire a guide – these are extremely good, and cost around £30. A guide will know all the history, and will be able to explain what things are far better than you can work out yourself (such as the Nike ‘tick’ on the status of the Goddess Nike’). They will also usually be fairly flexible over timings, route, etc.
Touring Ephesus is a long dusty walk, with little shade, and you can easily spend a couple of hours walking around, and certainly no less than 1 hour.
The walk through Ephesus feels pretty much like walking down a modern day high street – there are shops along either side, interspersed with houses and the major buildings – the Temple of Hadrian, the stunning library of Celsus which you aim towards for most of the first part of the walk, the toilets (always a favourite with the kids!), the agora, and finally the huge theatre. Like many of the Turkish sites, it is very easy to imagine an ancient lifestyle in such a well-preserved setting.
Getting There by Car
From Akyaka, take the Mugla road, and then at the main Mugla traffic lights take the E330 towards Aydin and Izmir. Continue following Aydin / Izmir, the road becomes the E550. At Aydin, take the E87 towards Izmir, and then follow the signs to Selcuk and then Ephesus (often signposted Efes – just like the beer!). Approximately 200 kms, allow 2.5 to 3 hours by car.
Ephesus is the most famous and the most complete ancient site in Turkey. It really is a ‘must see’ – if not on your first visit to Turkey, then certainly at some point.
Organised trips (and, for that matter, the admission ticket) also cover the house of the Virgin Mary.
Ephesus is simply stunning. The tour can be done either on your own, or you can hire a guide – these are extremely good, and cost around £30. A guide will know all the history, and will be able to explain what things are far better than you can work out yourself (such as the Nike ‘tick’ on the status of the Goddess Nike’). They will also usually be fairly flexible over timings, route, etc.
Touring Ephesus is a long dusty walk, with little shade, and you can easily spend a couple of hours walking around, and certainly no less than 1 hour.
The walk through Ephesus feels pretty much like walking down a modern day high street – there are shops along either side, interspersed with houses and the major buildings – the Temple of Hadrian, the stunning library of Celsus which you aim towards for most of the first part of the walk, the toilets (always a favourite with the kids!), the agora, and finally the huge theatre. Like many of the Turkish sites, it is very easy to imagine an ancient lifestyle in such a well-preserved setting.
Getting There by Car
From Akyaka, take the Mugla road, and then at the main Mugla traffic lights take the E330 towards Aydin and Izmir. Continue following Aydin / Izmir, the road becomes the E550. At Aydin, take the E87 towards Izmir, and then follow the signs to Selcuk and then Ephesus (often signposted Efes – just like the beer!). Approximately 200 kms, allow 2.5 to 3 hours by car.
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Getting There
The two obvious ways to get around are to join an organised trip, or to hire a car.
Organised Trips
There are a number of companies in Akyaka that run these, (see elsewhere on this site) or your hotel / villa owner etc will be happy to help. This is probably the cheapest method of getting around, and also takes the stress out of the journey. Against this, most of (certainly the longer) trips leave very early in the morning, some are even overnight, and they may insist on taking in other places on the journey that may not be to your liking.
Hiring a Car
Hiring a car in Turkey is not as cheap as in many other Mediterranean resorts, and you may be shocked to find that petrol is even more expensive than in England (it is one of the main ways that the Turkish Government raise tax revenues). However, hiring a car for at least some of your holiday is well worthwhile, and enables you to do far more exploring, both locally and at greater distances, than you would otherwise manage – as well as allowing you to choose your routes and timings to suit you. (See elsewhere on Akyaka.com, or other web sites, or ask around when you arrive).
Driving in Turkey is not as horrific as some guidebooks would have you believe. The roads are relatively traffic free, and there is nearly always an overtaking lane to use (depending on which lane is travelling uphill at the time!) Most road signs are fairly obvious, and even the extensive road improvement schemes rarely cause any significant delay. Do though be aware that because of the amount of up and down and around bits (other than along the coast road, most of the sites are inland and hence ‘over the mountains’) most journeys will take longer than you anticipate based solely on distance. You probably won’t average much more than about 75km per hour.
There are many roadside services, ranging from European style petrol stations, (most of which take credit cards) through to little ‘shacks’ that sell most of the usual refreshments, obviously cash only.
And of course look out for the stuffed sheep sellers – lay bys full of stuffed sheep, which no one ever seems to buy, and which no Turk has ever been able to explain!
