Western Turkey is dotted with stunning Greco Roman archaeological sites. It's a bit like Maya ruins in Yucatan. Take a look at the many tentative sites of Turkey, count how many mention an amphitheatre or a forum, and you will understand.

And similar to the Maya ruins in Yucatan, you start to wonder where to draw the line? Does each and every well preserved site deserve a spot on the list? Or should it just be the exceptional ones?

With this in mind, I made my way from Denzili to Aphrodisias by cab. It was late December, completely offseason. When we turned off the main road in Tavas, there was no more traffic and the area became very rural and very quiet quickly; probably a reason why the site is so well preserved.

On site, I was the first visitor that day. The site itself is fairly large and as I understand not fully excavated. But what was is on display is impressive and well preserved. Most will state the stadium to be the preeminent site. The Turkish authorities claim it to be the largest remaining Roman stadium. It is nice, but Messini in Greece felt it's equal in size and preservation.

Overall, the site is very consistent and large. I think it's a fine addition. Let's see how many more Greco Roman ruins in Turkey will make the cut.

Getting There

Aphrodisias is a bit off the beaten path with no major town nearby. The next big town is Denizli which has a large bus terminal and a train station connecting you to Ephesos and Izmir. Note on the Denizli bus terminal: It's well organized as soon as you know how. Each bus company has a designated lot with a number. In the departure area, there are plenty of tables telling which company has which lot number.

By far the best and easiest option for Aphrodisias is to get a return cab in Denizli. I think I paid less than 50€ for a return ride with 2-3h wait time. In high season, there seem to be organized day trips from Pamukkale, too.

If you are hellbent on doing this on your own, supposedly you can catch a dolmus from Nazilli to Karacasu. Nazilli is situated along the railway line/highway from Ephesos to Denizli, so you could do stop over here. But I don't think it's worth the time and effort as long as cabs are reasonably priced.

While You Are There

Obviously, Pamukkale is a must visit. There are also two tentative sites near Denizli, Laodikeia and the Akhan Kervansaray. All three sites can be easily combined into a day trip from Denizli.

As next steps, you can head West to Ephesos, East to Konya or South direction Antalya or Fethiye. I continued South West by bus to Fethiye for Kaunos and Xanthos.