bodrum sights
Museum Of Underwater Archeology
St. Peter’s castle
A living, award-winning museum with several departments, that is definitely worth spending a few hours in. Exhibits include a shipwreck from 1400 BC which is unique in the world. Don’t miss the fine collection of amphorae. Address: Harbour
Phone: +90 (0)252 316 2516
Maussollos’s Mausoleum
One of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Few know what the mausoleum really looked like, but it is believed that the famous sculptor Skopas was responsible for parts of the decoration. But it was certainly extravagant. Today the visitor can only see the remains of the building’s
walls. Close by are the remains of the ancient theatre.
Address: Above the marina
Boat Trips
Bodrum harbour is full of gulets, traditional boats that take visitors on long or short trips along the beautiful coastline. They are comfortable vessels with large rear decks and good cabins. Trips last from one to several days and the captain is usually the cook. You can also hire rent a sailing boat with a crew for day trips or take a bathing boat to one of the beaches. There are small shady bays everywhere, sometimes with simple cafés on the beach.
Didyma
You don’t need to be interested in ruins to
take a trip to an archeological site. En
route you’ll experience the countryside and
the journey will take you through small
towns and villages that you’d otherwise
miss. A few kilometers from the holiday
resort of Altinkum, in Yenihisar, lies
Didyma, a great temple to Apollo. Didyma
was a religious site and the oracle there
was as famous as the oracle of Delphi. The
temple was destroyed by the Persians
around 400 BC and the existing ruins date
from Roman times. The remains of 120
columns give an indication of the size of
the temple.
Underground: Dolmus or local bus; sometimes also boat from Bodrum
Selçuk/efesos
This excavation is almost as remarkable as
Pompeii in Italy. Ancient Ephesus had
around 400,000 inhabitants. The first town
was built around the temple of Artemis,
another of the ancient worlds’ seven
wonders. The ruins visible today are from
the Roman era. The remains of the Temple of Artemis are outside the ruin area.
On the hill above
stands the cathedral of St John where the
evangelist is buried. St John is believed to have lived in Ephesus together with
the Virgin Mary.
Underground: Local bus to Selçuk or tour bus.
Pamukkale
Layers of limestone have created this
impressive natural phenomenon,
reminiscent of a glacier on ancient rock.
Water runs constantly from one level to
another on the remarkable terraces.
Unfortunately, too many visitors have worn
away the cliff and today most of the pools
are closed to the public.Above Pamukkale
lies the ancient Hierapolis which was a
great spa and health resort in Roman
times. Transport: Special day trips, but
local buses can also be used.
THE BEACHES
The beaches of the Bodrum peninsula are
excellent for diving and snorkeling. Bathing
boats or dolmus can take you to most of
them. Bagla on the south coast has fine
sandy beaches, but windsurfers usually
prefer Gümbet. On the west coast you can
find good beaches at Akyar, Turgutreis,
Gümuslük and Yalikavak. These are all
small villages with fish restaurants and
popular anchorages for sailors. In Karaada
bay there are caves with hot water springs.
Milas
Milas, about 50 km north-east of Bodrum
is an important carpet centre and Milas
carpets are woven in soft tobacco colours.
It’s a pleasant town to stroll around with
good shopping in the bazaar. Prices are
lower than in Bodrum.
Underground: Local bus or dolmus.