Aphrodisias

Aphrodisias lies in a high valley near the village of Geyre, outside the small town of Karacasu in Aydın province. From the car park, visitors are usually taken the short distance to the site in a trailer pulled by a tractor, and brought back the same way.

The site is laid out as a loop. Start with the museum: its long hall displaying the carved relief panels of the Sebasteion, a temple complex for the Roman emperors, is the highlight, and other rooms show portraits and statues from the city's famous sculpture workshops. Then follow the path to the Tetrapylon, the monumental gateway in front of the Temple of Aphrodite, the temple itself with the Bouleuterion (council house) beside it, and the stadium, one of the best preserved in the Roman world. On the way back you pass the theatre, the Baths of Hadrian and the South Agora with its long pool, as well as the remains of the Sebasteion itself. Allow two and a half to three hours including the museum.

Aphrodisias is somewhat out of the way, reached by mountain roads from Aydın or Nazilli. It works as a day trip from Denizli or Pamukkale, though combining both in one day is tiring. The path to the stadium has no shade, so come early in summer. There are far fewer tour groups than at Pamukkale, and the site is often quiet. Check the hours on the museum page.