A Greek city , located on the coast of Aegean sea, conquered by the Romans and later rebuilt by Alexander the Great, Izmir finally was taken over by the Ottoman Empire and inducted into Turkish territory. This Historical city is also the third most populated city in Turkey as well as a key hub in the west coast to connect to other nearby European cities .
Izmir is also the base city to visit
- Ephesus, the 7th wonder of ancient World
- Pamukkale , the super famous thermal water terrace city.
Given my short travel time, I had only one day to spend, so I chose to visit Izmir and Ephesus (since it’s historically more significant) .
So here’s a full detailed guide on Izmir Ephesus Pamukkale itinerary!
Where to Stay in Izmir?
Since you’d end up visiting Pamukkale and Ephesus in two days from Izmir, it’s recommended to stay close to the Railway station. After much research, I chose Alican 1 Hotel in Izmir. The hotel was almost opposite to the Izmir Basmane Railway station, surrounded by plenty of shops, restaurants, cafes and was on the main road itself. Couldn’t have made a better choice than this.
Izmir to Ephesus and Pamukkale by Train
Distance from Izmir to Ephesus is around 80KMS and Izmir to Pamukkale is around 222KMS and the best way to travel between these two cities is through a very comfortable , super fast train.
Here are the train schedules
Train Ticket Fare
- Izmir to Selçuk TL 7.5
- Izmir to Denizli TL 22
- Denizli to Selçuk TL 16.
Children under 8 go free, children 8-11 travel for half the adult fare, children 12 & over must pay the youth fare. Seniors over 60 20% off, over 65 50% off. Youths under 26 get 20% off.
Ephesus – City of Ancient Ruins & Last House of Blessed Virgin Mary
A short min van takes you from Selcuk railway station to Ephesus city (for 10TL per person) , with a journey time of 15 mins.
Pro Tip : It’s highly recommended to opt for a tour guide , outside the entrance to get a lot of insightful knowledge about this amazing Greek city and also ensure you spend the optimum time before you move to the next place. Do ensure you negotiate a good deal with the guide and not settle in with his opening price.
Where to begin?
Start from the south entrance, visit the house of blessed Virgin Mary and then walk back the couple of kms through the ruins and library to the North entrance taxi & bus stand
Time needed for Ephseus City : Approx 2 hours
Below are some of the pics from the house of Blessed Virgin Mary
Pictures from the Ruins of Ephesus City
Lunch at Selcuk
Once you are done with the morning tour of Ephesus , come back to Selcuk in the same van and have your lunch in one of the restaurants near the mini-van stand. This was our vegetarian lunch menu at a small restaurant in Selcuk
You can also follow me at Instagram.com/hkmurali 🙂
Izmir / Ephesus to Pamukkale
For those who are staying in Izmir, you can either make a direct train connection or a bus to Pamukkale, the white Cotton Castle city.
Else take a bus/train from Selcuk post the Ephesus visit , reach Pamukkale by late evening and visit the fields by morning.
You wouldn’t need an entire day at this city and only half day max. Though most tour operators would make the halt here overnight for convenience and fly out to the next city from the nearest airport.
Meanwhile do check out my other posts on Turkey
If you still have questions planning your Ephesus and Pamukkale itinerary, drop me a mail at [email protected]
