Private Tour: Laodicea and Aphrodisias Day Trip From Kusadasi
1 day
Private
Full Day
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Start your experience on this private tour with a pickup at your centrally located Kusadasi hotel. Board your air-conditioned coach and admire Turkey’s picturesque countryside on route to Laodicea.
Hear engrossing facts about this ancient city on your 3.5-hour journey, including how it was once the jewel of the Lycus River valley. Known in early times as Diospolis, the city was named Laodicea ad Lyceum around the 2nd century BC, and, under Roman rule, became a hugely important trading center in Asia Minor.
Enjoy a fascinating tour of the ruins, many of them the monuments that once attested to the city’s power and prosperity. Amble along colonnaded streets, and see baths, theaters and the stadium, where an underground passage used by chariots and horses still stands.
Afterward, continue to Aphrodisias, about 1.5 hours away. On arrival, enjoy an included lunch at a local restaurant (see the Itinerary for a sample menu). Then, explore the remains of this Ancient Greek city that was dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of Love, and famed for its school of sculpture due to its nearby marble quarries.
As you walk, hear about the city’s golden age, when pilgrims flocked to its temple to Aphrodite. See the temple remains, the 2nd-century Roman gate and the marble theater, and tread in the footsteps of long-ago spectators at the stadium, one of the best preserved of its kind in the Mediterranean. Then, visit the on-site museum to see some of the city’s famed marble statues.
Following your visit, relax on your drive back Kusadasi, where your tour ends with a hotel drop-off.
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Hear engrossing facts about this ancient city on your 3.5-hour journey, including how it was once the jewel of the Lycus River valley. Known in early times as Diospolis, the city was named Laodicea ad Lyceum around the 2nd century BC, and, under Roman rule, became a hugely important trading center in Asia Minor.
Enjoy a fascinating tour of the ruins, many of them the monuments that once attested to the city’s power and prosperity. Amble along colonnaded streets, and see baths, theaters and the stadium, where an underground passage used by chariots and horses still stands.
Afterward, continue to Aphrodisias, about 1.5 hours away. On arrival, enjoy an included lunch at a local restaurant (see the Itinerary for a sample menu). Then, explore the remains of this Ancient Greek city that was dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of Love, and famed for its school of sculpture due to its nearby marble quarries.
As you walk, hear about the city’s golden age, when pilgrims flocked to its temple to Aphrodite. See the temple remains, the 2nd-century Roman gate and the marble theater, and tread in the footsteps of long-ago spectators at the stadium, one of the best preserved of its kind in the Mediterranean. Then, visit the on-site museum to see some of the city’s famed marble statues.
Following your visit, relax on your drive back Kusadasi, where your tour ends with a hotel drop-off.
Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Private tour
- Professional guide
- Lunch
- Entry/Admission - Aphrodisias
- Entry/Admission - Laodicea
Not included
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- It is highly recommended to wear comfortable clothes and shoes
- Please note: the order of the activities as described above may be subject to change on the day of the tour
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
Features
Tourism
100%
Cultural
70%
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Aphrodisias in the best most amazing site I visited in Turkey, even better than Ephesus. It was quite spread out and had a nice theater, bath, several temples, a Sebastian, and the only oval stadium I saw in Turkey. It was a school for artists, and the statues, friezes on the Sebastian, masques on the theater and other art were beautiful. Much of it was housed in a nice museum on site. I don't know why more people don't visit Aphrodisias -- it was one of the highlights of my trip in Turkey. Laodicea was an important banking center that is undergoing extensive restoration. it was breathtaking to look across a wide valley to see the white terraces of Pammukale spilling down the mountain and see the remains of an extensive water system that brought water from Pammukale/Hieropolis across the valley to Laodicea. The lunch stop couldn't have been better, and it was a fabulous tour.
Thoughts: a you'll learn more from 1hrs research on the internet than from the guide b why run the trip on a monday when the museum is closed... one of the finest collections of ancient sculpture/statuary anywhere and you cant get in to see it! very annoying That said the sites were brilliant and more than made up for a and b above, coupled with nice people on the trip and a good lunch. Martin Edinburgh