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Bright Sun
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Kusadasi is a major Aegean resort
town and cruise ship port. Being
so close to the renowned ruins of Ephesus
(map), it gets more than its
share of Turkish and foreign visitors.
Once a sleepy farming village, Kusadasi
was transformed by the Turkish
tourism boom of the 1980s.
It's now a busy resort with a beach along
the waterfront boulevard in town and
several other beaches north
and south of
the town. They tend to be crowded in
the summer.
Scores of hotels provide
for the sun-seekers.
The prime beach—rather narrow, and
backed by city—is Ladies Beach (Kadinlar
Plaji). Some
visitors make the 15-minute, 8-km drive
to nearby Pamucak
Beach, which is wide, long and
uncrowded, nearer to Ephesus, but with
fewer services.
You can use it as a base for visiting
sights in the region such as Ephesus;
Priene, Miletus and Didyma;
Euromos; Pamukkale and Aphrodisias. Guided
tours are available to
all these places, or you can see them
by yourself. More...
When a cruise ship is
in port, Kusadasi's transient population
soars and the
market teems with
hagglers. If you're arriving on a cruise
ship and would
like a good, reasonably-priced shore
excursion like those mentioned
above, contact Anker
Travel, a trusted local
tour operator, travel agency and TurkeyTravelPlanner.com partner.
Click here for full information on ferries
to Greece and the Greek Islands.
In the
evening, Kusadasi's nightlife
scene is
lively, from the British- and Irish-themed
bars to the cool jazz haunts.
Here's how to travel to and from Kusadasi.
Here's a tip: pronounce the
town's name "koo-SHAH-dah-suh" if
you want to sound like you know what
you're doing. That's the correct Turkish
pronunciation. (The clueless pronounce
it "KOOS-uh-DASS-see.") It
means "Bird Island:" kus
= bird, ada(si) = island.
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Above, a
pleasantly minimalist view of
Kusadasi: Bird Island,
from which the town takes its
name, and a solitary cruise
ship.
Below, a
more realistic view of the burgeoning
resort and its yacht
marina.
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