Daily Priene & Miletus & Didyma Tour (PMD)

PMD Tour

From Kusadasi / Selçuk  you can visit the three fascinating archeological sites of Priene, Miletus and Didyma in a full day tour.

To start a beautiful day you will be picked up from your hotel at 08.30 from Kusadasi / Selcuk by a driver and a guide and drive along the cotton fields and vineyards for about 40 minutes to arrive your first site Priene.

Priene is an ancient Hellenistic city which has picturesque ruins include several columns of Temple of Athena , much of the city walls ,a well – preserved theater and a council chamber ( Bouleuterion ) The city was an important trading port of the Ionian League of Greek settlements and was first established in the 11th century BC upon cliffs rising to almost 400 meters above the Aegean Sea. Once Priene overlooked the sea today it is 16 km inland from the sea on the hills of the mountain of the Mykale Mountain. The city changed many hands and Priene was flourished in the Hellenistic system during the reign of Alexander the Great. And he commissioned the reconstruction of Temple of Athena in 334 BC as agift to the city. After countless struggles and invasions became a Roman province in 129 A.D. The city regained its prosperity under the Emperor Augustus in spite of having a population of only seven thousand. Priene became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 14th century. The streets of Priene are unusual in the way that they are all horizontal and vertical, parallel and perpendicular, like a chess board.

After visiting this impressive site and get lost in its history we have lunch at local restaurant

Miletus was also a prosperous and successful port city in ancient period. It is considered to have been the most powerful city of what were the twelve Ionian cities and is known to have greatly influenced the intellectual and philosophical development of the Aegean region. The city encouraged erudition and founded several schools attracting scientists, architects, philosophers and geographers. The first coins were minted in this city, exact weight measures were established and the Phoenician alphabet perfected. From the results of excavations, it appears that Miletus was actually the Hittite settlement Millawanda and it was certainly a Mycenaean colony by the fourteenth century B.C.

Didyma,  a small village which is famous for its golden sandy beaches will be your next destination. When you see the Temple of Apollo, a superb example of architecture dating from the Graeco-Roman period, and a sign of grandeur of this area, outstanding for culture and art you will understand that the sea is not the only attraction in Didyma.

This temple in Didyma was very important and divine like the one in Delphi in Greece. And most probably it was considered divine because of the existance of a fresh water spring upon which the Temple of Apollo was constructed Even before the arrival of the Ionians, Difyma was a holy place and its oracle was much feared and much attened. The Persian King Xerxes destroyed the temple in 480 B.C and looted many of the statues and also removed its vast treasury which owed its magnitude to the generosity of Croesus, King of Lydia. Alexander the Great decided to rebuild the temple after his victory over the Persians which had never been completely finished and was still uncompleted under the Romans, probably on account of its enormous dimension (one hundred and twenty meters long and twenty-four meters wide). Christianity put an end to pagan rites and festivals and prevented the temple from being completed. Indeed, in one atrium of the temple a basilica was built. No matter the temple is completed or not what remains today is impressive and it is worth to visit. During the tour you will have the chance to have look at the Turkish traditional hadcrafts.

Travel Tips

Because you will be walking during the tour, it is suggested to wear comfortable shoes. In summer season it is hot and dry so please take you hat , sunscreen and plenty of water. From Kusadasi / Selcuk it takes around 40 min drive to Priene. From Priene to Miletus 15 min drive and from Miletus to Didyma 25 min.

This tour is a full day tour and departs everyday.

Itinerary of the tour

08.30

Pick up from your hotel in Kusadasi

08.45

Pick up from your hotel in Selcuk or bus station

Depart for the full day PMD Tour

Visiting

• Theater of Priene
• Bouleuterion
• Temple of Athena
• Gymnasium & Stadium
• Byzantine Castle & city walls of Miletus
• Miletus Theater
• Baths of Faustina
• Harbor Gateway
• Delphinion ( a shrine for Apollo )
• Northern Agora
• Market Gate
• Temple of Serapis Helios
• Temple of Apollo of Didyma

17:00

End of the tour transfer to your hotel

Included

• All transportation in A/C 'NO - SMOKING' vehicle
• Pick-up and drop-off service from/to hotel
• Lunch
• Admission Fees to the ancient cities of Priene , Miletus and Didyma

Not Included

• Personal Expenses
• Drinks at the lunch
• Tips for the guide and driver
• Anything specified as included