This is the land where philosophy, town planning and the word “meander” were born. Your driver collects you from your hotel in Bodrum or Kuşadası, and in one day you visit the Temple of Apollo at Didyma, one of the largest temples of the ancient world, Miletus, the city of Thales, and Priene on the slopes of Mount Mykale – dropped at the gate of each.
The vast Temple of Apollo at Didyma, the great theatre of Miletus, city of philosophers, and grid-planned Priene: three ancient cities far from the Ephesus crowds, by private car with driver in a single day from Bodrum or Kuşadası. Suggested duration 8 hours; pickup from hotels in Bodrum Center, Gumbet, Torba and the rest of the region. Prices start at €320 per vehicle, paid to the driver on the day.
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The three cities are only 20–25 km apart, but there is no regular public transport between them, so most visitors either miss them or rush through on crowded coach tours. With a private car you explore these sites – far quieter than Ephesus – at your own pace.
The programme covers the Temple of Apollo at Didyma; the theatre, the Baths of Faustina and the İlyas Bey Mosque at Miletus; and the Temple of Athena, council house and theatre of Priene. Starting from Bodrum we begin at Didyma; from the Kuşadası side we start with Priene, keeping the driving as short as possible.
From Kuşadası, Selçuk and Özdere the eight-hour package is enough; from Bodrum, with about two hours' drive each way, the twelve-hour package is needed. The price is per vehicle, not per person.
Stops are shown in a typical order; your driver waits at every stop.
Begun around 300 BC and never finished despite 600 years of work, the temple is one of the largest of the ancient world. Its columns almost 20 metres high, the sacred spring in the middle of the open inner court and the chamber where the oracle was given are still overwhelming. The relief of a Medusa head near the entrance has become the symbol of Didim.
Enlarged in Roman times to hold about 15,000 spectators, the great theatre is the best-preserved building of Miletus. Inscriptions on the rows show that some sections were reserved for particular communities. From the Byzantine castle on top you look over the plain where the sea once reached.
Built by Faustina, wife of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the baths show how a Roman bath worked, with cold, warm and hot rooms; a statue of the river god Maeander still lies in place. The nearby Miletus Museum displays finds from the city.
Built in 1404 by İlyas Bey of the Menteşe principality, the mosque reused the ancient marble of Miletus. Its marble-clad façade, carved mihrab and the remains of the madrasa and bath around it tell of the region's vitality in the early Turkish period.
At the foot of Mount Mykale (the Dilek peninsula), Priene was refounded in the 4th century BC on a grid plan with streets crossing at right angles. Stone-paved lanes, houses, a well-preserved council house (bouleuterion) for about 640 people and a theatre with seats of honour show the everyday order of a Hellenistic town just as it was.
Designed by Pytheos, architect of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Temple of Athena is a model of Ionic architecture; its dedicatory inscription records Alexander the Great's contribution. Behind its five re-erected columns rise cliffs; in front stretches the wide plain where the Büyük Menderes winds towards the sea.
Times are an example; your driver adapts the day to traffic, season and your wishes.
Miletus was the most powerful of the twelve Ionian cities on the Aegean coast, founding dozens of colonies from the Black Sea to Egypt. In the 6th century BC Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes formed here the first school of philosophers to explain the world through reason rather than myth; Thales is said to have predicted the solar eclipse of 585 BC.
Destroyed by the Persians in 494 BC after the Ionian Revolt, Miletus was rebuilt on the grid plan associated with Hippodamus of Miletus, and the same layout was used for Priene in the 4th century BC. Another bond linked these cities: the oracle at Didyma, reached from Miletus by a Sacred Way lined with statues.
The river Büyük Menderes decided their fate. Its winding course gave English and French the word “meander”, and the silt it carried filled the harbours – Miletus and Priene now lie kilometres from the sea. St Paul, too, once landed at the harbour of Miletus.
Prices are per vehicle and include fuel, motorway and bridge tolls, parking and the driver. Guide, meals and hotel are added as options.
| Duration | FirstClass Van (1–6) | Vip Sprinter (1–16) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 hours | €320 | €420 |
| 8 hours | €370 | €560 |
| 12 hours | €580 | €780 |
| 24 hours · 1 night | €720 | €820 |
| 36 hours · 1 night | €1060 | €1450 |
| 48 hours · 2 nights | €1560 | €1980 |
| Add-on | Price | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed guide required | €200 | Per day, whatever the group size |
| Lunch | €15 | Per person, for each lunch in the package |
| Dinner | €15 | Per person, for each dinner in the package |
| Hotel accommodation | €60 | Per person per night (sharing a double room) |
Example – 2 persons, 8 hours, FirstClass Van: Private vehicle & driver + Licensed guide + Lunch = €370 + €200 + €30 = €600
Can be added as options: Lunch, Dinner, Hotel accommodation.
Distances are approximate road kilometres to the main sight (one way). We also pick up from hotels and addresses not listed – just enter yours in the form.
| Area | Distance | Suggested package | Airport transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodrum Center | ≈ 135 km | 12 hours | Bodrum Center transfer |
| Gumbet | ≈ 137 km | 12 hours | Gumbet transfer |
| Torba | ≈ 130 km | 12 hours | Torba transfer |
| Yalikavak | ≈ 150 km | 12 hours | Yalikavak transfer |
| Turgutreis | ≈ 155 km | 12 hours | Turgutreis transfer |
| Kusadasi | ≈ 40 km | 8 hours | Kusadasi transfer |
| Selcuk | ≈ 55 km | 8 hours | Selcuk transfer |
| Ozdere | ≈ 60 km | 8 hours | Ozdere transfer |
Ideal for those who have already seen Ephesus and want quieter sites, for anyone curious about the history of philosophy and architecture, for photographers, and for guests staying in Bodrum who want to give a day to culture. Walking is moderate; Priene has slopes and steps.
Our tours in Izmir, Ephesus & Kusadasi are accompanied by a licensed tourist guide; the guide fee is added to the price automatically. In Turkey, only licensed tourist guides may give explanations at museums and archaeological sites (Tourist Guiding Profession Law No. 6326).
No other passengers and no waiting for anyone – the car is yours all day.
The order and length of stops are flexible, with no compulsory shopping stops.
The price is fixed at booking and paid to the driver on the day.
Vixride is a TÜRSAB-licensed travel agency (licence 14798); vehicles and drivers are insured.
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In Turkey only licensed tourist guides may give explanations in museums and archaeological sites; your driver does not guide at the sites. Whether a guide is required in this region, and the fee, are shown in the booking form – if required, the fee is added automatically.
It is about 135 km from Bodrum to Didyma and about 160 km from Priene back to Bodrum – around four and a half hours of driving in total. To leave enough time at all three sites, departures from Bodrum need the 12-hour package.
It is a different experience: Ephesus is larger and grander, while these three cities are much quieter and each special in its own way. It makes a perfect second day for those who have seen Ephesus; our Ephesus & Şirince tour can be booked separately.
Starting from Bodrum we go south to north – Didyma, Miletus, Priene; from Kuşadası, Selçuk or Özdere we reverse it – Priene, Miletus, Didyma. That keeps the drive shortest and lets us take the midday break somewhere shady.
Altınkum beach in Didim is a few kilometres from the temple. With the 12-hour package we can add an hour at the beach at the end of the day – just bring your swimsuit and towel.
The tour price is per vehicle: the package costs the same whether one or six people travel in the van. Only lunch, dinner and hotel accommodation are charged per person. The guide fee is per day and does not depend on the group size.
Nothing is charged online at booking; you pay the driver on the day of the tour in cash (EUR, USD, GBP, TRY) or by card. Free cancellation and date changes; please let us know at least 24 hours in advance.
Izmir, Ephesus & Kusadasi
The quiet House of the Virgin Mary, the marble streets and Library of Celsus at Ephesus, the mosaics of the Terrace Houses, the Temple of Artemis and the wine village of Şirince: Ephesus by private car, without walking back uphill.
Izmir, Ephesus & Kusadasi
The Acropolis of Pergamon by cable car, the steepest theatre of the ancient world and the Temple of Trajan, the Asklepion where Galen practised and the red-brick Red Basilica: the kingdom that gave the world parchment, by private car from the İzmir area.
Bodrum
The Castle of St Peter and its Museum of Underwater Archaeology, the Mausoleum – one of the Seven Wonders – the ancient theatre, the windmills, the fishing village of Gümüşlük and Yalıkavak marina: Bodrum's history and coves by private car, free of traffic and parking worries.
Pamukkale
Walk barefoot on snow-white travertines, see the theatre and vast necropolis of Hierapolis and swim in Cleopatra's Pool if you like: a private day trip to Pamukkale from Antalya, Izmir, Kusadasi, Bodrum or Fethiye.
