Selcuk Travel Guide

  Selcuk - Pillar of Artemis
by Kuznetsov_Sergey
 
  • Selcuk - Pillar of Artemis
      Selcuk - Pillar of Artemis
    by Kuznetsov_Sergey
  •   Selcuk
    by Donna_in_India
  •   Selcuk
    by Donna_in_India
  •   Selcuk
    by Donna_in_India
  • Byzantine aqueduct
      Byzantine aqueduct
    by aukahkay
 

Pro

pabertra profile photo

  Peaceful, Centrally Located to Many Sights 


Con

Yank_o profile photo

  Modern town is not too glorious 


In a nutshell

cbeaujean profile photo

  perfect place to stay around famous archeologic areas 

 

Explore Selcuk

Things to Do  

Seven Sleepers Cafes

Seven Sleepers Cafes, Selcuk

 toosahn Says:  One of my favorite things to do when I lived in Selcuk was to go to the cafe in front of the Seven Sleepers Grotto and sit Turkish style on the cushions and just read and enjoy the afternoon. They serve beer, Turkish tea of course, juices, andthey have a pretty good menu,... 

Ephesus Museum

Ephesus Museum, Selcuk

 solopes Says:  Most of the best pieces in Ephesus were removed, and are now displayed in this museum. It's easy and quick to visit, and located in a nice area of the city, being include in the packages from the harbour of Kusadasi when coming from Greece. 

Hotels  

Canberra Hotel

 4 Reviews and 75 Opinions  Being Australian, the name of this little hotel immediately caught my eye as we had just been to... 

Hotel Nilya

 1 Review and 129 Opinions  After a couple of horrible nights in hotels in Canukkale and Pergamum, it was a real relief to find... 

Restaurants  

Cafe Carpouza: Great hangout, cold beer and hot elma fries!

Cafe Carpouza: Great hangout, cold beer and hot elma fries!, Selcuk

 toosahn Says:  Cafe Carpouza is actually owned by the belediye (local government) and they have a great selection of drinks - coffee, tea, beer, juice - and my favorite - elma fries! Elma is the Turkish word for apple, and this refers to the way the potatoes are sliced. In the US we call... 

Cop Sis near small mosque: Meatball Sandvich - YUM!

Cop Sis near small mosque: Meatball Sandvich - YUM!, Selcuk

 toosahn Says:  I cannot remember the name of this cop sis place, but it is near Cengiz Topel Caddesi, but on the busy main street through Selcuk. It is beside the small mosque and has an outdoor seating area behind it, covered in vines. It serves mostly locals, their English is not so... 

Efe Pide: Best Pide in Town

Efe Pide: Best Pide in Town, Selcuk

 toosahn Says:  Efe Pide is on the main road that runs through Selcuk - the big four lane road, not the pedestrian streets. It is across the street and down a bit from St. John's Basilica, in the direction of Izmir. It's a place for locals, but some tourists find there way there as well. I... 

Socialist Party: Political meal

Socialist Party: Political meal, Selcuk

 solopes Says:  Now, let me tell you a story:In my first visit to Turkey arriving to Kusadasi by boat from Samos, we were asked to pay a price for a guided visit, and dragged to a line of buses, without any details about where to go except the visit to Ephesus, and who was leading us.The... 

Le Jardin: Friendly

Le Jardin: Friendly, Selcuk

 Tdiver Says:  We were there out of season but got a good welcome,warm and friendly.Wooden build made it feel warmer.We had soups, grilled kebabs, rice and pasta all good.With a few warming drinks we enjoyed it.Check their web site for more. 

General info on restaurants

General info on restaurants, Selcuk

 Malecka Says:  AH, FOOD IN TURKEY... I should put it as “what is your fondest memory” of Turkey in every single tip.Look... There are too many stories going around about how: “the european (read west-european) stomachs cannot handle the Turkish food. It is major BS if you ask me. All the... 

Transportation  

Small Town with Many Transport Options

Small Town with Many Transport Options, Selcuk

 toosahn Says:  It is easy to walk around Selcuk because it is so small. You can visit all the monuments in the city on foot - St. John's Basilica, Efes Museum, Temple of Artemis, Isa Bey Mosque, the old hamam. A walk to the bottom gate of Ephesus is only about 20 minutes, but you can take... 

From Istanbul to Selcuk

From Istanbul to Selcuk, Selcuk

 asolotraveler Says:  After some thought, I decided that I did not want to catch the evening bus to Selcuk which was going to be about 10 hours. The thought of sitting just did not appeal to me since I had just sat for 12 hours getting to turkey. I went to Metro along the Main Cadessi and book a... 

Driving

Driving, Selcuk

 guell Says:  The busses are a great and inexpensive way to get around the country, but for those of us with very limited time, driving is the best way to travel around Turkey. Driving can be a bit expensive, however. Expect to pay around US$35 per day for an economy car plus gas (around... 

Shopping  

Celsus Ceramics: Quality Ceramics, no pressure sales

Celsus Ceramics: Quality Ceramics, no pressure sales, Selcuk

 toosahn Says:  Celsus Ceramics is owned by Gýlçen (not sure about that spelling) and her husband. It is on the main pedestrian street, Cengiz Topel, across from Denis Bar. There is another woman in town who claims to the be the only woman shop owner. Not true. Celsus Ceramics has... 

Julia's Moon Light: Not Just the Shopping...

Julia's Moon Light: Not Just the Shopping..., Selcuk

 BlackSheeper Says:  This shop is actually next door to my own, and I have gotten to know the lady who owns it fairly well. She is full of the unexpected, so be prepared to have fun and laugh. She'll be the first to tell you that she is the only female shop owner in Selcuk, and she loves talking... 

Local Customs  

Shoe blacks

Shoe blacks, Selcuk

 solopes Says:  I must confess my surprise by the image of shoe blacks in Turkey. This occupation, fading in the west, gets in Turkey an interesting look, by the decoration of their working boxes. Too big to a comfortable transportation, they are, however, a true piece of art. We all were... 

Camel Wrestling

Camel Wrestling, Selcuk

 denizkizi Says:  While the Spanish have bullfights, the Turks have camel wrestling!! It is famous in the Aegean region. You can only watch it on January or February.Men mostly go there to drink raki while watching it hehe.... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Warning to Women

Warning to Women, Selcuk

 toosahn Says:  I couldn't decide whether to write this warning or not, but I wouldn't wish what happened to me on any woman, so I decided to write it. Three years ago I met two men in Selcuk who changed my life, and not for the better. I knew immediately Marco was a fake out to get what he... 

Tourist Traps  

Free Shuttle - not so free...

Free Shuttle - not so free..., Selcuk

 toosahn Says:  One of the things that bothered me about living in Selcuk was being a part of the tourism industry there and I gradually got more and more away from it because I didn't like a lot of what I saw. The 'free shuttle to Ephesus' is one tourist trap that especially bothered me.... 

What to Pack  

Cold weather wear in winter!

Cold weather wear in winter!, Selcuk

 toosahn Says:   Do not be fooled by Selcuk's proximity to the Mediterranean! It is cold in winter and it rains. Check the weather before you go and be prepared. Many hotels/houses/restaurants do not have heat other than a space heater due to the short winter season. Sunscreen is... 

Off The Beaten Path  

If you're looking for more Ruins- Priene & Miletus

If you're looking for more Ruins- Priene & Miletus, Selcuk

 farpost2 Says:  Selcuk is a good base for a day trip to see Priene, Miletus and Didyma. We hired a motorbike in town for 40 YTL and set out to see Priene and Miletus. After some navigation problems, we got there and had both sites to ourselves to roam around and explore. Priene was located... 

Ayasuluk Library

Ayasuluk Library, Selcuk

 Willettsworld Says:  If you walk south from the Isa Bey Mosque towards the Ephesus Museum, you'll pass by many guesthouses and some older buildings. One I passed by was this old library which was built in the 14th century. 

The Place

Plan a Selcuk vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Selcuk locals

Experience Selcuk
  •   332 Tips and Reviews
  •  803 Photos
  •  3 Videos
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Map of Selcuk
 

The People

2 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
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 While not a spectacular archeological site, it is still worth a very pleasant walk for an hour or two, and the $2.50 entrance fee. There are views of the... 

2 members live in Selcuk

 

Questions and Answers

wib profile photo

Q:  After many changes Iam know decided to spend tree or more days in Patara. Found a great hotel. From Patara I would like to go to... 

Tommmo profile photo

A: Urkmez Hotel is best budget hotel. Bella costs a little more. 

Read 3 Replies

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Top Selcuk Writers

1

Selchuk... CHOK GYUZEL!

Malecka profile photo

 We ended up choosing Selchuk as our “base” simply because we didn’t like to be in a place as commercial as Kushadasi, and at the same time the closeness to Ephesus had its influence. Selchuk is... 

2

A GREAT LITTLE TOWN

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 This for me, was a nice sized town, with plenty to see & do, and it was easy to get around. I also found that it had a huge amount of reasonably priced outdoor Restaurants with excellent food. I... 

3

Diamonds in the Rough

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 The drab and surprisingly unattractive town of Selcuk is inextricably associated with its most famous touristic site, the ruins of Ephesus, but is also home to several other features of great historic... 

4

Selcuk and St. John Basilica

Diana75 profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Selcuk. I'd love to share with you the 18 tips I've written, the 22 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created. 

5

Selcuk

Kuznetsov_Sergey profile photo

 You can watch my 35 high resolution photos in the slide-show Meryemana and Selcuk from my Webshot page.  

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