Kusadasi is a bustling successful port that provides excellent access to the extraordinary remains at Ephesus.
If you are not on a tour, try hiring one of the huge gas-guzzling American cars (left by former servicemen) and turned into cabs by the enterprising locals. In Ephesus, enter the magnificent site of the Ancient City at the Magnesia Gate. Whilst Ephesus is now deserted and in ruins, the past glories come to life as the impressive array of temples, agoras, porticoes and fountains come into view. Of particular interest are the Odeum, the Celsus Library, the temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trajan and the Great Theatre. Built over a 2nd century tomb believed to hold St. John the Evangelist, St. Johns Basilica was once topped with eleven domes and rivalled Istanbuls St. Sophia Basilica in scale. The church is now in ruins, but there are many frescoes, mosaics and columns that attest to the glory that once marked this holy place.