great atmosphere, lovely bars and restaurants and great beaches

Selcuk is a quiet little town which acts as the jumping-off point for going to visit Ephesus. However, the town, though not exactly spectacular or grandiose, has some interesting sights, and is a good place to interact with the locals--plus, it's surrounded by drop-dead-gorgeous rolling hills and orchards of fruit trees. It's also a popular nesting spot for storks, which usually arrive in late March and early April to mate with their lifelong partners. As to the sights, here you'll find what remains of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Artemis. These days, it amounts to some scattered ruins in a field, but it is there nonetheless. Also in town is the Basilica of St. John the Apostle, a grand fortress, the Isa Bey Mosque and a museum housing artifacts found at the Ephesus site, which is about 3 km away, if memory serves.

If you find yourself in Selcuk make sure you visit the Kiwi Carpet Shop on the Main Rd. After having problems with the local customs authorities about getting our vans landed in Turkey the kind hearted employees from here wagered a deal for all 3 vans on our behalf. What followed was a week of madness camped outside their shop, free breakfast every morning and countless BBQs and day trips around the area. Out of 12 blokes only 4 bought carpets yet when it was time to leave they wouldn't let us go, end result being promising to revisit them on the way back up from Oludeniz, Olympos etc which resulted in us staying there for another 3 days. Top place, unbelievable hospitality and no pressure. I lost my dick.

if you want to see what Greeks used to create and how well they are standing even 4000 years later, go to Ephesus. a whole city remains there to prove that once upon a time Greeks were enlightening the world with cultural insights. definitely worth visiting.

Kusadasi Turkey: If you are on a ferry cruise of the Greek Isles and port in Kusadasi be aware that there is a really cool market not far from the port. You can buy belly dancing outfits in any size imaginable. There are leather coats galore, shoes, gorgeous pillows and "Real Fake Watches":) Beware that these merchants are so slick that one of our travellers held out her hand to recieve change, with her change purse in hand. When she finnished thanking the merchant for his time she noticed her change purse was gone, never to be found. It can happen to you!

Ephesus is majestic and humbling. The ruins here are incredible just for the sheer size of the site. It was a town of 250,000 people, with two amphitheatres, and a library that was on par with the great library at Alexandria. Its marble pathways are molded with wheel tracks, its market stalls still have floor mosaics (hearts and ducks, oh my!), and there's even the odd bit of graffiti referring to a brothel. It's amazing this was built, it's mind boggling to think of the everyday life that happened here, and it's startling how quickly people must have packed up and moved away, once the harbor, on which the city formerly sat, silted in (it's visible far in the distance). If you're going to Turkey, it'd be foolish to miss this; try to schedule a full day for exploring it.

The statue of Trajan in Ephesus is almost destroyed - only a foot standing on a round globe saying "I conquered it all" ... proof that the Romans knew that the earth was round!  That knowledge was lost in Europe until the 15th century!

If you like fake's then this is the place to go. I got three Polo shirts here for a friend and they cost 1 dollar each! Also get some green onyx here, the lighter the better!

the best place for swimming(aqva parks) and shopping

If You are up for a visit the ancient Efes city I suggest taking extra battery pack. Sight seeing is a wonderful and mysterious.