Added to Unesco's World Heritage List in 2017, this remote site in the Anatolian hinterland trumps many of Turkey's ancient sites for its sheer scale and lush surrounds (Roman poplars, green fields and warbling birds). It also has an impressive on-site museum housing sculptures and friezes excavated on site. Highlights include the marble reliefs in the museum's Sevgi Gönül Salonu, the Temple of Aphrodite, the white marble theatre and the stunning, overgrown, 270m-long stadium with its 30,000 seats.
Audio guides – a worthwhile investment – are available for ₺10. The site is relatively untended, with some side paths disappearing into thickets and bramble, and with luck you could have it almost to yourself, creating the exotic feel of discovering lost ruins. The site is an easy detour for those driving between Pamukkale and the Aegean coast, and can be visited by guided tour from Pamukkale and other towns and cities in the region. If driving, you'll need to leave your car in the car park on the opposite side of the highway (₺10) and get to the site on the dinky tractor shuttle provided.
From November to March, the ticket office closes at 4.30pm.
