Located on Turkey's Aegean coast, this ancient Lydian capital thrives with olive groves and fig orchards. Visitors can explore 6th century BC ruins, relax in thermal springs, or swim at coastal beaches.
In Aydın, a city in Turkey's Aegean Region, you can walk down palm-lined avenues with cafes and orange trees. Stop at the 18th-century Cihanoğlu Mosque with its baroque decorations, explore 4th-century BCE Roman ruins, or examine ancient marble statues at the archaeological museum. Outside the city, you'll find yourself among fig orchards, olive groves, and archaeological sites like the marble temples of Aphrodisias and the hillside ruins of Priene.
Getting Around Aydın
You can walk to most attractions in the city center, which cluster around Adnan Menderes Boulevard and nearby streets. A six-lane motorway connects Aydın to İzmir in under an hour. Trains run between Aydın and İzmir five times daily, and you can fly into Adnan Menderes Airport, located between the two cities.
Ottoman Mosques of Aydın
The Cihanoğlu Mosque (1756) has intricate geometric patterns and floral motifs carved into its square walls. Near the railroad station, the Süleiman Bey Mosque (1683) maintains its original wooden doors and stone carvings. Walk through the city center to see the Ramazan Paşa Mosque and other religious buildings, each showing different architectural styles from various Ottoman periods.
Ancient Ruins and Museum
You can explore several areas of ancient Tralles within the modern city, including a 4th-century BCE Roman gymnasium with marble columns and a theater built into the hillside. At the Aydın Archaeological Museum, you'll find marble statues, coins, and pottery excavated from Tralles and nearby sites. The museum's ethnographic section contains clothing, household items, and tools used throughout the region's history.
Local Agriculture and Markets
Farmers in Aydın produce about 50,000 tons of dried figs annually, with Germencik's orchards yielding particularly sweet varieties. At the covered market (Çarşı), you can buy fresh and dried figs, olive oil pressed from local groves, and seasonal fruits. Small olive mills in the region still use stone presses and cold-pressing techniques, while larger companies process and export figs and olive products worldwide.
Climate and When to Visit
Summer temperatures in Aydın rise above 35°C (95°F) from June through September. Spring (March-May) and autumn (October-November) bring temperatures between 20-25°C (68-77°F) with some rain showers. Winter stays mild but wet, making December through February better suited for indoor activities.
Day Trips from Aydın
You can reach Aphrodisias in 60 kilometers, where you'll find a theater, stadium, and the Temple of Aphrodite with its marble reliefs still intact. In Priene, 15 kilometers from Söke, five columns of the Temple of Athena still stand among streets laid out in an 8th-century BCE grid pattern. The ancient harbor city of Miletos has a 19,000-seat theater, and its museum holds artifacts from local excavations.
