Kuşadası

The little island that gives Kusadasi its name sits just off the seafront, joined to the town by a causeway you can stroll across in a few minutes. Guvercinada, Pigeon Island, is crowned by a small stone fortress with roots in the Byzantine and Ottoman periods, once part of the town's sea defences against pirates and raiders. Today it is a green park: paths wind between walls, gardens and cafes, and from the ramparts you get the classic view back over Kusadasi's harbour, marina and the hills behind. The setting marina is one of the largest on the Turkish Aegean, packed with yachts, and the streets just inland form the old quarter, where a handsome seventeenth-century caravanserai and a maze of bazaar lanes recall the town's trading past. It is an easy, pleasant place to walk in the cool of late afternoon, ending with tea or a meal by the water as the sun goes down over the sea.

Ladies Beach, or Kadinlar Denizi, is the best-known beach right by Kusadasi, a sweep of sand and shingle about three kilometres southwest of the centre that has been the town's favourite swimming spot for decades. The name goes back to a time when the beach was set aside for women, though today it is busy with everyone. It is a proper resort beach rather than a wild one: backed by a strip of hotels, cafes, bars and shops, lined with sunbeds and umbrellas, and served by frequent dolmus minibuses from town, so you never need a car to reach it. The water is generally calm and shallow enough for families, with pedalos, jet skis and other watersports on offer, and the shore comes alive in the evening when the beach bars fill up. It gets genuinely packed in July and August, so arrive early for a good spot, or come in the shoulder months of June and September for more room on the sand.

For a complete contrast to the resort beaches, drive west from Kusadasi to the Dilek Peninsula National Park, a mountainous finger of protected coastline pointing out toward the Greek island of Samos. The peninsula is covered in pine and maquis forest, home to wild boar, jackals and rich birdlife, and its great appeal is a string of clean, undeveloped pebble-and-sand beaches, Icmeler, Aydinlik, Kavakliburun and Karasu, set in coves of astonishingly clear turquoise water with the mountains rising straight behind. A single road runs along the coast linking them, with a modest park entry fee, and quieter stretches reward anyone willing to walk a little from the car parks. Hikers can also tackle marked trails and a canyon route into the hills. Just outside the park entrance, near the village of Guzelcamli, the small Zeus Cave hides a cold, clear pool that legend ties to the god himself. It makes a superb full-day escape into nature, so bring a picnic, water and swimming things.

Kusadasi is one of the best places in Turkey for a family waterpark day, home to some of the largest aquaparks on the coast. The biggest name in town is Adaland, a sprawling complex of pools, wave pools, lazy rivers and a full arsenal of slides from gentle family chutes to steep freefalls, spread across landscaped grounds. A short way north, toward Pamucak and Selcuk, Aqua Fantasy is another huge waterpark attached to a resort but open to day visitors, with its own forest of slides and pools. Both are geared squarely at families, with shallow splash zones and play structures for little ones alongside the adrenaline rides for teenagers, plus sunbeds, cafes and shade for parents. They are an easy, self-contained day out when the summer heat makes sightseeing unappealing and the children need to burn off energy. Go early to beat both the crowds and the midday sun, and factor in that these parks run on a seasonal summer timetable, so they close over the cooler months.

As its name promises, Long Beach (Uzun Sahil) is the longest stretch of sand in the Kusadasi area, running for several kilometres along the coast south of town toward the villages of Davutlar and Guzelcamli. Compared with the tightly packed Ladies Beach, it feels altogether more spacious and relaxed: a broad ribbon of sand and fine shingle where there is always room to spread out, backed by a line of hotels, holiday complexes and beach clubs rather than the bustle of the town centre. The water shelves gently and is good for families, and the sheer length of the shore makes it ideal for long walks, morning swims and watersports, from parasailing to jet skis. Many visitors staying in the resorts along this stretch barely need to leave, with sunbeds, cafes and restaurants strung out all the way along. Because it lies on the road toward the Dilek Peninsula, it also pairs naturally with a day exploring the national park's coves just beyond.

The single best reason many people come to Kusadasi is sitting just twenty kilometres inland: Ephesus, the greatest classical city in the Mediterranean and one of the most rewarding archaeological sites on earth. It is an easy half-day trip, barely thirty minutes by car or organised tour, which is exactly why the cruise ships dock here. Wandering its marble main street you pass temples, fountains and public buildings before reaching the magnificent reconstructed facade of the Library of Celsus and the vast hillside Great Theatre that once held 25,000 people. A visit combines beautifully with the nearby sights around Selcuk: the pilgrimage chapel of the House of the Virgin Mary in the hills above, the lone surviving column of the Temple of Artemis, and the excellent Ephesus Museum in Selcuk town, which holds the finds. To enjoy it, avoid the middle of the day: arrive first thing when the ruins open, before the tour groups pour off the ships and before the fierce Aegean sun turns the shadeless site into an oven.