Contents
The essential things to do in Didim are the Temple of Apollo at Didyma, a day on Altınkum beach and an evening by the yachts at D-Marin, with Akbük's coves to the east. Miletus, Priene and Lake Bafa are all within a short drive, and Ephesus makes a longer day out. Below is what each place offers, how far it is, and how to fit the lot into one or two days of Didim sightseeing.
Drive times are approximate, traffic-free estimates (OpenStreetMap/OSRM). Allow extra time at rush hour and in high season.
The Temple of Apollo at Didyma
Didim's headline sight is in the Hisar neighbourhood, 2.1 km from the town centre. In antiquity Didyma was the sacred site and oracle centre of Miletus, and the temple is said to have been designed as a twin of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Its worst destruction came with the earthquake of 1493.
Look out for the Medusa relief, one of Didim's emblems, and for the Hisar Mosque standing right beside the temple. In summer, go early in the morning before the stone heats up. Our Temple of Apollo guide covers the legend of Branchus, the Sacred Way and practical tips.
Altınkum beach and D-Marin
Altınkum, 4.1 km from the centre, is the beach Didim is known for internationally. According to Didim Municipality, its fine golden sand stays clean thanks to the current, it has won the Blue Flag many times and big waves are rare. A promenade runs behind the sand, and most of Didim's hotels are here.
Beyond swimming, the municipality lists boat trips from the yacht harbour, water sports, diving courses and horse and jeep safaris. The Altınkum beach guide has sea temperatures by month, and Altınkum taxi covers late rides back from the seafront.
West of Altınkum, in the Çamlık neighbourhood, D-Marin Didim is the town's yacht marina, 6.1 km from the centre. Come for an evening walk past the moored yachts or to meet friends arriving by boat; the Didim marina taxi page explains pickups there.
Akbük's bays and Culin Mountain
Akbük, 20.1 km east of the centre, takes its name from Akbük Bay. Didim Municipality describes a coastline of about 11 kilometres with dozens of coves, large and small: the Saplı Ada area with its big hotels, Akbük's own centre, Bozbük, Kazıklı Bay and a cove known as "Sahte Cennet" ("False Paradise").
Away from the water, Culin Mountain is an easy climb with a cave, there's a church left by the area's former Greek community, and at the spot called Soğuk Su ("cold water") a very cold spring runs down from the mountain. Akbük is also popular with British residents, many of whom have bought homes here.
Mavişehir and Akköy
Mavişehir, on the coast, occupies the site of ancient Panormos, the harbour through which the Sacred Way passed on its way to Didyma. Today it's an area of holiday homes with a local market. Didim Municipality also lists Tavşanburnu Nature Park among the district's places to see.
Akköy, on the road to Miletus, takes its name from its whitewashed houses (ak means white, köy village). It is home to Turkey's largest village library, and around late March to early April kestrels settle in the village. Farmers here grow tobacco, strawberries, olives, figs and grapes, so the drive through is a glimpse of rural Didim.
Miletus, the city of Thales
Miletus lies at Balat, 22.6 km from Didim on the Didim–Akköy road, about 30 minutes away. According to Didim Municipality it was home to the philosophers Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes, the historian Hecataeus and the town planner Hippodamus. Its golden age came in the 7th and 6th centuries BC, when it was the capital of the Ionian world.
When Miletus was founded it stood on the sea. Silt carried by the Büyük Menderes river has since left it in the middle of a plain, so the flat fields you see from the ruins were once open water.
Priene, Lake Bafa and Herakleia
Priene, at Güllübahçe near Söke and 42.4 km from Didim, is an Ionian city laid out like Miletus, with streets crossing at right angles on the Hippodamian grid.
Lake Bafa, 39.4 km away on the Söke–Milas road, was a gulf of the Aegean until the river's silt cut it off. Didim Municipality mentions an olive tree on its shore that has been carbon-dated at about 2,400 years old. At Kapıkırı, 47.1 km from Didim, lie the ruins of Herakleia under Latmos: walls about 6 kilometres long with 65 towers, a Temple of Athena on a headland by the lake, and Byzantine monasteries in the Latmos mountains above.
Ephesus as a longer day trip
Ephesus is 94.9 km from Didim via Söke, about 1 h 24 min each way without traffic, so set aside a full day. It pairs well with Selçuk (91.9 km) and the village of Şirince (99.6 km). If you've already seen Didyma, there's a neat link: the Temple of Apollo was designed as a twin of the Temple of Artemis there. Our Ephesus taxi from Didim page sets out a sample day.
One day in Didim by taxi
- Early morning: the Temple of Apollo and the Hisar Mosque, before the heat builds.
- Late morning: through Akköy to Miletus.
- Afternoon: back to Altınkum for a swim or a boat trip.
- Evening: the Altınkum promenade or a walk at D-Marin.
Every stop on this plan lies within 22.6 km of the centre, so driving stays short and most of the day goes on the places themselves.
Two days in Didim
Spend the first day as above, then choose one direction for the second:
- Inland ruins: Priene in the morning, then Lake Bafa and Herakleia at Kapıkırı in the afternoon.
- Ephesus: a full day, adding Selçuk or Şirince.
- Coast: Akbük's coves, Culin Mountain and the Soğuk Su spring, with Mavişehir on the way back.
A private ancient sites taxi tour lets you set the order of the stops and how long you spend at each. Tell Munzur Taxi which places you want to see when you book, and the day is planned around them.