ephesus

A Muslim Mom’s Travel Tips to having a blast in Kuşadası

Here’s an ideal holiday destination if you want to balance beach bliss and sightseeing!

It’s not as well known to people outside Turkey, but this is one of my favourite beach destinations in Turkey – it has much more natural feel and has lots of history and things to see.

I’d say you could get : Resort (70%) + sightseeing (20-30%) which is perfect for me with two kids under 7.

Sightseeing :
1. Ephesus ( ancient city and ruins) – full post on this here

2. House of Mary (May Allah be pleased with her). I didnt know about it, so it was fascinating and heart warming to visit.

3. Castle / town centre walk – for the castle there is small climb up, sweeping views. Covered spots. Worth it to discover a new view and beautiful setting. The town walk is short, but it was still nice to stroll through and get an ice cream to cool down.

4. Marina and Boat ride – 1 hour trips gives you a lovely view of the seaside and town. It was lovely and cool on board. There are several boats along the walkway so we just chose the first one leaving as they are all similar prices.

Next time: I’d like to check out a water park in Kusadasi to add a different activity to the resort stay.

Duration: 3-5 days for a relaxed break in this city to check out the sites and to relax at the hotel. (we would jump into the pool every day after touring!)

How to get here: Fly to Izmir, 1 hour drive to Kusadasi

Alhamdulillah, though it was so hot mid July, we had a blast. I’ll share a longer blog post on Maryam AS house soon 🙂

So if youre looking for a little adventure and history besides beach fun , I hope you add Kusadasi to your Turkey summer ☀️ itinerary Insha Allah!

What’s your ideal summer coastal holiday split between beach and sightseeing?

Discovering Ephesus, Turkiye

Step back to a 2000 year old city filled with history and mystery! 

Alhamdulillah, it’s been on my bucket list for ages, so I was so grateful when we were able to visit this important historical site last summer.

It was fascinating and exhilarating viewing this remarkable archeological site- once a thriving Greek/ Roman city.

What’s to do there?
We basically walked through different significant ruins, including the underground city reflecting on pervious civilisations that lived there and created this city. You need about 2-3 hours.

We began the day with a visit to House of Mary (Maryam, may Allah be pleased with her) – see next post about that.

Top tips:
– the reviews are right that there’s limited shade! Dress cool, carry enough water and snacks
– we combined it with a stay at the beach in Kusadasi
– we carried a water spray bottle and umbrella to stay cool
– rocky, uneven path but stroller needed for smaller kids.
– we paid a guide which helped to bring it alive otherwise you’re just looking at piles of stone!

viewing the underground city
water spray bottle was a lifesaver!

We learnt alot from the guide, and found every area fascinating.

There’s so much to take in, I loved the whole vibe (albeit an extremely hot day )

Do you love historical sites? What strikes you about Ephesus? Would you go?