Daily Sardis, Kula Fairy Chimneys & Ulubey Canyon Tour from Cesme

Ancient Sardis, Ottoman Kula, Volcanic Fairy Chimneys and Ulubey Canyon

This daily Sardis, Kula and Ulubey Canyon tour from Cesme travels inland from the coast into the old kingdom of Lydia and the volcanic landscapes beyond it. In one long day tour with an English-speaking guide and hotel pick-up in Cesme, you combine a famous ancient capital, a well-preserved Ottoman town, a geopark of extinct volcanoes and a deep canyon seen from a glass terrace.

Day Trip to Çeşme from the Greek Islands (Chios)

The Sardis, Kula Fairy Chimneys & Ulubey Canyon Tour is also arranged for visitors coming over from Chios for the day. Catch the early ferry to Çeşme (from Chios the ferry takes 20 minutes) and you will be back on the island the same evening. Our team welcomes you at the Çeşme ferry port and makes sure the day ends in time for your return crossing. For longer itineraries we check the ferry timetable first and confirm that the full programme fits your day. Please bring your passport and check the Turkish entry requirements for your nationality before travelling.

• Bintepeler: the royal burial mounds of the Lydian kings, seen on the way
• Sardis: the ancient synagogue, the Roman bath-gymnasium complex and the remains of the Royal Road
• Kula old town: Kursunlu Mosque, the old bazaar and the historic Kula Houses
• Kula Geopark: a field of volcanic cones and the fairy chimneys known as Kuladoccia
• Ulubey Canyon: a view into the canyon from a glass terrace 150 metres high

Sardis was the capital of the Lydians, the people credited with minting the first coins in history, and later an important Roman and Byzantine city. Its synagogue is one of the largest ancient synagogues ever discovered, and the marble court of the neighbouring bath-gymnasium has been partly rebuilt to its original height. Beside them lie a row of Roman shops and public latrines, while excavated paving marks the Royal Road that once linked Sardis with the Persian capital. The mounds of Bintepeler, whose name means a thousand hills, cover the tombs of the Lydian rulers.

Kula keeps an exceptional collection of 18th and 19th century Ottoman houses with carved wooden details. Around it, the Kula-Salihli area is recognised as a UNESCO Global Geopark for its dozens of young volcanic cones, lava fields and fairy chimneys that recall a miniature Cappadocia. The final stop, Ulubey Canyon near Usak, is among the longest canyon systems in the world. Lunch is not included in this daily excursion; there is a lunch stop in Kula at your own expense. This Sardis day trip involves moderate walking and makes a long daily tour of around ten hours, so bring comfortable shoes.