Things to Do at Aspendos and Perge

--- title: "Aspendos and Perge travel guide: a Roman theatre, aqueducts, a colonnaded street and the ancient cities around them" description: "An honest guide to two of Antalya's great ancient cities: the standing theatre and aqueducts of Aspendos, and the Hellenistic gate and colonnaded street of Perge. Both sit on the UNESCO Tentative List, neither is inscribed. How many days you need, when to go, the midday heat, the festival, transport, and Sillyon, Selge, Koprulu Canyon and Kursunlu." city: "Antalya" lang: "en" ---

Aspendos and Perge: two different stories on the same plain

Two ancient cities sit about forty kilometres apart on the Antalya plain, and most visitors try to squeeze both into a single day. That is possible, but they are not the same kind of place. At Aspendos you come to see a building: a Roman theatre that has survived almost whole, stage wall included. At Perge you come to see a city: gates, streets, baths, a stadium and an agora, all spread across flat ground you walk through on foot.

Their official status is identical, and it is worth settling at the start because a great deal is written wrongly about it. Neither Aspendos nor Perge is an inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Site. Both sit on Turkey's Tentative List. Aspendos appears there under the title "Theatre and Aqueducts of the Ancient City of Aspendos"; Perge appears as "Archaeological Site of Perge," with a submission date of 2009. Being on the Tentative List means a country has flagged a place as a possible future nomination. It does not mean the place is inscribed.

One more point deserves clearing up early. The Aspendos theatre is often described as "the best-preserved Roman theatre in the world." No neutral, agreed measure supports that ranking. Even Turkey's own nomination file for the Tentative List avoids an absolute superlative and acknowledges that the building has been partly restored. So the theatre really is remarkably complete. The honest way to say it is not "the single best" but "one of the most complete that survives."

Who is this for? Anyone interested in Roman architecture and engineering. The biggest mistake people make is arriving at midday in high summer. Both sites are large and treeless. In July and August the stone and dust will wear you down at noon, and neither ruin gives you anywhere to hide from the sun.

Quick answer

Aspendos and Perge are an easy drive from central Antalya, laid out across a flat plain, and they reward an early-morning or late-afternoon visit far more than a midday one.

• Aspendos: the theatre, the upper city and the aqueducts. Half a day is enough.
• Perge: the gate, the colonnaded street, the stadium, the theatre, the baths and the agora. It fits into half a day, but a full one is more comfortable.
• Antalya Museum: most of the finds from both cities are here. Ideal for a rainy or very hot half-day.
• Both are on the UNESCO Tentative List, and neither is inscribed.
• A car is effectively necessary; public transport leaves you short of the site entrances.
• Summer midday is shadeless and hot. Choose the morning or the late afternoon.
• Side is not covered here. We have a separate guide for it, so this one only mentions it in passing.

1. Aspendos Theatre

This is why you come to Aspendos. It is a Roman theatre built in the second century AD, designed by Zenon, an architect from the city itself, and what sets it apart from the others is that its stage building still stands. In most ancient theatres the seating survives and the stage collapses. Here the reverse is true: the two-storey stage wall, with its doorways and niches, is still in front of you.

There is a reason for that completeness. The Seljuks did not leave the theatre to fall down. They used it as a caravanserai, converted the stage building into a palace, and repaired it from time to time. So the survival of what you see is not only luck; it is the result of continuous use. Turkey's own UNESCO nomination file acknowledges that the building has been partly restored, which is worth keeping in mind before you repeat any "untouched since antiquity" claim.

The acoustics genuinely are good, but the site needs none of the exaggerated stories told about it. Someone speaking quietly on the stage can be heard from the upper rows. Opening hours and the entrance fee can change, so confirm them from an official source.

2. Aspendos Upper City

Walk up the hill just west of the theatre, because that is where the actual city sits. The theatre below is a single structure; the upper city, the acropolis, shows you how a Roman town was put together. The climb is short but shadeless, so bring water.

Up here the remains of several buildings stand close together. There is the agora, the town's square and market; a long basilica, a roofed hall used for meetings and commerce; a nymphaeum, the monumental facade of a public fountain; and the council house. Much of it survives at foundation and wall level, but the front of the nymphaeum and the high wall of the basilica are still striking.

The value of this spot is simple. The theatre below astonishes people, but the acropolis reminds you that Aspendos was not just a theatre. It was a working city with a civic centre, a water supply and a marketplace. The crowds tend to stay below, so up here you often walk alone. The ground is stony and uneven, so watch your footing.

3. Aspendos Stadium

At the north end of the acropolis there is a structure most visitors turn back without seeing. The stadium is a long, narrow space, and along its two sides the retaining walls that once held the seating are partly still standing. In the Roman world a stadium was used for races and athletics, so it had a purpose distinct from the theatre.

The reason to come is to feel the change of scale. The theatre has you stand inside a building and look up. The stadium has you stand at one end of a long field and look down its length. You see two different Roman ideas about public space side by side.

The stadium is not as tended as the theatre; it lies among grass and is partly under soil. That is exactly why there are no crowds here. Tours that reduce Aspendos to the theatre alone never come this far. Give it half an hour, walk the acropolis and the stadium together, and you begin to see the real size of the city rather than a single famous facade.

4. Aspendos Aqueducts

The theatre is the crowd-puller, but the most impressive piece of engineering at Aspendos is the aqueduct. Running north from the city, it appears from a distance as a line of stone arches rising out of the fields, and most people drive past it without realising what it is.

What makes the system interesting is that it is not just a row of arches. On part of the route the builders used an inverted siphon: the water dropped into a valley and was forced back up under pressure, and to manage that they built pressure towers around thirty metres high. An ancient inscription records that the work of bringing water to the city was funded by a man named Tiberius Claudius Italicus.

The towers stand outside the fenced site, often in open farmland. You can drive close and walk over, but do not expect a laid-out visitor area with signs and paths. The point I give is near the southern tower; the line continues north. There is no shade, and the morning light is kinder for photographs.

5. Eurymedon (Kopruçay) Seljuk Bridge

A few kilometres south of Aspendos, an old stone bridge crosses the Kopruçay river. The river's ancient name was the Eurymedon, and this crossing was used for centuries. The bridge you see today was rebuilt in the Seljuk period on Roman foundations, and its notable feature is that it does not run straight; it takes an angle in the middle, giving it a distinctive broken line.

Right beside the bridge are the remains of a caravanserai. That is no accident. The bridge sat on a trade route, and the caravanserai was where travellers stopped for the night. Seeing the two together, you understand that this was not just a river crossing but a staging point on a road.

It makes a short, worthwhile stop on the way to or from Aspendos. The riverside is cooler than the exposed cities on the plain and gives you a different kind of view. The ground around the bridge can be uneven, and the stones near the water are slippery, so take care if you climb down.

6. Perge Hellenistic Gate and Round Towers

Two round towers greet you at the entrance to Perge, and they are the city's signature. Surviving from the Hellenistic period, they are thick and tall, with a horseshoe-shaped courtyard behind them. In the Roman period a wealthy woman named Plancia Magna turned this entrance into a monumental gate complex and filled it with statues. Plancia Magna was a priestess of Artemis and one of the most visible benefactors of the city.

Starting here is the right move, because the gate sets the frame for the whole visit. Once you pass through it, a long, straight street opens ahead of you and the city lines up along that axis. The gate, the street and the buildings behind them were designed as a single plan, not added piecemeal.

The towers have lost their upper storeys, but their bases and lower sections stand solidly. Arrive in the morning and the gate throws its shadow across the street, which is the best moment for a photograph. The ground is stone-paved and uneven in places.

7. Perge Colonnaded Street and Water Channel

This long avenue is the most loved part of Perge. Rows of columns line both sides, but the feature that really draws attention is the water channel running down the middle. A stepped series of small pools was built into the very centre of the main street, so a cool ribbon of water ran through the heart of the city.

Climate explains why that mattered. This region is hot and dry in summer, so running water down the middle of a street was not a casual touch. It was a statement of the city's wealth and of its engineering skill. On the stones beside the channel you can still see where the flowing water wore the surface smooth.

Because the street is long and straight, walking it gives you a good sense of the scale of the city. Some of the columns have been re-erected; others lie where they fell. Shade is limited, and this avenue can be punishing in the midday heat. The point I give is roughly the middle of the street; there are more monuments toward its northern end.

8. Perge Stadium

Outside the walls, on the southern side of the city, there is a long stadium, and it is one of the best-preserved structures at Perge. Along its length the arched substructures that carried the seating are largely intact, so you are not looking at a bare field but at a building where the seating arrangement can still be read.

Those arched sections carry a curious detail. The rooms beneath the seating were used as shops in antiquity, and some of them were found with inscriptions naming the trades that operated there. So the stadium was not only a place for sport; it was a multi-purpose structure with commerce running beneath the spectators.

The stadium sits near the theatre, the two placed side by side outside the walls. Walking out this far rounds off the Perge visit, but on hot days factor in the extra distance across open ground. If you want to climb onto the seating, the stones are uneven, so step carefully.

9. Perge Theatre

Perge's theatre stands outside the walls, near the stadium. It is Greco-Roman in type, meaning it carries features of both Greek and Roman design, and it is known for the reliefs on its stage facade. In scale it is larger than many theatres in the region.

Here an honest warning is needed. The Perge theatre was closed to visitors for a long stretch because of restoration work. Projects like this can run for years, and reopening dates shift. So before you go, confirm from an official source whether the theatre is open; if it is closed, you may have to settle for a view from outside.

Even when it is open, set your expectations against Aspendos rather than for it. Aspendos's completeness is not the measure here; the Perge theatre is more the remains of a city theatre than a whole building. The workmanship on the stage facade and the sheer size of the structure are still worth seeing. Just do not set out without checking the current status first.

10. Perge South Baths and Agora

A structure often hurried past at Perge is actually one of the best preserved: the south baths. Dated to the first century AD, this bath complex is large and monumental, and the plan of its hot, warm and cold rooms can still be read. Its other significance is that a great many of the statues found in the excavations came from this building. So the baths were not only a place to wash; they were a social space lined with sculpture.

Near the baths is the agora. The agora was the city's square and marketplace; at Perge it is square in plan, with a round structure in the middle. The lines of columns and the traces of shop rows are still visible.

It makes sense to see these two together, because the baths and the agora tell you about the everyday life of the city. If the gate and the street represent display, the baths and the agora are where people actually spent their time. Most of the statues found here, though, are not on site. You see them at the Antalya Museum.

11. Antalya Museum

Come here after you have walked both ancient cities, because the statues, reliefs and inscriptions that once stood inside the buildings at Perge and Aspendos are now largely in this museum. If you see an empty pedestal at a site, the statue that stood on it is very often here.

The museum's strongest section is its Perge halls. Statues from Perge's south baths and monumental gate, figures of gods and emperors, and sarcophagi are displayed here. You can also see parts of the sculptural programme with which Plancia Magna adorned the gate. In other words, the museum is the ring that completes the architecture you saw at the site.

It has a practical advantage too: the museum is indoors and air-conditioned. When the ancient cities are hard going at midday in summer, or on a rainy day, the museum is a comfortable alternative. It is in central Antalya, near Konyaalti. Opening hours and the entrance fee can change, so confirm them from an official source.

12. Sillyon Ancient City

Between Aspendos and Perge, on a steep hill dominating the plain, sits a third Pamphylian city: Sillyon. It is far less visited than the other two, and the reason is simple. It is hard to reach. The road up the hill is rough, and the site is not laid out as a groomed archaeological park.

That is exactly what makes Sillyon a different experience. There are no crowds and no arranged paths. What you find is wall remains, a gate, cisterns and building traces scattered across the hilltop. Thanks to the height, you can look out over the plain and toward the other ancient cities in the distance.

I would only recommend it to visitors who have seen a fair number of ruins and are ready for a bit of a climb. You need solid shoes, you should not go up in the midday heat, and you should ask about the state of the road before you set off. In the wet season the dirt track becomes difficult. For those who want to go deeper into the region after Aspendos and Perge, it makes a logical third stop.

13. Kursunlu Waterfall Nature Park

If the ancient cities have tired you out, change direction. Kursunlu is a nature park northeast of central Antalya, set in pine forest with a waterfall running through it. Its character is the opposite of the ruins: shade, the sound of water and cool air.

The waterfall drops in layers over travertine, meaning the water has shaped the stone over time into a stepped formation. There are walking paths and viewing points around it. The flow varies by season: strong in spring, weaker at the end of summer. The lush, high-water scene you see in photographs is most likely a spring image.

It is easy to fit into the same day as Aspendos and Perge, because the distances are short. After hot hours among the ruins, a break in the forest balances the day out. The ground can be damp and slippery, so walk the paths with care. The point I give belongs to the park area; confirm entry and hours from an official source.

14. Koprulu Canyon National Park

Head north from the plain into the mountains and Koprulu Canyon begins. It is a deep gorge that the Kopruçay river has cut through the rock, and the surrounding area is a national park. The region is known for two things: rafting in summer and the ancient bridges that cross the water.

Inside the canyon there are stone bridges dating from the Roman period, set between the rocks at points where the river narrows and deepens. Rafting is busy in the summer months; the coldness of the water and the strength of the current vary with the season. If you go rafting, use a licensed operator and take the life jacket seriously.

This deserves a day of its own, apart from the ancient-city visit. There is a real distance and a real change of altitude between the plain and the canyon; the road climbs into the mountains, and the drive takes longer than the map suggests. Putting Aspendos and Perge on one day and the canyon on another is the realistic plan. Selge lies in the same direction, so you can combine the two.

15. Selge (Zerk) Ancient City

Above Koprulu Canyon, next to the village of Zerk, sits a mountain city: Selge. It stands in a completely different setting from the cities on the plain, on high, broken ground. Getting there is an outing in itself; the road climbs into the mountains and the final section is narrow.

Selge's most visible structure is its theatre. Set on a slope looking out over the mountains, its seating rows are largely intact. Around it, traces of the agora, cisterns and building remains are scattered among the houses of the village. So the ancient city and the modern village are laced together.

The appeal of the place is its setting. After the orderly ruins of the plain, Selge feels wild and quiet. It is also demanding: the altitude, the narrow road and the unmanaged site all come together. Pairing it with Koprulu Canyon makes sense, because the two sit at different heights on the same valley. Solid shoes and a full tank are essential.

How many days you need

Aspendos and Perge fit comfortably into one full day together. You can take one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. They are about forty kilometres apart on flat plain roads, so the transfer between them is short.

For a second day there are two options. The first is the Antalya Museum and Sillyon, a day that deepens the story of the two ancient cities. At the museum you see the statues that came from the sites; at Sillyon you add a third Pamphylian city. The second option is a nature day: Kursunlu Waterfall, Koprulu Canyon and Selge. Because that second day separates the plain from the mountains, it should be planned on its own.

The short answer is this. If you are keen on ancient cities, allow two days for Aspendos, Perge, the museum and Sillyon. If you want to add the nature, allow three. Cramming everything into one day is technically possible, but you will spend the day in the car and in the heat.

How to get there

Come by car. I say that without softening it, because you cannot comfortably reach most of the points in this guide by public transport. The road from central Antalya to Aspendos and Perge is good and the distance is short, but the entrances to the ancient cities are set back from the main road, and a bus can leave you at the junctions.

Perge is the closest to central Antalya, right beside the district of Aksu. Aspendos is a little further east, toward Serik. The Antalya Museum is in the city itself, on the Konyaalti side. Driving between these three is easy.

The northern points, Koprulu Canyon and Selge, are a different matter. The road climbs into the mountains, winds, and narrows toward the end. Do not multiply the kilometres on the map to guess the time; average speed is low here. If you are heading up to Selge, keep your tank full, because finding fuel in the mountains is not guaranteed.

When to go

Spring and autumn are the most balanced seasons. April, May, October and early November are ideal for touring the ancient cities: the heat is reasonable, the light is good, and there is water in the waterfalls. In this region, summer is a serious matter, because both Aspendos and Perge are large, shadeless sites. In July and August the midday hours are exhausting on stone and dust.

If you are coming in summer, set your clock. The sites are far more bearable early in the morning and in the late afternoon; leave the midday hours for the museum or a shaded break. A hat, water and sunscreen are not optional here. For rafting at Koprulu Canyon, though, summer is the main season; the water is more suitable in those months.

Winter does not rule out a visit, but the days are short and there can be rain. On wet days the roads to Sillyon and Selge become difficult. If you come in winter, focus on the plain cities and the museum, and leave the mountains for another trip.

About the Aspendos festival

There is one detail worth knowing about the Aspendos theatre. It hosts the Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival, organised by the Turkish State Opera and Ballet since 1994. That means the theatre is not only a ruin; it is still used as a stage, and seeing that is striking.

But it has a side effect. During the festival period a technical setup, lighting rig and seating are installed on the stage, and that setup can partly block the view during a daytime visit. So if you want to see the theatre empty and bare, check the festival calendar before you go.

I will not give you an invented date or programme here, because the festival schedule changes from year to year. Whether you want to watch a performance or, on the contrary, avoid the crowds, find the current programme from an official source.

What to eat

This region sits within the cuisine of Antalya, a transition between the coast and the plain. Around Serik and Aksu, home-style gozleme, tandir and grilled meat are common. Because a visit to the ancient cities is long and hot, a light break makes more sense at midday than a heavy meal.

One of the flavours the region is known for is orange and citrus; the Antalya plain is a centre of citrus growing, and in season you find freshly squeezed juice everywhere. Syrup-soaked desserts are also common.

I am not naming venues, because the places right at the entrances to the ancient cities are generally set up for tourist volume. Better and better-value food is usually in the town centres of Serik or Aksu, where locals eat. Ask about prices in advance; the places at the entrance points can be expensive.

Frequently asked questions

**Is Aspendos really the best-preserved Roman theatre in the world?**

Treat that claim with caution. The Aspendos theatre is genuinely remarkable in how complete it is, especially the stage building, which stands almost entirely intact. But there is no neutral measure that supports a ranking like "the best in the world." Even Turkey's own UNESCO Tentative List file avoids an absolute superlative and acknowledges that the building has been partly restored. So "one of the most complete that survives" is fair; "definitively number one" is not.

**Are Aspendos and Perge UNESCO World Heritage Sites?**

No, neither is inscribed. Both sit on Turkey's UNESCO Tentative List. Aspendos appears under the title "Theatre and Aqueducts of the Ancient City of Aspendos," and Perge as "Archaeological Site of Perge," with a submission date of 2009. The Tentative List is a preliminary stage in which a country signals an intention to nominate a place in the future; it does not mean the place is inscribed. Many sources confuse the two.

**Can I see Aspendos and Perge in the same day?**

Yes. They are about forty kilometres apart on flat plain roads. You can take one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Just account for the midday hours in summer; both sites are large and shadeless. On hot days a more comfortable plan is to split the two cities between morning and late afternoon and spend the midday inside the Antalya Museum.

**Is the Perge theatre open?**

Confirm before you go. The Perge theatre was closed to visitors for a long time for restoration, and with projects like this the reopening dates shift. Check the current status from an official source; if it is closed, you may have to settle for a view from outside. The Perge gate, colonnaded street, stadium and baths are separate structures and can be visited independently of the theatre.

**Where are the statues from the ancient cities?**

Largely in the Antalya Museum. At Perge and Aspendos you will mostly see empty pedestals and architectural frames; the statues, reliefs and sarcophagi that stood on them have been moved to the museum. That is why it makes sense to plan the sites and the museum together: one shows you the architecture, the other the works that filled it. The museum is also indoors and air-conditioned, which makes it a good refuge during the hot midday hours.