POPULAR BUYING LOCATIONS / DIDIM

Didyma is located near the village of Yenihisar (Yoran) near the town of Söke in the province of Aydin in the Aegean region. Here one finds an important sanctuary that housed one of the oracles of Apollo. It was connected to Miletus by sea, and those arriving by ship would land at the harbour of Panormus and thence follow the Sacred way to Didyma. Until its destruction by the Persians in 494 B.C. it was administered by the family of the Branchidae, the descendants of Bronchos, a youth beloved of Apollo. For the last two kilometers the Sacred Way was lined with seated statues of the male and female members of the Branchidae family.

Didim, home of the antique city of Didyma with its ruined Temple of Apollo, is a small town, popular seaside holiday resort and district of Aydin Province on the Aegean coast of western Turkey, 123 km (76 mi) from the city of Aydin.

Didim is located on the north shore of the gulf of Güllük opposite the Bodrum peninsula villages such as Torba, Türkbükü and Yalikavak. The district consists of Didim itself, a coastal town of 26,000 people and a number of small towns including Altinkum (which means golden sand), Gümüþkum (silver sand) and Sarikum (yellow sand).

Tourism is the main source of income for the area, especially in summer, but agriculture is also an important contributor, the main crops are wheat and cotton. Animals, especially sheep and goats, are raised mainly for local consumption.

This coast has thus become a very popular holiday resort and is genuinely attractive with its long sandy beaches, clear blue sea, ancient ruins to visit, and its own microclimate, benefitting from hundreds of days of sun a year and warm winters, allowing residents to enjoy the famous beaches and watersports even in January. Perhaps the most attractive bays are the smaller quieter ones further from the centre, such as Haydar, along a dirt road around the shore of Akbük (white bay). The village of Akbük is one of Didim's classiest, and has a yacht marina.

In the evenings, visitors try to find somewhere quiet to sit by the sea and look at the lights of other towns across the water, but for those of a more energetic nature, Didim has a number of discotheques, smaller bars and clubs, some with live music, mostly Türkü (Turkish folk music). However, Didim is mostly a quiet, family resort with a great coastline, and visitors looking for nightlife would be better off in Bodrum. Summers in Didim can involve sitting on the balcony drinking raký, playing volleyball, sitting on the beach, or wandering along the seafront while eating sunflower seeds. The local station, Didim TV, is in fact an amateur project by a television repair shop owner and neighbourhood councillor (muhtar), and is mostly advertisements for local shops and hotels.

The construction of the new fifty million dollar Didim D Marina is expected to encourage further tourism and rising property prices in the area. Development of the third beach area in Altinkum has already begun with an expected completion date of 2009.

Within Didim, the best way to travel is to take the "dolmus" (minibuses). From town center, you reach in minutes any direction you wish: hotels, beaches, neighboring villages... They are allowed to take up to 15 passengers and their prices are set by each municipality."SEHIRICI" sign mini buses makes an internal line starting from ORMANKAMPI to PARLIAMENTERLER VILLAGES and the routine passes through 3rd beach, Altinkum City center, Didim City center, Yenihisar market (on Saturdays), temple of Apollo, Mavisehir, Club Tarhan, Ormankampi... Another internal line goes down to Tuntas Beach and Yesilkent, Spice Aparts, Dolunay Apartments, etc.

"DiDiM SEYAHAT" MIDIBUSES, Goes up to Soke by passing Ormankampi - Tasburun(harbour for local fishermen), Akkoy(very old village, bird watchers area), Akyenikoy - Dalyan(crossroad for Bodrum - Izmir highway), Jeans Factories - Soke (last stop). Local market of Soke held on every wednesday. DiDiM SEYAHAT has got a 10 p.m. and midnight coaches until the main junction of SÖKE- Bodrum highway during the summertime in the high season.

DiDiM SEYAHAT" COACHES, GOES TO IZMIR, BODRUM DAILY
A more private way to tour in the area are the taxis that are all yellow-painted cars, equipped with taximeters and recognizable to their sign "Taksi". Prices are also fixed by each municipality. Mind the day and night tariffs.

AIRWAYS
There is no airport at the resort. The airports close by are in Bodrum, Izmir and Dalaman. The distances of airports are: Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport 150km, Bodrum Airport 95km. Dalaman Airport 120km.

The nearest airport to Didim, "Bodrum Airport" is about 95 km south east of Didim which means 60 minutes of journey by road. The second nearest airport to Didim, "Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport" - amongst the most qualified airports of Turkey with its capacity and facilities, is about 95 km away from Didim. Including Turkish National Airlines, many accredited international airlines have regular direct and connected flights from and to international Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport.

From the airport, you may reach to Didim by bus from Izmir central bus station in every 30 minutes. As the airport is located outside the city, travel to bus station from the airport with luggage might be tiring. Also, many travel agencies in Didim organize reasonable transfers from and to Didim. If you do not have a transfer arranged or come by a private car, follow the Izmir-Aydin highway direction Aydin untill Torbali, then follow the Selcuk road and Ortaklar comes, turn right to Bodrum highway then after Soke from where you turn right to Didim. On the way, you will be surprised, during this one and a half-hour's trip, to discover wild landscapes, a colorful world of flowers, cotton fields (especially in August and September).

Didim is accessible from the Greek island Samos via kusadasiand Kos via Bodrum, The cruise ships usually sail from Venice or Piraeus, daily from April 1st till October 31st (two-hours' journey). The harbor of Kusadasi is one of the biggest port of Turkey, visited by well-known cruise companies. And the harbour of Bodrum is very famous wit its wooden yacht competition held on late summer. It is a popular stop of Mediterranean cruises.

Also, Turkish Maritime Lines makes regular departures from and to Turkey. For a detailed information you may contact to Turkish maritime offices in Turkey and the representatives abroad.

Map of Didim