Since historical sites and archaeology is something that interests me, I decided to book a private tour with Didim Tours and go there myself to visit the Castle Museum. It took us around 1 hour and 20 minutes drive from Didim to Bodrum Port with some lovely scenery on the journey. There's much information on the history of this Castle and Bodrum on the internet which you may find useful to read up on if you haven't already before you visit.
Part of its charm is due to how it came to be built on the site of the ancient city of Halikarnassus, which happened to be one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. However, over time, earthquakes meant that this was destroyed in the Middle-Ages, and what now stands in its place is a wonderful town with a little bit of everything for tourists to enjoy.
At one time it was a fishing village, but now is very different. It has some super beaches combined with bars, restaurants and highly popular night clubs. Besides that, there's a quieter side to Bodrum, which mainly comprises the Marina and Yacht Club. More recently, the Bodrum Castle Museum of Underwater Archaeology has become one of the premier attractions of the town.
It is said that there are 3 faces to Bodrum Castle, 2 of which are present, but there is no apparent evidence of a 3rd, and for good reasons. There are 5 towers and 7 different gates in this castle and was once a fortress and a place of history. You'll be pleased to know that there are WC's and a couple of small cafes inside for those that might want to spend quite a while taking in all the areas at a more slower pace or might need to sit and rest weary legs with a cup of tea or coffee, as there are some steps which are quite big, but only a few.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and can highly recommend it, as it's most definitely very interesting and well worth a visit. I will also mention the spectacular views from the Castle and the beautiful boats and yachts in the harbour. I was blessed with a beautiful sunny day, albeit a little breezy, but my photo shots were super amazing. There are a great choice of restaurants, cafes and bars lined up along the harbour where you can sit and enjoy the view and feel that relaxed laid back vibe the habour brings.
After spending a couple of hours in the Castle museum, I walked a short distance along the quay and found a cafe where I enjoyed a lovely view of the yachts in the harbour and had a late lunch, coffee and charged my phone. Then my tour continued on up into the hills of Bodrum to another famous landmark, the Bodrum Windmills. They were once working Windmills and there are still some white-washed Windmills on the hills, though when I visited there weren't any that had any 'blades' fitted and were in various states of repair. Hopefully, they'll be in a better state of repair soon for the tourist to enjoy viewing.
The panoramic view of the surrounding area and Bodrum Bay and Castle is fabulous from the hills where the Windmills stand. So, this too is well worth a visit, particularly if it's not such a windy day like I had. On the way back to Didim, a visit to the Ancient City of Euromos, which apparently, not that many people are aware of its existence. Here, the Temple of Zeus is said to be the best preserved in all of Turkey! It dates back at least as far as the 6th Century B.C. and was previously known as Kyromos/Hyromos, but the city was renamed Euromos in the 4th Century B.C. by King Mausolos of Hallicarnassus.
There's much to see on this site, with some walking uphill, but not too steep, and the steps are not too deep, but once there, you get to see a wonderfull view from the top. During the summer season the cafe will be open and thankfully there are toilets here too! So, after viewing 3 historical, amazing and interesting places in one day I can highly recommend this Tour. I had a fabulous day out thanks to Didim Tours!
~By Aleyna~
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