Places to Visit in Assos and Its Surroundings – The Most Beautiful Places

Our country is very lucky in terms of history, culture and sea tourism. While ancient cities of thousands of years and sparkling beaches are very beautiful individually, the pleasure of watching the sea from ancient cities overlooking the sea, the upper city or ancient temples is completely different. Not to mention that there are many places in the Aegean and Mediterranean that fit this description. One of my favorite places in the Northern Aegean, overlooking the sea from the upper city, the Temple of Athena, with its legends and wars. Assos Ancient City. Places to visit in Assos and its surroundings, food and beverage, accommodation and more Assos travel guide This article is waiting for you, have a pleasant reading!

In this article, you will find all the information you will need when planning your trip, such as places to swim in Assos, transportation to Assos, the best time to go to Assos, places to stay in Assos, and camping places in Assos, as well as a list of places to visit in and around Assos. Thus, you can easily determine how many days of travel you will plan. You can take a short weekend trip to Assos and its surroundings, or you can plan a long-term vacation. Let's take a look at the details before you start planning!

Where is Assos?

Before you go "Where is Assos?” if you ask; Assos is located in my favorite region of the North Aegean with its magnificent beaches, ancient cities, and beautiful mountain villages like brush-drawn. Located in the region between Edremit Bay and Babakale Cape, Assos is the ancient name of Behramkale Village, 17 kilometers from Ayvacık district of Çanakkale. The ancient city and port here are named Assos.

Click for the location of Assos on the map.

The Ancient City of Assos was founded on a hill and its slopes at the tip of the region known as Troas in ancient times. Now, the entrance of the ancient city can be reached on foot from the Behramkale Village. Since the city is spread over a wide area, you should take a walk down the slope of the hill to reach the theater.

Just across Assos, when viewed from the Temple of Athena, is the beautiful island of Lesbos, which I love very much.

Things to do in Lesvos ve How to get to Mytilene My articles will also be of interest to you.

How to go to Assos?

Now that we know where Assos is, "How to get to Assos?Let's answer the question. It is possible to reach Assos with your own private vehicle, plane or bus. Details for each option are below.

Transportation to Assos by Private Vehicle

If you have a vehicle, it is most logical to go to Assos with a private vehicle because you will need a vehicle to go to many places such as Hasan Boğuldu, Mıhlı, Adatepe Village.

“How many hours does it take by car from Istanbul to Assos?” I seem to hear you ask. If you take the O5 highway, the distance between Istanbul (Beşiktaş) and Assos is 423 kilometers and takes about 5 hours. If you go to Assos from Istanbul by using the new highway (O5) and Osmangazi Bridge, you will have 2020 TL travel expenses with October 207 prices.

Another option is to go to Assos by crossing the Dardanelles via Gallipoli from the west of Istanbul. There is no radical difference in terms of distance, this is 439 kilometers, but this road takes more than 6 hours as a slower line will be used and a ferry will be used to cross the Bosphorus.

If you are going to Assos from Izmir direction, it takes 263 kilometers from Izmir to Assos and takes more than 3.5 hours.

It is 27 kilometers from Küçükkuyu to Assos, 40 kilometers from Altınoluk to Assos, 65 kilometers from Edremit to Assos. The road along the coast is quite busy.

Flavor Stops on the Road Between Assos Istanbul

If you take the old road from Istanbul to Assos, at the exit of Susurluk, Yörsan Tesisleri is a place where you should take a toast-ayran break on the way. I love the taste of this toast. I also like Yörsan Facilities because of the cleanliness and the free car wash in the parking lot. However, if you are using the new highway, unfortunately, you have to get in and out of the highway to reach Yörsan. Instead, there are Yasa facilities on the highway around Susurluk. They also make buttermilk-toast here. Even if it's not a Yörsan, it's not bad.

Again on the road, around İvrindi, there are stalls where you can find many fruits and vegetables and black mulberry juice. Prices are Istanbul prices, but if you are at the last minute to buy Çanakkale products, you can stop and buy fresh fruit and vegetables.

Transportation to Assos by Bus

If you want to go to Assos by bus from Istanbul, unfortunately, there is no direct transportation. You can reach Assos by coming to Altınoluk or Küçükkuyu and taking the minibuses between the districts from there. It takes about 7,5 hours from Istanbul to Kucukkuyu.

To get to Assos from Çanakkale bus station or Gallipoli, you need to take the Küçükkuyu or Ayvacik buses. Unfortunately, there is no direct bus or minibus to Assos.

Transportation to Assos by Plane

If you want to go to Assos by air, you can use Balikesir Koca Seyit Airport or Çanakkale Airport, which are located near Edremit. The distance between Koca Seyit Airport and Assos is 72 kilometers, and Çanakkale Airport is 85 kilometers away. Since there is no public transportation facility, renting a car from the airport will be the fastest way to go to Assos. We preferred this way of transportation in one of our trips.

Places to Visit in Assos and its Surroundings

Assos is actually a tiny place. You can see and finish the places to see around Assos Ancient City in 1 day. Apart from the ancient city, that is, apart from the places to be seen for one day, I have added the nearby places that you can visit and see when you come to this region. Let's visit the places in our list of places to visit in Assos and its surroundings in order.

one . Assos Ancient City

Of course, the first place that comes to mind when Assos is mentioned is the Ancient City of Assos. The city, which was built on an extinct volcano, BC. 6-7. was founded in the century. Volcanic andesite stone was used in the construction of the city, and this stone, which is difficult to process, is also very durable. In ancient times, sarcophagi were made of this stone and were called "man-eating sarcophagus". It is possible to see these stones as sarcophagi in many ancient cities in Anatolia.

Assos Ancient City was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage tentative list in 2017. I hope it gets on the permanent list soon.

Assos also played an important role in the philosophy world of the ancient period. Aristotle, one of the world's most famous philosophers, lived here for 3 years and established a philosophy school.

There are Athena Temple, Ancient Theatre, Hüdavendigar Mosque, Necropolis, Agora, Gymnasium and walls within the boundaries of the ruins where the Ancient City is located. If you prefer the evening hours to visit the city, you can catch a beautiful sunset view from the Temple of Athena. Again, if you have a plan to visit the whole city, it would be good to spare 2-3 hours.

Even without the sunset, the view of Edremit Bay is also wonderful.

• Assos Ancient City Entrance Fee: 25 TL, free for Müzekart.
• Assos Ancient City Visiting Hours: Summer Period between 10:00-19:00, Winter Period 08:30-17:00

The first excavations in the ancient city were started by the American Archaeological Institute in 1881, and most of the important artifacts unearthed after three years of excavations were taken to America with the permission of the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately, in those years, our historical artifacts and cultural assets were not protected. In the next period, with the attempts of Osman Hamdi Bey, the artifacts unearthed during the excavations by foreigners were protected and their removal abroad (at least by legal means) was prevented.

2. Temple of Athena

The Temple of Athena is located at the highest point of the Assos Ancient City and is known as the first and only DOR temple built in Anatolia. Athena is the daughter of Zeus and one of the 12 Olympian gods and the patron goddess of Assos. The temple was also named after the goddess Athena. The temple was built in the dimensions of 14×30 meters, some of its columns are still visible. Some friezes of the temple are exhibited in the Istanbul Archeology Museum.

Across the temple, Mytilene faces a magnificent view worthy of the goddess Athena, with the Gulf of Edremit on its left.

3. Assos Ancient Port

Assos Ancient Harbor is one of the places that makes you wonder how a tiny place can be so beautiful. You can go down to the harbor via a very steep and narrow road, by following the “Ancient Port” signs from inside Behramkale. If you are getting off with a large vehicle, caravan or bus, be very, very careful because the road is a single lane and winding cobblestone road.

This is a place where you can spend a whole day with pleasure, with fish restaurants along the coast, old stone buildings converted into hotels, narrow cobblestone streets, fishing boats, beaches to the left and right of the harbor, and ice cream shops. Although it is very touristic, it is a place where people who are really interested come because of its bad roads and lack of public transportation.

Large stone buildings used as hotels were used as acorn warehouses in the past. Once upon a time, bonito was traded here. If you landed at the port, do not return without eating fish at the fish restaurants on the beach and tasting the delicious gummy ice cream.

In summer, it is not allowed to enter the port with a vehicle. There is a car park 50 meters from the port, you can leave your car there and get down to the port.

4. Behramkale Village

In fact, Assos, which we have been talking about since the beginning, is the village of Behramkale itself. Since it has been a protected area for 30 years, old stone houses have been preserved. This is a cute village with its stone-paved road where pancake shops and souvenir shops are lined up all the way to the entrance of Assos Ruins. If you want to stay, there are also hostel and hotel options. Although it was wildly crowded in the summer months, the season was closed at the end of September when we went, some shops were closed, it was extremely calm and quiet.

Behramkale Bridge and Hüdavendigar Mosque are the works of the village from the Ottoman period.

5. Adatepe Village

After visiting the ancient city of Assos, the village and the port, it is impossible not to visit the villages settled on the slopes of the beautiful Kaz Mountains, half an hour away. Two of these villages are very famous; Adatepe and Yesilyurt. Let's go to Adatepe first, let's see what's available.

When you go up the mountain 4 kilometers from Küçükkuyu, you will see this beautiful village. Before the population exchange, Greeks and Turks lived together in the village, which dates back to ancient times. The village, which was declared a protected area in 1989, has been flooded by writers, illustrators and artists since the 80's, and those who came here began to settle in by restoring the stone houses.

A 400-year-old plane tree welcomes you in the village square. There are many cafeterias around the plane tree where you can order local dishes, drink tea and coffee, and eat ice cream. The most popular dishes are manlama (yogurt, mince pancake) and rice pudding in places separated by colorful covers. You can also eat healthy things like the olive oil platter.

The most important activity to do in Adatepe Village is to wander through the side streets of the village and take pictures of the beautiful stone houses. We said we would travel to Adatepe for 1 hour and spent hours. So, don't be conservative like us while you're planning. While walking around the village Hüseyin Meral Olive Oil & Art House & Cafe it will grab your attention, give it a go.

I will not recommend buying souvenirs from the village, because the village is very touristic, so the prices of souvenirs are a bit inflated. In fact, we may even be a little angry when we realize that the soap we bought from the soap shop in the village square is sold much cheaper in Migros.

A former village school overlooking the village Stone School and now it is a place where art activities are carried out. Even though it was closed when we went due to the pandemic, you can even stop by to see the Adatepe view from the garden of the village school.

To the north of Adatepe, there is a rock that looks as if it lies on top of the village, its name is Hoca Rock. If you go here, you will encounter a beautiful view from the village to the beach.

When you turn from Küçükuyu towards Adatepe, you will see the Antique Sabunhane sign on the left. This is an old soap shop, which has now been converted into a large venue where souvenirs are sold, breakfast and food are served. It is also a nursing home for many cats and dogs. They will be very happy if you take food with you when you go.

Adatepe Village Check out my post for more information.

6. Adatepe Olive Oil Museum

Located in Küçükkuyu on the way back from Adatepe Adatepe Olive Oil Museum I think it is one of the stops that must be visited. Here, all the processes of olive oil production are explained together with the necessary equipment. Museum admission is free.

The museum has a nice cafeteria, don't forgive if you catch fresh cookies. There is also a museum store where they produce olive oil products, which I lost myself when I entered. The scents, the packages are amazing! Moreover, the prices are affordable. If you buy something from here, you will also contribute to the museum.

The museum's logo refikaWhen I asked about the story of , I was met with a sad story. Refika is a Greek girl living in Adatepe. She is beautiful herself, her voice is beautiful, everyone in the village admires her. However, she is forced to leave the village with her family during the population exchange period. Stories are told that she settled in Crete and was chosen as the beauty queen of Greece, she. This photo is in an antique shop and one of the village elders confirms that it is Refika. Thus, the beautiful girl in this photo becomes the emblem of the museum.

7. Altar of Zeus

Let's come to one of the most beautiful places. He went to the Altar of Zeus and said, "Is this aaaaannn?" These eyes also saw those who sneered, and those who could not get enough of looking at the view from the altar. If you go in good light, a magnificent view of Edremit Bay awaits you at the Zeus Altar. Don't think too much when you say altar (i.e. altar), you will come here for both its historical value and its view. I couldn't keep the introduction short again, I extended it.

Zeus Altar is approximately 1 kilometer from Adatepe Village, on the right as you go to the village. It has an iron gate entrance, you will definitely notice it. There is no vehicle passage after the gate, you reach the altar after a 700-meter walk through the pine forest. Dirt road but easy to walk. Entry is free. In addition, the view of Adatepe Village from this walking path is very beautiful.

Briefly what is an altar, Let me explain it: The name given to high places, mostly made of stone or carved into stones, where sacrifices or offerings were made to the gods in ancient times. The Altar of Zeus was the place where the Greeks made their offerings and sacrifices to their supreme god. Although the German archaeologist Heinrich Schlieman, who excavated in this area, claims that this is the Gargara Hill on Mount Ida and where Zeus watched the Trojan War, no evidence was found.

In the Ottoman period, it was believed that the altar was a tomb and that it was the tomb of a respected person named Erdem Baba.

8. Yesilyurt Village 

Another famous and touristic village in Kazdağları is Yeşilyurt Village. Although it is at least as popular as Adatepe, I recommend you to see both and make your choice. My favorite is Adatepe by far.

Yesilyurt VillageIt is a village with colorful cafeterias, many breakfast places, stone houses, souvenir shops and walking around its streets. If you wish, there is also the possibility of accommodation.

9. Mıhlı Creek and Başdeğirmen Bridge

It is impossible to come this far and not look closely at the beauties of Kaz Mountains. Başdeğirmen Bridge, located on Mıhlı Creek, is one of these beauties. The first time I came here was at the end of winter, unfortunately we came back before we could see the bridge because the waters of the stream were high. When we left at the end of summer, it was before us with all its beauty.

You can drive up to 100 meters to reach the bridge. Click for location. There are tea gardens and restaurants by the creek. No one received a parking fee from us, but keep in mind that parking is paid in season. You can reach the bridge with a short walk along the creek, which is not very ergonomic. The view is magnificent, there is an exit to the top of the bridge. There was a mill just to the left of the bridge, but it is not working now. Here is a place that serves as a restaurant. If you wish, you can have your meal against this view. Even better, you can swim in the water here. The water is cold, but you get used to it once you enter it. The taste of swimming in this magnificently clear water is definitely something else.

10. Hasan Boğuldu Pond and Sütüven Waterfall

If you want to go a little further from Assos, you can add Hasan Boğuldu Pond and Sütüven Waterfall, which are 1 hour away, to your route.

If you want to go to Hasan Boğuldu, there are 2 ways:

1. Via Kızılkeçili Village
2. Via Zeytinli Village

We went through Kızılkeçili Village, where the end of the road is Sütüven Waterfall. They took only 8 TL from us at the entrance. However, if you come through Zeytinli Village, they charge 20 TL as National Park Entrance Fee. I don't know why there is such a difference. If you come from this route that we came from, you reach the national park side by crossing the bridge that passes in front of the waterfall.

You can go down the stairs to the level of the stream below the Sütüven Waterfall (this is quite high). There are many people picnicking here during the season. There is also a cafe overlooking the waterfall. If you wish, you can take a tea, coffee or breakfast break here. You can reach the entrance of the pathway leading to Hasan Boğuldu Pond by walking 200-300 meters from Sütüven Waterfall. Here, a large number of stalls selling local products await you. From here, you can reach Hasan Boğuldu Pond by following a 200-meter path.

The road leading to the pond is also very crowded in summer. However, since we went at the end of the season, it was extremely quiet. There is a pond at the end of the path that goes through a wonderful forest. Having come this far, it is impossible not to tell the story of Hasan Boğuldu.

Emine and Hasan fall in love with each other. However, Emine is from Obalı and Hasan is from Ovalı. According to the tradition of the oba, in order for Hasan to marry Emine, he must bring a sack of salt from the village to the oba without rest. Hasan accepts the condition and takes the sack on his shoulders. Emine goes after Hasan. The salt sack, which was light at first, gets heavier with the effect of sun and tiredness, and the salt starts to burn Hasan's back. After a while, Hasan has no cure and collapses to where he is. In order to marry Emine Hasan, she takes the sack on her back and continues on her way by telling Hasan to follow me. However, no one sees Hasan after that day. When a piece of Hasan's shirt is found by the stream, Emine despairs and ends her life by hanging herself with that piece of shirt. It is not known whether Hasan really drowned or whether he disappeared with the shame of not being able to carry the sack. But the story ends before the lovers reunite.

There is also a movie starring Hülya Avşar that tells this sad story. Sabahattin Ali wrote a poem describing this sad story. You can see the first paragraph below.

I got your voice from far away

I found your surroundings in the creek,

I knew where you were going

Hasan, I came from behind.

sabahattin ali

Other Places to Visit Around Assos

In addition to the places I mentioned above, if you have time, you can add the following places to your list of places to visit in Assos. Unfortunately, I cannot give detailed information about these places because we did not add them.

• Kazdagi Museum,
• Tahtakuşlar Ethnography Museum,
• Babakale Castle,
• Şahinkaya Canyon,
• Küçükçetmi Village and its thermal springs

Map of Places to Visit in Assos

I marked the entire list of places to visit in Assos and its surroundings on Google Maps. to this link or you can reach the live map by clicking on the map below.

Places to Swim in Assos – Assos Beaches

You can swim almost anywhere around Assos. The sparkling sea of ​​the North Aegean is waiting for you to embrace it. One of the most frequently asked questions when I was in Assos was “Is the sea water cold in Assos?” was. Let me remind you that the sea in Assos is as buzz-like as it is sparkling, one of the reasons I love the North Aegean beaches is the cold water that brings the dead back to life. cold sea I think it's clear that I love it.

My suggestion for those who plan to swim around here sea ​​shoes Because the beaches are mostly stone or gravel, walking barefoot at the first entrance can be a problem. There can also be sea urchins, sea shoes protect your feet from both stones and urchins.

• Assos Port
• Galley Bay
• Green Harbor Cove
• Sivrice Beach
• Street Mouth Beach

Best Time to Go to Assos

In which month to go to Assos, what is the best time to go to Assos? If you have any questions, I will answer these questions immediately.

Of course, July, August and September are the best times to go to the North Aegean, especially if you want to swim. However, since everyone thinks like you, it is useful to anticipate that it will be very crowded during these months. If you go at the end of September or the beginning of October, the sea is not very cold yet, it will still be at a swimming level, and there will be no crowd of families with children since schools will be opened. You can also catch the October olive harvest here, you will add color to your trip.

How Many Days Should You Allocate to Visit Assos and Its Surroundings?

The question of how many days it takes to visit a place usually seems meaningless to me. Since this question is asked a lot, I add it to my blog posts. You saw that I listed a long list of places to visit in Assos and its surroundings above. With a fast pace, you can visit these places in 2 days. But I can enjoy it, swim in every beach, spend more than half a day in Adatape like us, I would say at least 4-5 days are necessary if you want.

What to Eat and Where to Eat in Assos?

Since I will write a separate and more detailed article on what to eat and where to eat in Assos, I'm just passing on brief information here.

• Especially when you go to Assos gummy and black mulberry ice creamDon't leave without tasting.
• Adatepe Village is also famous for its ice cream. herb ice creamThey suggested a lot, but unfortunately it wasn't there when we went, let me know if you like it.
• There are many places that make good seafood in this region. To suggest a name, after Küçükkuyu Filinta. On the seaside, there are different interpretations of appetizers, meat or fish options. There is also a beach if you wish.
• For Turkish Coffee lovers mastic Turkish coffee Don't go back without drinking.
• Definitely in Adatepe Village manning Eat it but have it with garlic yoghurt.
• There are many fish restaurants in Assos Antique Port, we Pier RestaurantWe preferred . But I'm sure the others are nice too.

Places to Stay in Assos

Assos is a bit confusing in terms of accommodation because the places to visit are spread over a wide area. Hotels, campsites, hostels, along the coast, you may have a hard time choosing a place. I share a few hotel and camping site suggestions below.

Assos Hotels

If you want to stay in the ancient port area of ​​Assos, one of the oldest hotels in the port is the Kervansaray Hotel. By the sea, the Iskele restaurant, where we ate, is actually the restaurant of the hotel. Most of the old stone houses in the port area have been turned into hotels and they all look beautiful. However, this place is not very easy in terms of transportation, so staying somewhere between Assos and Küçükkuyu may make more sense in terms of transportation, at least for those who are planning a long and extensive trip.

Places to Camp in Assos

There are many campsites to camp in and around Assos. If you go on the coastal road between Assos and Küçükkuyu, you will see dozens of campsite signs, so it is a little difficult to choose from among them. We made a short list with our internet research, then we took a look at them all and decided where to stay. Unfortunately, some of the suggestions you will find on the internet were written without being seen before going, so it is useful to be careful.

Self Camping: The closest camping area to Assos Ancient City is at the end of the Ancient Harbor, at a point that is difficult to reach even by car, Öz Kamping. If the beach part was nice, we could do something crazy and stay here, but we did not choose this place because it is not very suitable for swimming.

Judith Glamping: This place was among the most recommended places, but it was not on the seaside and we passed this place because it was on a slope and because of the steep stairs to climb. The main criterion for us was to be on the seaside.

Gargle Camp: The campsite, which is 15 minutes away from Assos and Küçükkuyu, made us very comfortable as a location. We saw the sign from the road at the last minute and missed it a few times, be careful. You can come to Gargara Kamp with your own tent or rent the tents here. Breakfast and dinner are obligatory in the season, you can't cook your own food in the camp, this part seemed rather strange to me. 100 TL per person including breakfast and dinner. The food is at the "well done" level. If you rent a tent here, it costs 140 TL. These prices are valid at the end of September 2020. The campground is clean, the toilets are at the entrance of the campground, so you have to walk a little to get to the shower and toilet. The sea is sparkling and very beautiful. The sea is stony, so sea shoes are very good. I can't help but say that it was a magnificent sunrise.

Assos Travel Video

I also prepared an Assos travel video. I would be very happy if you watch my video and send your comments. If you like the video, don't forget to hit the like button and subscribe to my channel!

Assos, in my opinion, has an undisputed place among the most beautiful places in Turkey. I hope this article will be a good guide for those who plan to travel there. Don't forget to add your Assos experiences to the comments!

Stay healthy.