About Kusadasi
Kusadasi, or Birds Island (Kus - bird, ada - island), is known as a fisher- mens village. Originally it was a quiet garden where farmers harvested thyme, sage, wild roses, figs, grapes and olives. Nowadays Kuadas is a resort town on Turkey's Aegean coast and the center of the seaside district of the same name in Aydn Province. Kuadas lies at a distance of 95 km to the south from the region's largest metropolitan center of zmir, and 71 km from the provincial seat of Aydn situated inland. Its primary industry is tourism.

Kusadas has a constant population of 50,000 rising to over half a million during the summer when the city fills with tourists (from Turkey itself, northern Europe and the Balkans), plus the hotel staff, bar staff, and drivers who are needed to work in the restaurants, holiday villages, aqua parks, rock bars, beach clubs and hotels servicing all these visitors. In addition to the visitors from overseas there is a substantial community of foreigners resident in the area.

Kusadasi has beautiful beaches, There are beaches including the Ladies Beach, the beach at the centrum, the beaches between the Bathan Hotel and the Nazilli Site, Guzelcamli Town beach and the Dilek Peninsula National Park beach. Ladies Beach, a topless beach, is located 3.5kms south of town. Acting as a buffer between the Greek island of Samos and the Turkish mainland, Dilek National Park offers some isolated beaches with pine trees. Perhaps the main attraction of a trip to Kusadasi is a journey to the nearby ruins of Ephesus. Other significant ancient sites in the area include: Miletus, Priene, and Didyma.

Kusadasi was ruled by the Ottoman Empire after the invasion of Sultan Mehmet Celebi in the year 1413. During the reign of Ottomans, glorious new structures were built in Kusadasi Okuz Mehmet Pasa Caravanserai is the principal legacy of the Ottoman architecture in the city, and was built by the man of the same name, who was the vizier during the reigns of Sultan Ahmet1 and Osman2. The fortress is gates and walls and many mosques in the centre of Kusadasi, as well as the citadel of the castle in Pigeon Island, were built in the Ottoman period, reflecting the architectural style of the era.
Agents sell holiday flats and villas.

There are vendors of ice-cream, carpets, leather, and software, and bookshops selling books in English, German, Russian and other languages.
Old houses near the seafront, some of them converted to bars and cafes, are the remnants of old Kuadas, which has become a modern-European looking town. The hills behind are built up with big hotels and blocks of holiday flats. The building boom in the late 80s and onwards has been continued into the hinterland of Kuadas.

Transport around the town is by dolmu (minibus). There are bus and taxi services to the nearest airports in zmir and Bodrum. Day trips are available by boat from Kuadas and Gzelaml.

Kusadasi is the heart of the Turkish Aegean seaside. It is one of the most beautiful places for recreation and fun holidays. Thanks to the marina and great harbor, Kusadasi is a favorite calling place for yachts and tour vessels with the result that there are many good shopping opportunities to be found. Also is a a very good start point for trips at Ephesus, Pamukkale, Miletos, etc

There are daily ferry services to the nearby Greek island of Samos.

Kusadasi's bus station (outogar) acts as a transport hub. Buses connect to various parts of the country.

Turkeys national language is Turkish. In Turkey, especially in Kusadasi, most people can speak English and also some can speak some other foreign languages such as German, French, Italian and other languages. The national currency is the Turkish Lira (TL). But currencies like USD, GBP, or DEM are universally accepted at various places at current exchange rates.

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