Getting to Aphrodisias Using Public Transport
True to the tradition of traveling unguided, here is a quick tip to reach Aphrodisias with no tourist agent or tour bus involved. For the free spirited with a low budget who can not afford to renting a car and have a crush on Aphrodite…
As is often the case in most Turkish destinations of historical importance, no one has ever considered the possibility that travelers may not wish to use an intermediary; not because it is expensive or (add your favorite word here), but they are travelers after all, not tourists.
The antique city of Aphrodisias (Karia) where the archaeologists have been digging since 1904 (starting with Paul Gaudin, then Prof. Dr. T. Kenan Erim and R. R. Smith), hosts Hellenistic and Roman settlements and is located in Geyre (derived from Karia), a difficult place to reach, indeed.
If using public transport, your primary target should be reaching Nazilli, not a difficult proposition. Take a bus, train, air+road, or any combination you like. In Nazilli bus terminal, you will get on minibuses (I like this word) departing to Karacasu - your second target - usually every 15 minutes (Take the timetable with a grain of salt; you are in the land of people where 100 meters can be 50-300 meters, and 5-minutes means between 1 to 10). From Karacasu, you will once again get on those lovely buses to your final destination Geyre village. Geyre is on the route to Aphrodisias and buses usually drop you there if you request it. How will you request it, you might ask. I can not guarantee a foreign language speaking driver but saying “Aphrodisias?” with accent on the last syllable should do the trick. 
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