• Assos: Both hilltop and waterfront, Assos (known interchangeably by the name of the modern village on-site, Behramkale) is a picturesque slice of the Turkish Aegean that is fast fading into oblivion. The ancient ruins and village life intermingle, while the fishing port below welcomes weary travelers with lovely little quay-front hotels and a fabulously tiny stretch of sand.
  • Alaçati: A hilltop mound of windmills and 800-year-old Selçuk barrelhouses guard the entrance to the tiny Aegean village of Alaçati. So close to the sea, and yet so far . . .
  • Sirince: Originally a sanctuary for Greeks in the dying days of Ephesus, this dense hillside of preserved houses enclosed within a landscape of grape orchards is the perfect antidote to an overdose of archaeological sites. A bottle of local wine enjoyed amid the atmosphere of a former schoolhouse helps the medicine go down, too.
  • Gümüslük: The chance to walk on water -- or nearly so -- thanks to the sunken city walls of ancient Myndos -- what more could one want? How about an undiscovered enclosed bay, a beach, and waterfront fish shacks.
  • Karmylassos/Kayaköy: Haunting panoramas of lives interrupted blanket the hillside of this once-thriving Greek settlement, abandoned during the 1924 population exchange between Turkey and Greece. Rather than reinhabit the houses -- now crumbling and roofless -- local Turkish residents have settled in the rolling and fertile plains of the surrounding valley.
  • Kaleköy: Also known as Simena, this seaside village clings to the side of the rock more efficiently than its sunken neighbors. With only 300 inhabitants living practically on top of one another, the town is too small to even have a street; a haphazard nonsystem of paths weaves around the village houses. There's no such thing as trespassing -- it's just blissfully simple.
  • Ayvali: The smell of apricots permeates the village as the harvest blankets the roofs of the flat-topped houses. Down in the valley is an almost eerie grouping of cave facades that retain the curvy lines of the smooth cave surfaces. At sunset, the sound of drums in the distance and the image of village women baking the evening meal's bread in ancient rock ovens create an unforgettable vision of rural life.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.