Şirince Day Trip from Ephesus

Şirince is a hill village about 8 km east of Selçuk, up a road that winds through olive groves and vineyards. After a hot morning at Ephesus it's the obvious place to slow down for the afternoon.

Until the 1920s it was a Greek village. After the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, Muslim families from Greece moved in, and many of the whitewashed stone houses with red tiled roofs date from before that time. There's a restored church at the top of the village and another, partly ruined, a little lower down.

What do you actually do there?

Not much, and that's the point. Wander up the steep lanes, stop for a Turkish coffee, look out over the valley. The main street is lined with stalls selling olive oil soap, dried figs, lace and jam. It gets touristy there. Keep climbing and it quietens down fast.

About the wine: Şirince is known for fruit wines made from blackberry, peach, melon, sour cherry and more. They're sweet and fun to try, not something you'd serve with dinner. Nearly every shop will let you taste before you buy. Regular grape wine is sold here too.

For food, find someone making gözleme, the thin folded flatbread cooked on a griddle, often by women from the village right in front of you. A few terrace restaurants do long village breakfasts.

Getting there and staying over

Minibuses (dolmuş) go from Selçuk bus station through the day and take about 20 minutes. Taxis are easy. If you drive, park at the bottom and walk up. Weekends get busy with day-trippers from İzmir.

If you have a car, stay the night. Once the day visitors leave, the village changes completely.