Turkey Serves Up a Big Slice of History

Turkey’s stunning archeological ruins and its inexpensive transportation and accommodations make the country an excellent destination for backpackers.

Long-distance bus services in Turkey are cheap, Internet connections are sometimes offered free by restaurants and hostels to draw foreign travelers, and budget accommodations can be as interesting as they are economical: In Cappadocia, central Turkey, hostel rooms can be found in caves; in Olimpos, on the Mediterranean coast, budget travelers stay in treehouses.

One hostel in Kusadasi, called Hotel Sammy’s Palace, earned a “thumbs up” rating from the guidebook “Let’s Go: Europe” this year. All rooms have private hot-water showers and toilets, and each has a balcony. Rates are $4 to $12 per night. If you book a five-night stay, the sixth night is free, and guests each get 15 minutes of free Internet time. The hotel also offers belly dancing lessons three times a week, luggage storage, satellite TV and English-language newspapers and magazines.

Most guests come to this region to visit Ephesus, the grandest and best-preserved archeological site in the country. You can wander down the ancient stone streets of the former Roman capital of Asia Minor, and you’ll see mosaic floors, ancient toilets, primitive water and sewer lines, a brothel, a theater and the ruins of the fabulous library that once held 12,000 scrolls. During the Roman period, the city had a population of about 250,000. St. Paul lived here for three years. A service is held in honor of the Virgin Mary each year on Aug. 15.

Sammy’s Palace provides guests with free transportation to Ephesus, and students with International Student Identity Cards get discounted entry fees. Summer temperatures are hot, so take bottled water and try to go in the morning or late afternoon.

If you arrive by air, Sammy’s Palace staff will pick you up. For more details, contact Hotel Sammy’s Palace, Kibris Caddesi No. 14, 09400, Kusadasi, Aydin, Turkey; telephone 011-90-256-612-25-88.

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If you plan to travel in Europe for several weeks and would like to rent a vehicle but are concerned about supplementary rental fees for drivers under 25, an alternative is the Renault Eurodrive Program. It’s a lease plan available to travelers 18 to 25. Cars can be leased for 17 days to six months. Details are available from Renault Eurodrive, 650 1st Ave., New York, NY 10016; tel. (800) 221-1052 or (212) 532-1221, Internet https://www.renaultusa.com.

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If your Australia plans include Queensland, you can learn about surfing, rain forests, white-water rivers and the Great Barrier Reef at a new Internet site launched by Queensland Tourism, Internet https://www.destinationqueensland.com.

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Jo Jo Tours takes backpackers to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake in 11-passenger vehicles, six days a week between May and late October. For $34 you get free time in both places plus two wine tastings. On Sundays there’s always something different; it could be mountain biking, hiking or canoeing. For reservations, call (416) 201-6465, Internet https://www.interlog.com/~jojotour.

Listings for more than 500 tourism-related summer jobs in Canada can be found at https://www.cooljobscanada.com. The site, launched in February, has received more than 1 million hits.

Lucy Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. Internet https://www.izon.com.