Turkey Guide
The Mediterranean coast and the Hatay
Aspendos
Returning to the main road, head east for Aspendos, whose theatre is probably the best preserved in Asia Minor – it's still used to stage the annual Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival. In summer, there are regular dolmuşes from Antalya to the village of Serik (every 2hr), a ten-minute drive from the site, and for a couple of euros the driver will usually take you on to Aspendos, a total of 45km southwest of Antalya. If you're here out of season you will have to rely on the buses plying the main coastal highway, which will drop you at the signposted turning just before the humpbacked Selçuk bridge, a few kilometres east of Serik. From here you should be able to get a ride to the site, although it's only a three-kilometre walk. Just before Aspendos, the village of Belkis has several eating places. About half a kilometre northeast of the village lie the car park and Aspendos site entrance (daily 8am–7pm; 10YTL).
The Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival is staged in the theatre every year, from mid-June, over a three- to four-week period. Both Turkish and foreign companies perform, and the programme consists of popular and experimental opera, ballet and classical concerts. With an inflow of choreographers and musicians from the ex-Soviet Union, Turkish opera and ballet companies have improved out of all recognition, and stage design and costumes match the standard of the performers.
Tickets (25YTL for foreigners, less for Turks) are available both in advance and on the night from the theatre, and you can also buy them in Antalya, though the booking office seems to switch venues each year – ask at the tourist office. Programmes are usually advertised at the last minute on notice boards in Antalya, and cheap city buses run here from outside the Antalya archeological museum, and from near the Atatürk statue on Cumhuriyet Caddesi, between 6.30pm and 7pm. You might want to follow the example of most Turkish patrons and take along supper to while away the time between the arrival of the bus and the start of the performance, as well as cushions to sit on, and an umbrella or waterproof in case of a thunderstorm.