Kütahya

Kütahya is a town in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. Known for its colored tiles, Kütahya Faience, the town also serves as a base for the ruins of the Temple of Zeus in Aizanoi, amongst the best preserved Roman ruins in the country.

Kütahya is well connected by bus. Buses leave almost every 45 minutes for Istanbul (six hours) and Bursa (three hours). More than a dozen buses depart daily for Ankara (five hours) from where easy connections are available to points in Eastern Turkey. There are several buses daily to Antalya (eight hours) with connections to points along the coast.

As Kütahya is situated in an ideally central location of Turkish rail network, there are daily train connections from Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Konya, and a number of other cities.

From Kütahya, minibuses bound for Gediz or Emet stop a little less than a km away from Aizanoi on the Kütahya - Uşak road. An occasional dolmus meets the bus but be prepared to walk to the Temple of Zeus.

• Germiyan Street, (10 minutes to town centre). Lots of beautiful Ottoman style houses line the street.

• Germiyan Konağı Salih Gül Kafe ve Restoran, Pirler Mah. Germiyan Cd. 83, Germiyan Konağı. Restaurant occupying a beautifully renovated old Ottoman house along Germiyan St. On Saturdays, there is a live fasıl (unplugged traditional Ottoman music) performance. Prices are affordable.

• Tahya Otel, Atatürk Bulvarı 56, ☎ +90 274 2262010. Across from the bus station, a comfortable, clean and modern mid-priced hotel.