Şirince
Şirince, formerly Kirkince or Çirkince, is a village nestled in the hills in Central Aegean Region, Turkey, 15 minutes from Selçuk, 20 minutes from the ancient site of Ephesus. Şirince today is very popular with Turkish tourists, especially on weekends.
Understand
A small village, famous for its original Ottoman architecture, olive oil and wine, Şirince was a Christian "Greek" village before the Turkish Independence War. In 1923, Turkish and Greek governments exchanged the populations. The Greek government exiled the Muslims of Greece to Turkey, while the Turkish government exiled Christians of Turkey to Greece. Şirince forms the setting of Farewell Anatolia, by Greek writer Dido Sotiriou's—a native of Şirince. It depicts the events of the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922 through the eyes of a fictional character from Şirince. It is an exceptionally beautiful place and has been relatively well protected. One of very few villages of its type remaining in Turkey and definitely worth visiting.
Get in
From Selçuk town (8 km away from Şirince), you can take minibuses to the village, which cost 10 TL. There is a minibus every ten minutes. You can find one at the main bus depot in Selcuk or flag one down anywhere on its route. Private cars going up to the village will need to pay for parking.
Get around
Şirince is a typical historical Ottoman village with windy cobbled streets and poor car access. As you enter the village you could walk up the right hand street, up past the first church and up on a high level to the second church. The St John The Baptist church ( the deepest in) is worth visiting. This will give you excellent views across the village. You can make your way back down through the bazaar.
See
There are two churches, now restored, both merit a visit.
Many cafes and restaurants offer good views back across the village.
The bazaar in the centre is fun and buzzing.
The principal attraction is walking around the village itself.
Do
Above the village , there is fantastic walking. Olive groves, peach orchards, vineyards. It's Turkey's Tuscany. You need to walk up above the village (any direction will take you to a track or road) to the forestry tracks which crisscross the hillsides. Or walk out to the Mathmatical Village and have lunch or a coffee at the hotel there, they have a pool.
Do please remember that the village is HOME to us villagers and take your litter away with you.
Buy
Olive oil, fresh peaches in season, wine...and people here do make things. Sirince Glass makes pretty glass jewellery, the ladies of the village knit and make jams.
Eat
There are plenty of restaurants in the village with reasonable prices. They serve local specialties and grilled meat. Uzum, in the centre, in addition to good food with a more adventurous menu than most, offers excellent expressos and Western coffee. There is a very good Pide (Turkish pizza) place in the covered bazaar. Sedir (below Uzum) offers excellent food in a shady courtyard. Above Uzum is the delicious Ayse gozeleme restaurant, with a wide range of home cooked food. All these are marked on Google maps.
Drink
You can find alcohol in every restaurant, except close to the mosque. There is a tradition of homemade wine. In addition to homemade (grape) wines, Şirince is also well-known for its fruit wines made of apple, berries or more unusual types such as myrtle. All through the village are shops where you can put your wine tasting skills to the test.
Sleep
Several hotels and bed and breakfasts, mostly in renovated village houses, ranging in price from very basic to luxurious. Also Gül Konakları and Kırkınca Pension.
- Şirincem Pansiyon (along the main road at the entrance of the village), ☏ +90-537-831-82-97, sirincemali@gmail.com. Check-in: 09:00, check-out: 12:00. They also have a restaurant across the street with meals in the range of €5-7 available, open 09:00-22:00. €25.
- Terraced Houses, a boutique hotel spread across 5 individual village houses offers you comfort and well styled interiors, and outstanding breakfast. +90-532-263-79-42.
- Nesin Matematik Köyü (Nesin Mathematics Village) (800 m away from the city center, guided by the signs), ☏ +90-533-207-12-04, aslicankorkmaz@nesinvakfi.org. Check-in: 09:00, check-out: 12:00. It's an education institution, who is owned by Ali Nesin. They offer 4 meals a day, electricity, hot water all included in the price. 70 TL for per person.