Weekend in Bergama

The lively weekly market (Friday) and historic streets around the town centre, with Ottoman-era houses, teashops, and local life. Great for a free wander.

Tip: Head to the side streets off Cumhuriyet Caddesi for original woodwork and stone houses — the main square can be touristy. Visit early for quieter streets.

A compact, well-curated museum housing artefacts from Pergamon and surrounding sites, including statues, sarcophagi, and pottery. Entry fee is very low.

Tip: Look for the reconstructed frieze fragments from the Altar of Zeus — much finer than the copies in Berlin. Allow 1 hour.

A massive red-brick Roman temple later converted into a Byzantine basilica, then an Ottoman mosque. The two flanking round towers are especially striking.

Tip: The site is open and free to enter the mosque section; the small museum inside one of the towers costs a nominal fee. Best light for photos is late afternoon.

The ancient hilltop city of Pergamon, with ruins of the Temple of Trajan, library, and steep theatre. Views over the modern town and surrounding plains.

Tip: Skip the cable car and walk up the steep path from the town for a more atmospheric approach; it takes about 30 minutes.

An ancient medical complex dedicated to the god of healing, with a colonnaded street, treatment rooms, and a sacred spring. Less crowded than the Acropolis.

Tip: Combine with a walk along the old roman road leading up to it — many locals still use the spring water.