Laodicea
An ancient city of banking and black wool, Laodicea's colonnaded streets, vast theatre and early churches stand on a plateau above the Lycus Valley.
Also part of The Seven Churches of Revelation
Laodicea's ruins sprawl across a windswept plateau a short drive from Denizli, their white and grey stone catching the strong Anatolian light. This was one of the most prosperous cities of Roman Asia Minor — wealthy enough to rebuild itself after an earthquake without asking Rome for aid, wealthy enough to mint its own currency and maintain a renowned banking system. That prosperity shows in the scale of what remains.
The Street of Columns
The city's main thoroughfare runs roughly east to west, its columns still standing in stretches that give a clear sense of the planned Roman city. Walking the stone-paved lane, you pass the bases of shops and public buildings that once lined both sides. At the eastern end, a monumental gateway marks where the street entered from the valley below. To the south, the remains of a large nymphaeum — a decorated fountain complex — once supplied the city with fresh water through an aqueduct from nearby mountains.
The Theatre and Stadium
The theatre cuts dramatically into the hillside on the city's northern edge. With a capacity of around 15,000, it is one of the best-preserved structures on the site. The cavea, the seating area, rises in tiers from the orchestra, and the stage building still shows traces of its elaborate decoration. West of the theatre lies the stadium, its elongated track and rows of seats largely obscured by earth but traceable across the landscape. These two structures speak to a city where public entertainment and civic spectacle mattered deeply.
Early Churches and Christian Significance
Laodicea appears in the New Testament Book of Revelation among the seven churches of Asia — addressed, in a letter attributed to John, with pointed criticism of a community neither cold nor hot in its faith. Several early churches built over subsequent centuries have been excavated on the site, their floor plans visible among the ruins. The largest sits near the centre of the city, its nave and aisles outlined in stone. These churches confirm Laodicea's continued importance as a Christian centre long after its Roman heyday.
Find it on the map
- Laodicea Ancient site
Tours that visit Laodicea
No tours visit this place just yet — tell us where you want to go and we'll build one. See all tours
Before you book you should know
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Is this trip right for you?
Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that.
Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in.
Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month.
How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above.
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Rooms, and travelling on your own
Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three:
- Twin share — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender.
- Travelling as a couple — one double room.
- Individual room — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book.
Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard.
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Accommodation
The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip.
Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking.
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Passports, visas and insurance
Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight.
Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport.
We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well.
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Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change
Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around.
What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions.
