This is the Temple of Zeus of Turkey in Aizanoi Ancient City! This Ancient city is in the Çavdarhisar township, 57 kilometres from Kütahya’s city centre. 
 
Aizanoi, an ancient city nestled in the picturesque valleys of western Anatolia, boasts a rich historical legacy dating back to the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods. Dominated by the majestic Temple of Zeus, one of the best-preserved Roman temples in Turkey, Aizanoi invites visitors to explore its archaeological wonders, including a well-preserved stadium, theater, Roman bridge, and agora. Stepping through its ancient streets, travelers are transported back in time, immersed in the vibrant tapestry of daily life and cultural heritage that defines this captivating archaeological site.

How to go there by public transport:

From Eskisehir, Turkey
The whole journey took 2.5 hours one-way.
 
Eskisehir Bus Terminal -> Kütahya Bus Terminal -> Çavdarhisar
 
1. Eskisehir Bus Terminal -> Kütahya Bus Terminal (Cost: 110TL pp)
There are inter-city buses running between Eskisehir to Kutahya almost every hour.  The bus ride is 1 hour 15 minutes.  Check out the bus schedule here: https://www.obilet.com/en
 
2. Kütahya Bus Terminal-> Çavdarhisar (Cost: 100TL pp)
When you arrive at the Kütahya Bus Terminal , look for the terminal mosque and opposite to it, you will find the mini-bus station.From the Kütahya Bus Terminal, there are mini-buses going to Gediz (Stop at Çavdarhisar in between) operated by Koc Tur company.Just let the driver know that you are going to Çavdarhisar, they will stop there for you. It took 1 hour to reach Çavdarhisar from Kütahya. But the first bus runs only from 11:30am to Çavdarhisar.
 
Bus schedule as below:

Once you arrive at Çavdarhisar (mini-bus stops opposite to a gas station), you could easily walk to Aizanoi Antik Kenti (aka Temple of Zeus in Aizanoi Ancient City).  Entrance fee to Aizanoi Antik Kenti is 3 Euro per person.
 
There are also inter-city buses on weekdays operated by Bus company: KÜTAHYALILAR from Eskisehir directly to Çavdarhisar directly (Cost: TL270).  However, the schedule may not be that good.  So check before you plan your next travel.

Return to Eskisehir
You could wait for the 18:00 mini-bus from Gediz by Koc Tur Company. It probably would arrive Çavdarhisar around 18:30.  It was our original plan to take this mini-bus.  However, we saw a random mini-bus parking opposite to the gas station where we get dropped off earlier with a sign “Kütahya”.  We confirmed with the passengers that it was going to Kütahya and it will leave at 17:30 and the price is also TL100.  So, we just got on this random mini-bus and arrive at Kütahya Bus Terminal earlier.  We then took the frequently-operated inter-city buses back to Eskisehir.

We hope that the above information could help you plan your next budget travel in Turkey using public transport. 

For more details of going to Aizanoi Ancient City by bus, don't forget to watch our YouTube video about visiting Aizanoi Ancient City in Turkey without a car. 

Venice is Italy’s most picturesque cities and it’s also known as the city of canals and the floating city.  Venice is also known as one of the most expensive cities in Italy.  Some people may choose to spend their money on private Gondola and fancy food in Venice, for us as budget travelers, we just want to explore the beauty in a budget-friendly way.  So, we are going to share our experience on how to travel in Venice on a budget. 

1. Season / Time of year
A lot of people like to travel to Venice in Summer to enjoy the nice warm weather, however, it will be super crowded everywhere.  We are not a fan of crowding with tonnes of people, so we chose to our trip in January which was amazing.  It may be a little bit cold, but with the sun shining on us, the coldness seems to be nothing.   If you are travelers like us who always like to have the place to yourself, you should definitely consider coming in winter time.  But, keep in mind to avoid February, as the world's most famous carnivals - Carnivale will be held in Venice every year.  During the Carnivale, it’s the busiest season in Venice.  So it is extremely difficult to travel on a budget. So, do check out the date which Carnivale will be held of your year of travel before your plan your trip.

2. Accommodation
accommodation is one of the things that could chew up your budget easily.  Venice is an island city.  The historic center is a tightly integrated cluster of 118 small islands that are linked by more than 400 foot bridges.  The historic centre is the main tourist area where most tourists will stay there.  While we may be able to enjoy the sunset, sunrise or night view of the beautiful Venice if you stay on the mainland, we chose to stay in Mestre – the closest city to Venice, which is just a 10-minute train ride away. The accommodation in Mestre is more affordable.  We got a place for around CAD70 (low-season price) very close to the Mestre Train Station and every day we just took the train in and out of Venice to tour around.  The train ride costs on 1.5EURO each way.  A lot of the hotels in Mestre also offers dormitory option as well.  So when you are traveling to Venice on a budget, definitely consider Mestre as an accommodation option.

3. Transport
The best way to explore Venice is with your own effort, on Foot! We spent two days just walking around the whole Mainland area.  Just walking and sitting along the canals, looking at the Gondola crossing the canals is a relaxing and inexpensive way to spend a day or two.  

There are a few islands further to the mainland that you could visit on a day trip.  We highly recommend to buy a waterbus day pass to capture the islands in a day.  We visited 2 islands, Burano and Murano in a day with the waterbus day pass.  It is not cheap, but considering we could visit 2 islands in a day plus a water bus trip instead of renting a private gondola to enjoy Venice from the water, it is totally worth it.  With the waterbus pass, you could ride any waterbus within the day, it is definitely the BEST choice for budget travelers like us who do want to see Venice from the Water but cannot afford a water taxi or gondola.

4. Free Scenic Spot
A lot of churches and museums in Venice requires entrance fees, but we mostly visit places that are free of charge only.  Walking around Venice without going inside would probably keep you busy for a few days.  One of the hidden gems is a FREE rooftop view that you have to register in advance to go there for free. You got 15 minutes to enjoy the view of Venice from the top. Considering it is free of charge, even though you got 15 minutes only, it is not too bad.  

The other recommendation is checking out the Glass blowing demonstration session Murano, the outlying island in Venice.  Murano is very famous of Venetian glass making.  There are a lot of glass blowing shops in Murano and to attract customer traffic, they open up the glass blowing work area for visitors to check out for free.  It was pretty cool!

After a 9-hour train ride, we were finally here! The OBB night jet train ride was not a comfortable one. If it was only 2 of us in a car compartment, it was just fine as we could lay down with 3 seats. But unfortunately, our compartment was with 2 other people, it made it difficult to sleep well. But anyhow, a nice experience though and the most important thing is, we are so close to Venice now.

Starting our long day here at the Frankfurt Main Station. Going to take a train to Augsburg (transfer at Nurnberg), then tour around Augsburg for a day. Then took a overnight train to Venezia Mestre. Hope the logistics will go well ~

Unexpected detour! Our stop was canceled in Augsburg Hbf while we were on the train. It didn’t help much when all the announcement were in German. Luckily, a nice gentleman had helped us out (very thankful!) anyway, we were detoured to Munchen. With any luck, we will be arriving at 2pm in Augsburg Hbf and could do some touring during day light.

Augsburg is famous for its water system, so famous that it has become a UNESCO World Heritage. Its technology of pumping water to the water towers to provide drinkable water to the city is quite impressive. With abundant water supply, Augsburg itself is very self-sufficient.

There is a UNESCO information center in the city centre, which definitely worth a visit. It explained how and why the water system in Augsburg has been one of the heritages.

Augsburg doesn’t have the commercial vibes. There were not many tourists there when we visited. The architecture is similar to Italy, so we had a feeling of visiting Venice but without the tourists. One good thing to visit Augsburg, you can get free water easily, just bring your own bottle.

We arrived in Frankfurt early in the morning. While waiting for checking in to our hotel, we toured around the city a bit. St. Paul Church Frankfurt is a former Protestant church, used as a national assembly hall. The Frankfurt Parliament convened here back to 1848. It is interesting to see an political assembly hall but with church elements remained.

The Goethe House is a writer’s house museum. It is the birthplace and childhood home of German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. We didn’t enter the museum this time as Cammy was fighting a cold and still not very energetic enough to tour around. But we had been here, just the outside to take a look.

A hidden gem in Rotterdam! UNESCO World Heritage, Van Nelle Factory, is absolutely underrated. It was built between 1925-1931 as a factory producing tobacco, tea and coffee. Since the location is closed to the canal, it facilitated the transport very easily. After the factory ceased production, it became a UNESCO world heritage for its unique design and construction. Now, it is a huge building with different office spaces. Everyone is welcome to come and check it out, you can walk around freely inside the factory.

A short pass through of this place. It’s a small area but quiet enough for a short stop over. If i was a bit more energetic (and healthier) today , i would have spent more time here. Will definitely add to my list for a deeper visit when i come back next time.

Our last tourist attraction in Rotterdam before starting our overnight bus ride to Frankfurt! The cube houses are the iconic features of Rotterdam. I can’t imagine how people place their furniture in these houses.

Exploring Utrecht today! The vibe is very different from Rotterdam and the Hague. There is a mix of modern activities and old heritage style. Most impressive part of the Utrecht Central station is the bike parking area, it is a 4-storey bike parking area. It opens up our mind, it is totally possible for a country to promote an environmentally-friendly transit system. It also got us to think about why we have so many car parking area in the North America.

The birthplace of Miffy is in Utrecht!

It was a tour to learn about the history. It started in a part of the fortress of the Romans with an explanation of the history of old Utrecht, then we went down to the Domplein (descend 4 metres down the cathedral square). It helped us understand how the UNESCO Roman Frontiers are developed from the Netherlands to Germany. The Roman settlement was built every 9km, thats it drew a line as the Roman Frontiers.

What a loverly night view looking over the Utrecht Centraal!

A day tour to walk around Den Haag. First, we arrived at the Den Haag Centraal station, with beautiful white design and a very clean look. It’s nice to see lots of public transport network (but not parking lots) once you come out of a station. Definitely give a thumb up to the Netherlands in promoting public transit!

The Peace Palace in the Hague! It is a famous icon of peace and justice. We always hear the name on TV and we finally visited here. Unfortunately, there was no guided tour available when the palace is used as a working court. We could only visit the visitor centre with a self-guided tour (free of charge) and look at the palace from outside.

Scheveningen Beach! It is a beach resort area with a very unique promenade. We walked around 30 mins from the Peace Palace. It’s absolutely stunning. The promenade is filled with interesting art pieces. There is a shopping area with cafes and plenty of seatings inside for you to take a rest. We had lunch inside and enjoyed the lunch shining on us.

International Criminal Court! Again, we heard about this name on TV most of the time. It investigates and ties individuals charged with crimes concerning the international community. This place is strictly secured. We could only visit by taking a look at the outside.

The passage was opened in 1885, so more than 135 years of history! It’s the oldest shopping arcade in the Netherlands.

We took a waterbus to the famous Kinderdijk, a UNESCO world heritage which we could walk around and see the windmills group.

Nineteen windmills for the nineteenth centuries! Kinderdijk is below sea level and instead of fighting the wind and the water, the windmills have been working hard to keep the area dry. It’s nice to see the working windmills in Kinderdijk.

After walking around the Kinderdijk area for a few hours, we took the water bus back to Rotterdam. Just in time to see the sunset, it was gorgeous.

A large market place with different food stalls. Our friend introduced the fish, herring, to us. It is a fresh fish that you could eat raw, like sashimi in japan. The local eat the whole fish by putting it in the mouth (without cutting) but we had it cut as it is easier to handle. It tastes very fatty and juicy, like the Toro in Japan.

Our last day in UK, byebye! This morning, we took the Stena Line from Harwich International to Hook of Holland. The boat ride took almost 7 hours. It brings vehicles to cross the sea to the Netherlands too. The boat was not busy at all. It was very well-facilitated. Berth is available for reserved if you would like a private space to rest. We found our own space to sit/sleep on the boat. Netherlands,  we are coming!

We officially arrived The Netherlands  After a 7-hour boat ride, we arrived here! The port and terminal is very well-connected. We can easily take the metro to Rotterdam city! Here we go!

A nice place to stay in Rotterdam! First try capsule hotel in Europe, it was such a nice experience. It was more spacious then we imagined. All facilities are nice and clean. 15 mins walk to Rotterdam Central Station. For CAD 50 per night, it worth recommending to other travelers who are going to visit Rotterdam.