TÜRKİYE IN COLOUR · CITY GUIDE
🌊 İzmir in Colour
The Aegean city, Ephesus and the windmills of Alaçatı
by Fatih Koçoğlu, born in Şanlıurfa, raised in Istanbul
İzmir is the most relaxed big city in Türkiye: a long seaside promenade, an old bazaar that never sleeps, and people who live outdoors. It is also the perfect base for Ephesus, one of the greatest ancient cities in the world, and for the white stone houses of Alaçatı.
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At a glance
- Best time
- April to June and September to October. Summer is hot but the sea breeze helps.
- How long
- Three days: one for the city, one for Ephesus, one for the coast.
- Airport
- İzmir Adnan Menderes (ADB). The İZBAN train and the airport buses go to the centre.
- Getting around
- Buy an İzmirim Kart for metro, trams, buses and the city ferries. The İZBAN suburban train runs south to Selçuk (Ephesus).
- Where to stay
- Alsancak or Konak, close to the sea and the bazaar.
The itinerary
DAY 1 · The city
Clock tower, bazaar and the Kordon at sunset
- 09:00
Breakfast: boyoz and egg
İzmir's own flaky pastry, eaten with a hard-boiled egg and tea. Find a boyoz bakery near Kemeraltı.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 09:45
Konak Square and the Clock Tower
The symbol of İzmir, built in 1901, with the small blue-tiled Konak (Yalı) Mosque beside it.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 10:15
Kemeraltı Bazaar
A huge maze of old market streets: spices, fabrics, copper, fish and tea houses. Look for the Hisar Mosque.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 11:30
Kızlarağası Han
An Ottoman caravanserai from 1744, now full of craft shops. Have a Turkish coffee in the courtyard.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 12:30
Lunch: İzmir köfte
Meatballs baked with potatoes, peppers and tomato sauce, the city's comfort food.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 14:00
Agora of Smyrna
The Roman market square of ancient Smyrna, with columns and arched basements.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 15:30
The Historic Elevator (Asansör)
Built in 1907 to connect two neighbourhoods on the hill. Ride it up for a view over the whole bay.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 18:00
Kordon at sunset
The long seaside promenade in Alsancak. Join the locals on the grass, with midye dolma from the street sellers.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 20:00
Evening ferry across the bay
Ride a city ferry to Karşıyaka and back for the city lights.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›
DAY 2 · Ephesus and Şirince
A day trip 1 hour south, by train or car
- 09:00
Ephesus (Efes)
One of the best-preserved ancient cities in the world. Walk down the marble street to the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre for 24,000 people. Pay extra for the Terrace Houses, Roman homes with mosaics and painted walls. Go early, it gets hot and busy.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 12:30
House of the Virgin Mary
A small stone house in the forest above Ephesus where, by tradition, Mary spent her last years.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 13:30
- 14:30
Basilica of St John and the Temple of Artemis
The ruins of a huge basilica on a hill, and the single column that is all that remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 16:00
Şirince
A hillside village of white stone houses 8 km from Selçuk, famous for its fruit wines and olive oil soap.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›
DAY 3 · Alaçatı and Çeşme
Windmills, stone houses and the clearest sea of the Aegean
- 10:00
Alaçatı
1 hour west. Stone houses with blue and green shutters, bougainvillea and boutique cafés.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 11:30
- 13:00
Lunch: Aegean herbs and seafood
Order the wild herbs (ot) with olive oil and a fresh fish.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 15:00
- 16:30
Got more time?
- +
- +
Bergama (Pergamon)
An acropolis on a mountain reached by cable car, and the steepest ancient theatre in the world.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - +
🍽️ What to eat and drink
- BoyozFlaky pastry of Sephardic Jewish origin. Breakfast, with a boiled egg.
- Gevrekİzmir's name for simit, a little thinner and crispier.
- KumruA sandwich of cheese, sucuk and tomato in a sesame bun, grilled.
- İzmir köfteOven-baked meatballs with potatoes and tomato sauce.
- Midye dolmaStuffed mussels from the sellers on the Kordon.
- LokmaSmall fried dough balls in syrup, often given out for free in memory of someone who passed away.
✅ Good to know
- The İZBAN train to Selçuk is cheap and easy. From Selçuk it is a short taxi or minibus ride to Ephesus.
- In summer, start Ephesus at opening time. There is almost no shade.
- Alaçatı is busy and expensive in July and August. May, June and September are perfect.
- İzmir people are proud of their city's relaxed life. Slow down and have a tea by the sea.
🗣️ Speak a little Turkish
Locals light up when you try. Tap a phrase for audio and a full lesson.
- Merhaba!mehr·hah·bahHello!Listen
- Teşekkür ederim.teh·shehk·kewr eh·deh·reemThank you.Listen
- Lütfen.lewt·fehnPlease.Listen
- Bu ne kadar?boo neh kah·dahrHow much is this?Listen
- Tuvalet nerede?too·vah·leht neh·reh·dehWhere is the toilet?Listen
- Hesap lütfen.heh·sahp lewt·fehnThe bill, please.Listen
- Burası çok güzel!boo·rah·suh chohk gew·zehlThis place is beautiful!Listen
- Afiyet olsun!ah·fee·yeht ohl·soonEnjoy your meal!Listen
▶ Video lessons
Turkish guides for your trip
What's next
Next destination🫒 Aegean Towns🧭 Türkiye travel essentials
Istanbulkart, taxi apps, airport transfers, tickets, a SIM, money, 112 and the official e-Visa — plus the Turkish phrases you need.
🎁 Get all 13 guides free
All thirteen “Türkiye in Colour” PDF guides in one go: itineraries, Google Maps links, food and phrases for the whole country.
Information checked in November 2026. Opening hours, ticket prices and visiting rules change often, so check the official site before you go.
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- 🏖️ AntalyaOld town, ancient theatres and the turquoise sea
- ⛵ BodrumWhite houses, a crusader castle and the bays of the Aegean
- 🫒 Aegean TownsAncient cities, olive groves and white villages by the sea
- 🪂 Fethiye & ÖlüdenizRock tombs, the Blue Lagoon and a ghost village
- 🐢 Turquoise CoastLycian tombs, sunken cities and the bluest water in the Mediterranean
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- 🍯 Southeast TürkiyeMesopotamia: mosaics, stone cities and the best food in the country
- ⛰️ Eastern AnatoliaMount Ararat, a lost medieval capital and a church on an island
- 🕋 Central AnatoliaRumi's Konya, Ankara, colourful Eskişehir and the Hittite capital
- 🍃 Black SeaGreen mountains, tea fields and a monastery on a cliff
Photo credits
- Konak Square and clock tower, İzmir, Türkiye — Mors et Vita, CC BY 4.0
- Library of Celsus, Ephesus, Türkiye — Benh LIEU SONG, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Asansör terrace, İzmir, Türkiye — Chansey, CC BY-SA 4.0
