Turkey
İzmir is Turkey's great Aegean port, a city of about four million people on a long blue gulf, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on the Mediterranean.
Ancient Smyrna was a rival of Ephesus and Pergamon, and the Roman agora, a Hellenistic hilltop castle and a museum full of marble and bronze still sit in the middle of a modern, easygoing city. This guide starts with the labyrinthine Kemeraltı bazaar, the Ottoman clock tower on Konak Square and the Kordon seafront where the whole city comes out at sunset, then adds the Agora of Smyrna, the 1907 Asansör elevator, Kadifekale's hilltop views and the Archaeology Museum. It also covers a food walk through the bazaar, museums and Kültürpark, and day trips that make İzmir a superb base: Ephesus, Pergamon, Pamukkale, the stone-house streets of Alaçatı and Çeşme, the vineyards of Urla and the wine-and-fruit village of Şirince. Seven hotels run from five-stars on the Kordon to a friendly budget stay by Basmane station, and it is candid about winter, when museums are on winter hours and the coast is quiet but the city is at its most local.
Kemeraltı Bazaar
İzmir's historic bazaar is a maze of lanes, mosques, old hans and tea gardens that runs from Konak Square into the old city. Walking it costs nothing, and an hour or two in the lanes is the quickest way to feel what İzmir is really like.
Çeşme and Alaçatı Day Trip
A private day trip from İzmir to the stone-house lanes of Alaçatı, Çeşme's castle and a beach stop on the Aegean peninsula. It is the easiest way to see the coast without renting a car, and works best in spring and autumn.
Konak Square and the Clock Tower
The ornate Ottoman Clock Tower and the tiled Yalı Mosque stand together on Konak Square, the city's traditional centre. It is free, it is where İzmir meets, and it is the easiest first stop for orientation.
Agora of Smyrna
The Agora was the administrative, legal and trading heart of ancient Smyrna, and today its arcades, vaulted cellars and columns sit in a quiet open-air site just beside the bazaar. It is the most accessible ancient ruin in the city centre.
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Freeİzmir's historic bazaar is a maze of lanes, mosques, old hans and tea gardens that runs from Konak Square into the old city. Walking it costs nothing, and an hour or two in the lanes is the quickest way to feel what İzmir is really like.
FreeThe ornate Ottoman Clock Tower and the tiled Yalı Mosque stand together on Konak Square, the city's traditional centre. It is free, it is where İzmir meets, and it is the easiest first stop for orientation.
The Kordon is İzmir's waterfront promenade, where cafes, fish restaurants and joggers line the gulf and the whole city turns out for sunset. It is free, it is flat and it is the best way to understand how İzmir lives.
The Agora was the administrative, legal and trading heart of ancient Smyrna, and today its arcades, vaulted cellars and columns sit in a quiet open-air site just beside the bazaar. It is the most accessible ancient ruin in the city centre.
FreeA 1907 stone elevator tower lifts you from the street to a terrace high above the gulf, with a cafe and one of the best free panoramas in İzmir. Come near sunset and bring your camera.
The ruined walls of Kadifekale crown Mount Pagos above the city, with a sweep of the whole gulf from the ramparts. It is a free hilltop outing for history, views and sunset.
The Archaeology Museum holds the finest marble statues, bronzes and ceramics from İzmir and the wider Aegean, from prehistory through Rome. Allow an hour or two and pair it with the Agora of Smyrna.
A private day trip from İzmir to the stone-house lanes of Alaçatı, Çeşme's castle and a beach stop on the Aegean peninsula. It is the easiest way to see the coast without renting a car, and works best in spring and autumn.
A guided full-day trip to Pergamon, the hilltop capital of a great Hellenistic kingdom, with its acropolis, theatre, library and the healing sanctuary of the Asklepion. Entrance fees, lunch and hotel pickup are included.
A full-day trip from İzmir that pairs the ruins of Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis with the hillside village of Şirince, known for fruit wines, olive oil and cobbled lanes. It is the easy way to see the best of the Selçuk area in one day.
A guided four-hour food walk from the Clock Tower into Kemeraltı Bazaar, tasting boyoz, gevrek, lahmacun, İzmir köfte and Turkish coffee along the way. It is the quickest way to eat your way through the city's specialities.
The best-preserved classical city in the eastern Mediterranean, about an hour and a half south of İzmir. Walk the marble Curetes Street, stand in front of the Library of Celsus and sit in the Great Theatre, with lunch built into the day.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
$$$$Alsancak (near the Kordon)
A 402-room five-star tower a five-minute walk from the Kordon, with an indoor pool, a full spa, three restaurants and easy reach of Kemeraltı and Konak. İzmir's polished splurge for business and leisure travellers alike.
Check rates →Alsancak
A 21-floor, 126-room four-star in Alsancak with a spa and Turkish bath, free parking and valet, and an eight-minute walk to the Kordon. A modern, comfortable mid-range base with city views.
Check rates →First Kordon (Konak)
A four-star, 146-room hotel on the First Kordon, one minute from the water, with a restaurant, two bars, soundproofed rooms and 24-hour room service. A classic seafront address at a mid-range price.
Check rates →
$$Pasaport (near the Kordon)
A friendly 60-room four-star near the Pasaport waterfront, three minutes from the Kordon and about twelve minutes on foot from Kemeraltı Market, with a to-go breakfast included. A convenient, good-value base for sightseeing on foot.
Check rates →Basmane
A friendly three-star in Basmane, three minutes from Basmane station and about twelve minutes on foot from Kemeraltı Bazaar, with free breakfast and free parking. İzmir's practical budget pick for the old city.
Check rates →Alsancak (Cumhuriyet Boulevard)
A 185-room five-star on Cumhuriyet Boulevard in Alsancak, two minutes on foot from the Kordon, with a spa, a gym with yoga and pilates classes, an on-site restaurant and free valet parking.
Check rates →Bayraklı (near Tepekule)
A modern 197-room four-star in the Bayraklı business district across the bay from Alsancak, with free parking, a Turkish restaurant and a suburban rail stop two minutes on foot.
Check rates →What to book ahead, how to get around İzmir, how many days you need and how Kemeraltı, Konak, the Kordon, the ancient sites and the day trips to Pergamon, Çeşme and Şirince fit together.
A neighbourhood guide to İzmir hotels: where Alsancak, the Kordon, Pasaport and Basmane differ, and which of our seven hotels suits your budget, plans and style.
A three-day İzmir itinerary: the bazaar and Konak on day one, ruins and museums on day two, and a day trip to Ephesus or Pergamon on day three, with tips on pacing, transport and meals.
A guide to İzmir food: signature snacks like boyoz and gevrek, İzmir köfte, Aegean olive-oil dishes, fish on the Kordon, tea and coffee habits, and the Urla wine country nearby.
How to choose a day trip from İzmir: Ephesus, Pergamon, Şirince, Çeşme and Alaçatı, Urla wine country and Pamukkale compared by distance, season and what you will see.
How to enjoy İzmir without spending much: free sights like the bazaar, the Kordon and the Asansör, low-cost museums and parks, cheap food and transport, and when to splurge.
