- Kumru: the sesame-ring sandwich, best in Çeşme.
- Boyoz: Izmir's Sephardic pastry, eaten for breakfast.
- The Kordon's fish restaurants at sunset; Kemeraltı for the old lokantas.
Izmir City Guide
The Izmir Clock Tower at Konak Square. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Izmir is Turkey's third city and the Aegean's capital: a relaxed, secular port city with a famous waterfront promenade, the Kordon. Ancient Smyrna's agora sits in the middle of the modern city.
Izmir works best as a base: Ephesus, Pergamon and Çeşme are all day trips. The city itself offers the clock tower, Kemeraltı Bazaar, and the sunset over the bay from the Kordon.
What to do in Izmir
City
- 1
Konak Square and Clock Tower The 1901 clock tower: Izmir's symbol on the waterfront square. - 2
Kemeraltı Bazaar The old bazaar quarter: 400 years of shops, mosques and synagogues. - 3
The Kordon The waterfront promenade: sunset, çay gardens and the bay. - 4
Agora of Smyrna The Roman agora in the city centre: arches and vaulted chambers. - 5
Kadifekale The Velvet Castle on the hill: the bay panorama.
Day trips
- 1
Ephesus An hour south: the great classical city. - 2
Pergamon Two hours north: the acropolis and the steepest ancient theatre. - 3
Çeşme and Alaçatı An hour west: windsurf beaches and stone-house streets.
Izmir Hotel Guide
How to choose the best places to stay in Izmir. Verified properties below; for the full list, search live availability on Booking.com.
Luxury
Swissôtel Büyük Efes, İzmir
The city's grand hotel by Kültürpark, long the top address.
View on Booking.com
Where to eat
Getting there and around
Izmir Adnan Menderes (ADB) is 18 km south, with the İZBAN train to the centre. Buses run to Selçuk (about an hour) and Çeşme. Ferries cross the bay and sail to the Greek islands.
Eating in Izmir
Fledge Food has a full guide to how Izmir eats: its defining dishes and how to order them, street food decoded, the markets, and the neighborhoods to eat in.