| |

10 of the Best Things to do in Izmir Turkey

It’s no secret that Turkey is one of our favorite places we’ve traveled.

We had the opportunity to ride in a hot air balloon over the fairy tale rock chimneys of Cappadocia, to explore historic Istanbul, sleep in a cave hotel, and even visit the natural travertine hot springs of Pamukkale. And the food, yum!

We spent three weeks in Turkey, and I honestly wish it had been a lot more.

We don’t have any definite plans to go back (yet!), but that hasn’t stopped us from writing out a bucket list for visiting Turkey the next time.

Izmir is one of those places we’re adding to the bucket list. Known as Smyrna in antiquity, Izmir is Turkey’s third largest city, and borders the Agean Sea. It’s a little outside of the normal Turkish tourism hot spots, but we often find that we find some real gems when we wander outside the well worn tourist path.

Here are our top 10 bucket list of things to do in Izmir, Turkey.

Visit the Kemeraltı bazaar

It’s supposedly possible to spend an entire day exploring this twisting, convoluted bazaar and still not see it all. The bazaar is home to cafes, shops selling almost anything you could possibly want or imagine, artisans workshops, mosques, tea gardens and synagogues.

Take a day trip to Ephesus

Things to do and see in Izmir Turkey Celsus Library in Ephesus

Most tourists visiting Izmir are passing through to see Ephesus, which is thought to be the best preserved ancient temple in the eastern Mediterranean. It contains the Temple of Artemis, considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Check out the windsurfers in Alacati

Alacati is hugely popular with vacationing Turks, who visit to escape the busyness of nearby cities. Traditionally the city was known for architecture, windmills and vineyards, but today it’s one of Turkey’s most popular destinations for windsurfers.

Take in the International Arts Festival

Walking along the promenade and visiting windswept coastal towns isn’t all that Izmir has to offer; come June and July the International Arts Festival lets you explore the deep history of the area, as some of its ancient buildings have been transformed into quirky, charming spaces. The festival also offers classical, traditional and contemporary works in music, ballet, theatre and opera with international and national performances.

Take the boat from Konak to Karşıyaka

Join the locals and take the ferry on the scenic ride across Izmir’s bay. Ferries to Karşıyaka leave from the waterfront at Konak’s Pier to Karşıyaka, a quiet suburb. The ride takes about 20 minutes.

Walk along the Kordon

Izmir’s Kordon (waterfront promenade) is the heart of the city, and probably Izmir’s most recognizable attraction. It’s a leisurely walkway along the heart of the city, with bars and cafes packed with locals at the day’s end.

Check out the İzmir Museum of History & Art

This museum is renowned for its collection of ancient artifacts. The sculptures from ancient Smyrna, Teos, Miletos and Pergamon are supposed to be especially sensational.

Bargain with the locals at the Kızlarağası Han market

Sometimes called the best hidden market in Izmir, this is the place to shop for carpets and jewelry. It’s a traditional market that gives a true taste of Turkey, and is a beautiful wander even if you have no intention of buying anything.

Climb the parachute tower

The unfortunately somewhat unattractive parachute tower offers spectacular views. It’s named for days past, when you could climb to the top and then be dropped by cable to the bottom in a parachute.

Visit Sports International

We’re making a concerted effort these days to stay fit when we travel, and Sports International should definitely help. You can dance, exercise or just unwind with a relaxing yoga class.

What do you think? Have you been to Izmir? Did we miss anything on our Izmir bucket list?

Similar Posts

  • | |

    Pura Vida at Mango Condos Tamarindo

    We stayed at Mango Condos for a month during our stay in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Overall, Mango was one of the cheaper Tamarindo condos we looked at renting. We were quite happy with the value that we got for the price, despite a couple of minor problems.

    Price. We negotiated with the ever-patient owner, Julius, and got our two bed, one bath unit at Mango condo for a month, starting in mid-January, for $1,200 USD. When we went, the Tamarindo economy was still in a bit of a funk, but prices were starting to pick up again, so you might pay more.

    Security. The condos have a secure, locked front entrance, with separate keys for each condo. There are three levels, with condos facing either the dusty front street or the big leafy trees in back. A troupe of howler monkeys traveled through trees in the back a couple of times, making for some great wildlife watching out back. Because the condo is about a three minute walk from the beach, none of the condos have ocean views.

    Pool. The pool is nice but small, with a small kiddie pool and an attractive fountain. It’s great for a quick plunge, but not really big enough to hang out at all day. It’s in the center of a small courtyard, and out of the sun most of the day. The cafe tables by the courtyard are a great place to read the local paper or enjoy a drink…

  • | |

    Boogie Boarding Mishaps, Langosta Beach Club and Sweet Waves

    Because of the heat in this area, we’ve made it a point to stay out of the sun from 12 to 2 each day. Tamarindo is crazy hot and walking out of an air conditioned place into the afternoon sun is like walking into an oven. If you’re out and about at an earlier time and stay outdoors (preferably in the shade unless you like to punish yourself) it’s not so bad. Just like the boiled frog parable, if you slowly roast yourself you won’t realize how hot it is as the day wears on but if you jump into a boiling pot (or the rolling heat in this case) you’ll quickly realize how much folly it is.

    That being said, the few times we have braved the elements at a neighboring beach club called the Langosta Beach Club and it’s about 2 blocks from our condo. It’s owned by a French company and everyone there seems to speak French, English and Spanish. They have a nice little pool, beach loungers, a few hammocks and one of the nicest stretches of beach (at least in my mind) right in front of the place. They also have a little bar and restaurant in the pool area and serve great food at somewhat reasonable (at least for this area) prices. Their bacon and avocado sandwich is quite delicious. Smoothies aren’t the cheapest we’ve seen but their strawberry one is heavenly on a warm day.

  • |

    Tech We Love To Travel With

    In this day and age, anyone that travels seems to be defined by what they bring (or don’t bring) on their travels. As a result, this digital age has brought another term to the backpack scene: flashpacker. Flashpacking is simply backpacking with more technological toys. It also usually refers to travellers with a few extra dollars to spend while on the road. The term affluent is sometimes associated with it as well however in this day and age almost everyone has a few tech toys with them. As such I suppose you can call us flashpackers but in truth, I like to refer to us simply as travellers or even nomads since we tend to follow the seasons. Our little ones tell everyone we’re Barefoot Nomads and to be honest, it puts a smile on my face every time they say it.

    When we first started seriously travelling back in ’02 one of the first places we stopped was Singapore. At the time Singapore was said to be miles ahead of the West in terms in technology. It usually took a few months for products to show up in Canada and the US that were already collecting dust on the shelves in this Asian country. As such, we had decided to pick up both a digital camera and a new laptop while we were there. Though we were far from pioneers at the time, a traveller with a decent laptop was still a rare sight.

    These days, finding a serious traveller without a laptop is a rarity and digital cameras are cheap and plentiful. Some of the equipment the typical backpacker takes and uses could probably…

9 Comments

  1. Hello. Thanks for so good post. Izmir is a really wonderful city. It is one fo the most attractive travel cities of Turkey. I think that it is the second most popular and visited travel city after Antalya. My uncle used to have some travel business there, therefore, I had a lot of time to explore the region very well. Ephesus is a really gorgeous place!

  2. Thanks for your post about Izmir. I live in Izmir for 1 year and I really love this city. In addition to the places you mentioned, be sure to visit Kadifekale, Asansör, Teleferik, and the ancient Aqueduct.

  3. Travel is my passion. I am also a travel blogger and love to share posts on travel tips, locations, etc. I found this post very interesting, as author shared complete information about the Best Things to do in Izmir Turkey. I recommend this blog for getting details about such type of information. I explored the whole blog and found that a lot of informative posts shared that can help people who search about travel tips, locations and other things before go on travel vacations. I highly recommend this blog.

    Regards
    Thomas Salzano
    A poet, traveler & avid reader

  4. I visited Izmir, Pamukkale, and Ephesus last year. I absolutely loved it! Thank you for putting together this great list!

  5. In April of this year, I had the opportunity to spend a week in the captivating region of Izmir. While the city of Izmir didn’t leave a lasting impression on me, the neighbouring gems, such as Alacati, Kusadasi, Cesme, and Ephesus, were nothing short of extraordinary. I’m particularly happy for choosing April as my travel time, as these places were delightfully devoid of crowds that usually flood them during the summer. Moreover, the milder temperatures made exploring these destinations much more enjoyable without the scorching heat that accompanies the peak season.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *