Izmir, the city which is home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World...
"I am 8,500 years old..." says the city of Homer...

The diversity of activities and resources that Izmir is able to provide makes it a very attractive area for tourism. It boasts both spas with healing thermal waters, and the deep blue sea with beaches displaying the safety symbol of the blue flag.

Izmir resonates with the water and the wind. Benefiting from the breeze from the Aegean Sea, Izmir enjoys a well-deserved reputation due to sights and ruins such as Bergama (Pergamon), Çeşme, Foça, Kemalpaşa, Selçuk, Tire and Urla, which are outstanding in terms of the richness of their natural and historical assets.

It offers visitors many options for a unique holiday experience. Its geographical location means that Izmir enjoys a Mediterranean climate plus natural beauty, a rich cultural and historical heritage, beaches, thermal waters and spas. In addition, it boasts a rich cuisine, featuring grapes, figs, olives, citrus fruits and seafood, as well as the legacies left by civilizations over thousands of years.
The city, known as "Beautiful Izmir" in Turkey, is located at the start of a long and narrow gulf, decorated with yachts, passenger ships and gulf steamers. It has a warm climate and the cooling sea breeze in the summer takes away the burning heat of the sun.

Izmir, which enjoys a special cultural and historical identity, is the third largest city in Turkey. Its port, located inside the gulf, is the second largest in Turkey. As a lively and cosmopolitan city, it occupies a significant place in Turkey's cultural life with the International Arts Festival and International Fair.

PLACES TO SEE IN İZMİR

KADİFEKALE - THE VELVET CASTLE

Kadifekale, is the name of the castle situated on top of the 200 meters height hill. Kadifekale means "the velvet castle" in Turkish. Both the hill and the castle were named Pagos or Pagus under the Roman Empire. This 4th century BC castle commands a bird's eye view of Izmir and is the perfect place to watch the sun set over the city.

AGORA

The Agora was the largest of its kind in the world and was established in 333 BC by Alexander the Great on the slopes of Mt. Pagos but was ruined in an earthquake in AD 178 and rebuilt soon after by Marcus Aurelius. The Agora was originally partially excavated in 1932-41, revealing an open square (140x140m) flanked by porticoes and a huge civic basilica on the north side. Work started again in 2002 and is still in progress; hundreds of roman graffiti’s have been found in the basement of the Basilica. Inscriptions also indicate the existence of a church. Colonnades of reconstructed Corinthian columns, vaulted chambers and arches give some idea to what a Roman Bazaar would have once looked like.

KONAK MEYDANI (KONAK SQUARE)

Konak Meydanı (Konak square) is the centre of Izmir city. Due to the presence of such official institutions as the municipal and governorship buildings coupled with a concentration of shopping facilities in this square, it serves as a meeting and intersecting point for transportation within the city.

CLOCK TOWER

This landmark clock tower stands in Konak Square near the promenade. It was designed by the Levantine French architect Raymond Charles Père and built in 1901 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Abdulhamid II's (reigned 1876–1909) ascension to the throne.
The clock itself was a gift of German Emperor Wilhelm II (reigned 1888–1918). It is decorated in an elaborate Ottoman architecture. The tower, at a height of 25 m (82 ft), features four fountains, which are placed around the base in a circular pattern, and the columns are inspired by North African themes.

KEMERALTI PAZARI (KEMERALTI MARKET)

Kemeraltı is the famous old fashioned market area with narrow streets behind Konak Square. You can find many shops specialized in different trades; jewelers, drapers, shoemakers, and shops specializing in all kinds of goods from leather to olives and cheese. The atmosphere of an earlier century still pervades the buildings here, with their distinctive 19th century doorways and roof tiles. It's especially crowded during the weekends. You can bargain with the prices of most items. There are shops to get some souvenirs and some cafés to rest after shopping.

KIZLARAĞASI HAN

This impressive building in the Kemeraltı Bazaar was built as a caravanserai in 1744. It's the only covered part of the bazaar and, because of this, is touristy with a tea garden in the courtyard and antique shops on the second floor. Nice all the same for a wander around.

ASANSÖR (ELEVATOR)

The city's famous public elevator, and a symbol of Izmir. This elevator links Mithatpaşa street below with Halil Rifat Paşa street at the summit of the precipitous hill. It was built in 1907 and restored by the municipality in 1993. The upper terrace has a breathtaking view over the city and the bay. Here there is an open-air cafe, a restaurant and a Genoese tavern.

KORDON

The famous esplanade between Konak Meydanı and Alsancak is packed with promenaders on weekends and fine evenings. As families and young lovers hand in hand stroll along the waterfront, horse-drawn phaetons with colorful pompons swinging from the harnesses trot past, and cars cruise by. İzmir's esplanade is the subject of a popular old song: "My lover used to say, Let us meet on the Kordon one day, perhaps at ten o'clock."

PASAPORT

The name for the dock and pier between Konak and Cumhuriyet Meydanı. Pasaport Dock was built in 1876. The dock building is in the Turkish revival style inspired by Ottoman and Selçuk architecture which was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Until not so long ago the area was full of old fashioned coffee houses which served hookahs (nargile) as well as tea and coffee, but today pubs have supplanted most of them.

ALSANCAK

A select neighborhood with a unique character in modern Izmir. Stretching from the waterfront esplanade inland most of the area has been transformed into a pedestrian precinct, so there is no traffic to disturb shoppers and strollers. The old part of town can be found in the back streets behind the sea promenade. Some of the attractive old houses under conservation order in Alsancak now house bars (Bar Street) and restaurants all serving Turkish Cuisine to the locals.The streets lined by modern buildings and attractive shops lead onto the square where Alsancak station stands. Dating from 1858 the colonial architecture of the station distinguishes it in style from the rest of the city. .

KARŞIYAKA

The name of this district of Izmir on the north shore off the Gulf of Izmir means - "Opposite Shore", as indeed it is. The inhabitants of this pleasant residential area with its own esplanade claim an identity distinct from the rest of the city. In their view, Karşıyaka is a town in its own right with an individual culture and history.

Take the ferry boat over from Konak and walk up the main street to the railway station. You can have tea in the lovely cafe on the platform - and you can return to Alsancak on the train around the Gulf.

BALÇOVA

This spa is on the outskirts of Izmir in Balçova. Known as the Agamemnon Springs in antiquity, this may have been the first hydrotherapy centre of the ancient world. Today there are modern facilities for visitors to the hot springs and luxury hotels. The temperature of the water is 63 degrees C and considered good for rheumatism, sciatica, gallstones and eczema.

The baths are well-known since antiquity and the name ancient, and makes reference to a contingent of Greeks under Agamemnon during the Trojan War who were led by an oracle to the warm springs to heal their wounds after a battle. Aelius Aristides had also frequently resorted in the baths and had reported that it was here that Asclepius had first begun prophesying.

TELEFERİK (CABLE CAR)

In Balçova, another district of Izmir, lies a small piece of heaven in the otherwise busy city of Izmir.
The cable car was built in 1974 by Balçova Belediyesi (Municipality). There are 20 cable cars altogether; each cable car is able to carry up to 4 people. The distance from the bottom of the hill to the top is 1000 meters. Whist you are in the cable car going up the steep hill, you can see the most amazing view of Izmir Bay.
When you get to the top, there's a long road with many cafes and restaurants and a few shops. At the end you will see a picnic area where you can have your own barbecue.