PLACES TO VISIT IN İZMIR

For holidaymakers travelling from Istanbul to İzmir, a 'blue' journey awaits, full of stops that bring them together with plenty of natural beauty, historic buildings and the most delicious flavours on the way. Going with İDO to Yalova, we both shorten our route and skip the Istanbul traffic. Those who use this route know it. With İDO early booking, prices are quite reasonable. Back to the route: it was a journey full of little stops and memories we want to remember, here are the details...

SUSURLUK AYRAN & TOASTIE

Those who start their journey by fast ferry from Istanbul's Yenikapı Pier can make the trip even more enjoyable in Susurluk, which they'll reach after about 180 km, by tasting the region's famous toastie and its very frothy ayran. I'm sure the taste of the toastie, famous for being made with Mihaliç cheese, and of the ayran, frothed by being poured from bucket to bucket for hours, will stay with you. We took this sweet break on the road at Yasa Tesisleri .

PLENTY OF OXYGEN ON MOUNT SPİL

The pine trees and clean air of Mount Spil are the kind that will make holidaymakers stop on the way. For nature lovers there's always a different option on the road. The camping chairs in the boot are waiting for days like these: on Mount Spil you can have a little picnic with the food you've brought with you and store up plenty of oxygen.

KEMERALTI BAZAAR & KIZLARAĞASI HAN

Before heading to İzmir's wonderful holiday towns and letting yourself go in the cool waters, you can take a short journey into the past in historic areas like the Agora and Smyrna.

After shopping in the historic Kemeraltı Bazaar and enjoying coffee made in sand, you can sip your tea and rest in the nostalgic corridors of the Ottoman-era Kızlarağası Han.

CLOCK TOWER & KONAK SQUARE

You can visit the İzmir Clock Tower, the symbol of İzmir, through a tourist's eyes. The tower, commissioned in 1901 by Grand Vizier Mehmet Sait Pasha from the French architect Raymond Charles Père, is 25 m high and has 4 fountains. Made lovely by the liveliness of Konak Square during the day, the tower looks very nice at night with its lighting. Those having their photos taken in front of it are probably not from İzmir :)

HISTORIC ELEVATOR

The elevator, reached on the street popularly known as 'Asansör Çıkmaz Sokağı' (Elevator Dead End), is one of the most important tourist sights to visit in İzmir. You'll reach it after finishing your walk at the end of lovely Dario Moreno Street, among little shops and cafés full of artists. Built in 1907 to remove the difference in height and join two neighbourhoods, the structure has today stopped being a means of transport and serves as a place for fun and relaxation. Those who want a bird's-eye view of the city from the tower's wooden balcony can have a nice time sipping their coffee at the Asansör Terrace Café.

KIBRIS ŞEHİTLERİ STREET

The buzz on this street, alive with students, will probably make you want to spend time here whatever your age. What İstiklal Avenue is to Istanbul, this street is to İzmir. Besides the street itself, you'll feel that, again like İstiklal, the side streets here have a spirit all their own.

KORDON

In a word, WON-DER-FUL!!! It's a real pleasure that there's such a lovely area you can reach at any moment amid the chaos of the city, and that it's protected. With its different atmosphere that appeals to everyone, the Kordon is the kind of resting place Istanbulites look for. Accompanied by the çiğdem (aka sunflower seed) sellers, young and old, workers and students stretch out on the grass straight away and shake off their stress with the sunset.

Cyclists know that getting around the Kordon by bike is also very enjoyable. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, with BİSİM, comes to the aid of bike lovers with many stations and bikes along the long Kordon strip. With projects like İzmir BİSİM and Yarımada, it has long since proven it deserves the title of bike-friendly city.

To read our post on İzmir villages, click here!

ATATÜRK MUSEUM

You can't talk about İzmir without mentioning Atatürk! The house where Atatürk stayed has been turned into a museum and opened to us visitors. By visiting this lovely museum on the Kordon, you can ease your longing for Atatürk a little and witness the traces of history.