Things to do in İzmir

Neighborhood · Alsancak, Konak

The waterfront promenade along the Gulf of İzmir — a wide grass strip, horse carriages, and the entire city out walking every evening at sunset.

Local tip: Walk it north from Konak towards Alsancak at golden hour, then cut inland to 1453 Sokak and the Alsancak backstreets when you want a drink rather than a view.

Culture · Konak

A vast covered-and-open bazaar that has run since the 17th century, wrapped around the 1744 Kızlarağası caravanserai and the ruins of the Roman Agora.

Local tip: Have coffee in the Kızlarağası courtyard, then find Havra Sokağı for the food stalls and the cluster of old synagogues nearby — the Jewish quarter is the part almost every visitor walks straight past.

Landmark · Karataş, Konak

A 1907 public lift built by a Jewish philanthropist to spare residents the cliff climb, with a terrace at the top and a steep painted lane of old houses running down from it.

Local tip: Ride up for the bay view at sunset, then walk down Dario Moreno Sokağı rather than taking the lift back — the street, named after the singer who grew up here, is the whole point.

Nature · Karşıyaka

The north-shore waterfront, with a long park, a famous stepped wooden sunset deck, and the İZDENİZ ferries running back across the bay every few minutes.

Local tip: Take the vapur over from Konak rather than driving round the bay — 15-20 minutes on open water, and the İzmirim Kart fare is barely more than a bus.

Food · Urla, ~35 km west

A stretch of small Aegean wineries, olive groves and farm restaurants on the peninsula road, plus Urla's own restored old town and fishing harbour.

Local tip: Go for a long weekday lunch rather than a Saturday, and pair it with the İYTE campus coast at Gülbahçe if you want a swim on the way back.

Landmark · Selçuk, ~75 km south

One of the best-preserved classical cities in the Mediterranean — the Library of Celsus, the great theatre, and the marble street that ran down to a harbour now silted a few kilometres inland.

Local tip: Reachable on the İZBAN commuter train to Selçuk plus a short taxi, so you don't need a car. Go at opening in summer; there is no shade on the marble street by eleven.