Karşıyaka and Bostanlı: Taking the Bay Ferry to Izmir's Northern Shore

Ask anyone born on the northern shore of the Gulf of Izmir where they are from, and they will proudly answer "Karşıyaka" (often abbreviated locally as 35½, a playful nod to Izmir's 35 licence plate code) before saying Izmir. Literally meaning "The Opposite Shore", Karşıyaka and neighbouring Bostanlı form a continuous six-kilometre waterfront of palm trees, Art Deco and Levantine mansions, bicycle lanes, coastal trams and sunset amphitheatres that feels calmer, leafier and more residential than the busy southern side of the bay.

1. The 15-Minute Ferry Crossing from Konak or Alsancak

Crossing the water on a white İzdeniz passenger ferry is the single best value sightseeing ride in Izmir. Ferries depart every 15 to 20 minutes from Konak, Pasaport and Alsancak piers directly to Karşıyaka Pier (and separate ferries sail directly to Bostanlı Pier). Tap your contactless bank card or İzmirim Kart at the turnstile, buy a cup of hot black tea and a warm gevrek from the onboard buffet, and stand on the open upper aft deck to watch seagulls glide inches from your hand against the skyline of Mount Yamanlar.

2. Karşıyaka Çarşısı, Hergele Meydanı and Latife Hanım Mansion

Step off at Karşıyaka Ferry Pier and cross the tram tracks directly into pedestrianised Karşıyaka Çarşısı (Kemalpaşa Caddesi). Running straight inland for 800 metres, this lively boulevard is packed with historic pastry shops, ice-cream parlours, bookshops and casual lokantas:

• Latife Hanım Köşkü Memorial House (5 minutes' walk from the end of the bazaar by Karşıyaka İZBAN station): set inside a tranquil garden of pine and magnolia trees stands the restored 19th-century wooden mansion of the Uşakizade family, where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk married İzmir-born jurist and women's rights pioneer Latife Hanım in January 1923 and where his mother Zübeyde Hanım spent her final days (admission to the house and garden café is free).
• Cordelio / Yalı Boulevard: walking west along the seafront passes historic 19th-century Levantine villas (such as the Van der Zee and Penetti mansions) facing the bay.

3. Riding the Seafront Tram to Bostanlı Sunset Terrace (Gün Batımı Terası)

From Karşıyaka Pier, walk 25 minutes west along the waterside park or hop onto the green-grass-tracked Karşıyaka Tram (T1) for five stops to Bostanlı İskele. Right where the coast curves west toward the open Aegean, landscape architects built the Bostanlı Sunset Terrace (Bostanlı Gün Batımı Terası), a sweeping series of wide, tiered ash-wood steps and wooden loungers extending right over the sea rocks, where hundreds of locals gather every evening because Bostanlı looks directly west into the setting sun. Afterwards, cross the street into Bostanlı's park streets (Cemal Gürsel Caddesi and Şair Eşref Bulvarı) for some of Izmir's best seafood taverns and pubs.