Best Things to Do in Izmir

Izmir is a city built for unhurried mornings in historic market courtyards, late-afternoon ferry crossings on the gulf and acclaimed archaeological day trips. Here are the ten experiences that define a visit.

1. Wander the 17th-century lanes and caravanserais of Kemeraltı Bazaar. Start at the 1901 marble Konak Clock Tower and follow curving Anafartalar Caddesi into the vaulted courtyard of Kızlar Ağası Hanı for copper-pot Turkish coffee.
2. Ride the 1907 Historical Asansör (Cliff Lift) to Dario Moreno Street. Ascend 58 metres inside a brick tower built by Jewish philanthropist Nesim Levi to a cliff-edge terrace overlooking the entire Gulf of Izmir.
3. Walk through the vaulted substructures of the Ancient Agora of Smyrna. Explore the largest Roman civil basilica in the ancient world, where spring water still rushes through 2,000-year-old stone channels beneath intact marble arches.
4. Stroll the Kordon Promenade from Pasaport to Alsancak at sunset. Walk two kilometres of waterfront lawns beside the Aegean Sea before turning into the restored 19th-century stone row houses (Chios houses) of Kıbrıs Şehitleri side alleys.
5. Cross the bay on an İzdeniz Ferry to Karşıyaka and Bostanlı. Join locals feeding seagulls from the open upper deck for the 15-minute crossing to Karşıyaka Çarşısı and the wooden sunset bleachers of Bostanlı.
6. Visit the new Izmir Culture and Arts Factory (Kültür Sanat Fabrikası) and Archaeological Museum. Housed in the restored 1884 Alsancak Tekel tobacco factory gardens, holding colossal marble statues from Smyrna and Ephesus.
7. Taste warm morning boyoz, kumru and söğüş. Queue at a wood-fired oven in Alsancak or Kemeraltı for Izmir's unique street-food trinity.
8. Take the train south to UNESCO-listed Ephesus and Şirince. Stand before the Library of Celsus and the Terrace Houses less than an hour from Izmir.
9. Spend an afternoon on the Urla Wine Route and Art Street. Sample revived indigenous Aegean grape varieties (Bornova Misketi, Urla Karası and Foça Karası) among olive groves 35 minutes west of town.
10. Explore the windmills of Alaçatı or the acropolis of Pergamon. Head west for bougainvillea-draped stone alleys and turquoise bays, or north to the steepest theatre of the ancient world.