Language · 11 published
City guide · Türkiye
İzmir begins in Konak, where the İzmir Clock Tower stands beside Konak Square and the gulf waterfront. From here, Kemeraltı’s historic market streets lead inland through hans, shops, mosques and food stalls, while the coast opens into the broad Gulf of İzmir and the Kordon promenade. The city is also the natural base for western Türkiye’s major excursions: Selçuk and Ephesus to the south, Bergama and Pergamon to the north, and Çeşme, Urla and the peninsula coast to the west. İzmir therefore works as both an urban destination and a launch point for archaeology, villages, beaches and Aegean coastal landscapes.
Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
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Typical visit duration
Efes
Ephesus is an extensive ancient city in western Türkiye, visited today as an archaeological site near Selçuk in İzmir Province. The city visible today was founded by Lysimachus, one of Alexander the Great’s generals, around 300 BC.
Pergamon is the ancient hilltop site above Bergama in İzmir province, centred on the Acropolis and its monumental archaeological remains.
İzmir Saat Kulesi
İzmir Clock Tower is a historic public monument in Konak Square, in İzmir’s Konak district. Built in 1901 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sultan II Abdülhamid’s accession, it has become one of the city’s most recognisable symbols.
Asansör is a historic vertical connection in İzmir’s Karataş neighbourhood. It links Mithatpaşa Caddesi with Şehit Nihatbey Caddesi, allowing people to cross the steep change in level without taking the long stair route.
Agora Açık Hava Müzesi
The Agora of Smyrna is the excavated state agora of ancient Smyrna in central İzmir, in Namazgah near Mezarlıkbaşı.
Aziz Yuhanna Bazilikası
Basilica of St. John is an archaeological and religious monument on Ayasuluk Hill in Selçuk, İzmir. The complex stands over the site associated with St.
Çeşme Kalesi
Çeşme Castle is a six-towered Ottoman fortress built in 1508 during the reign of Sultan Bayezid II. Moats remain on three sides, framing a historic defensive site in the centre of Çeşme.
Selçuk Efes Müzesi
Ephesus Archaeological Museum is the principal museum for understanding ancient Ephesus in Selçuk, İzmir. It presents finds from worship, daily life, art and power, giving objects a closer scale than the open-air ruins.
Artemis Tapinagi
The Temple of Ephesian Artemis is the Artemision sanctuary associated with ancient Ephesus, in Selçuk, İzmir Province.
Meryem Ana Evi
The House of the Virgin Mary is a Catholic pilgrimage shrine on Bülbül Mountain, about 9 km from Selçuk in İzmir Province. It is associated with the tradition that Mary spent her final years here.
Teos is an ancient Ionian city in Sığacık, Seferihisar, on İzmir’s Aegean coast. Founded as an Ionian colony around 1000 BC, it developed as a maritime settlement connected to northern and southern harbours.
Kızıl Avlu
Red Basilica, also known as Kızıl Avlu, is a monumental ancient site in Bergama, İzmir. Its striking red-brick structure stands in the İslamsaray area and gives the place its familiar English name.
Gediz Deltası
Gediz Delta is a vast wetland on İzmir’s northwestern edge, spreading across the districts of Çiğli, Menemen, Karşıyaka and Foça.
Kyme
Cyme, also called Kyme, is an archaeological site near Çakmaklı in Aliağa, İzmir, around Nemrut Bay. It was one of the Aiolian cities founded around the middle of the eleventh century BC and developed as an important port centre.
Kadifekale, also called Velvet Castle, is an open-air archaeological site on Pagos, the 186-metre-high hill south of İzmir’s city centre.
Celsus Kütüphanesi
The Library of Celsus is a defining monument of Ephesus, near modern Selçuk in İzmir Province.
Beş Kapılar Kalesi
Foça Castle is the surviving Beşkapılar section of the historic fortifications on Eski Foça’s peninsula, between the Küçükdeniz and Büyükdeniz bays.
Kültürpark is İzmir’s major central urban park and fairground, established on 1 January 1936 under the leadership of Behçet Uz. Its 420,000-square-metre grounds combine mature greenery, public recreation, cultural attractions and event spaces in the centre of the city.
Çamlık Eski İstasyonu
Çamlık Railway Museum is an open-air railway museum beside TCDD’s Çamlık station, about 7 kilometres from Selçuk in İzmir Province. It opened to visitors in 1991 and presents steam-era railway heritage in a historic railway setting.
Izmir Archaeology Museum
İzmir Archaeological Museum is a city museum in Konak, located inside Bahribaba Park at Yeşiltepe Mahallesi, Halil Rıfat Paşa Caddesi No: 4. The present museum building opened to visitors on 11 February 1984 and was built on a 5,000-square-metre site.
İzmir Bergama Müzesi
Bergama Museum is an indoor museum in Bergama, İzmir, bringing together archaeology from the ancient city’s major excavation areas and objects from the region’s traditional life.
İzmir Doğal Yaşam Parkı
İzmir Wildlife Park is a large municipal zoological park in Sasalı, within Çiğli district of İzmir.
Metropolis is an ancient city between Yeniköy and Özbey in Torbalı, İzmir. Its name is understood to mean “City of the Mother Goddess,” reflecting the religious and civic identity associated with the settlement.
Ayasluğ
Ayasuluk Hill is the historic high ground above Selçuk, where several of the town’s most important monuments occupy one archaeological setting. A visit brings together St.
Klazomenai is an archaeological site on the Urla coast and was one of the twelve Ionian cities.
Kordonboyu
Klaros
Çakırağa Konağı
Pergamon Kütüphanesi
Konak Meydanı
İzmir Etnografya Müzesi
Tiyatro
Ümran Baradan Oyun ve Oyuncak Müzesi
Yamanlar Dağı
Meryem Kilisesi
Hadrian Tapınağı
Atatürk Müzesi
Aydınoğlu Mehmet Bey Camii
Kara Ada
İsa Bey Camii
Çamaltı Tuzlası
İzmir Kadın Müzesi
Kızıl Avlu
İnkaya Mağarası
Odeon (Konser Salonu)
TCG Pirireis
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
District boundaries come from OSM administrative relations, so a district page holds exactly the places inside it — plus, for the islands and the coast, the nearest district by proximity.
Use Konak as the central reference point. The Clock Tower, Konak Square, Yalı Mosque, government buildings and the entrance to Kemeraltı are concentrated here; the market continues inland and north-east, while the waterfront route runs towards Konak Pier, Alsancak and Kordon. The Gulf of İzmir divides the metropolitan area, with districts such as Karşıyaka on the northern shore and Balçova, Narlıdere and Güzelbahçe along the western shore. The province extends much farther than the centre. Selçuk and Ephesus lie south, Bergama lies north, and Çeşme and Urla lie west on the peninsula. Treat these outlying places as separate day-trip areas rather than neighbourhoods of the centre.
Checked 2026-09-02
İzmir’s integrated public-transport system combines İZBAN suburban rail, İzmir Metro, trams, ESHOT buses and İZDENİZ ferries, with İzmirim Kart used across the network. The Clock Tower, Konak, Kemeraltı and the central waterfront are easiest to experience as a walking circuit, with buses, rail and ferries extending the journey around the gulf. İZBAN is particularly useful for the airport and the southern corridor towards Selçuk; Ephesus itself is then reached from Selçuk using current local connections. Bergama, Çeşme, Urla and peninsula beaches require separate intercity or municipal transport planning. Check the relevant operator before travelling because routes and service frequencies can change.
Checked 2026-09-02
Begin at the İzmir Clock Tower in Konak, look across Konak Square towards the gulf, then walk through Kemeraltı and continue north along the waterfront towards Kordon. This route introduces İzmir’s principal historic, commercial and seaside settings in one connected visit.
İzmir is a practical base for a southern excursion to Selçuk and Ephesus. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism lists Ephesus as an archaeological site in Selçuk, İzmir Province. Check the current İZBAN and local transport information before travelling, and confirm the site’s current visitor information on the Ministry page.
Bergama is a substantial northern excursion centred on Pergamon. UNESCO describes the acropolis as the capital of the Hellenistic Attalid dynasty and part of a wider cultural landscape that includes the Asclepieion and later layers around modern Bergama. Plan it as a separate outing and verify current transport and site information before departure.
The main western options are Çeşme and Urla, together with the peninsula’s smaller coastal settlements and beaches. İzmir’s official destination material presents the province as a destination for Aegean coast, swimming and relaxation as well as history. Choose one coastal area for a day rather than trying to cover the entire peninsula.
Use İzmirim Kart with the city’s integrated buses, metro, suburban rail, trams and ferries. Walk between the central Konak sights, then use rail or sea transport for longer gulf-side journeys. For Bergama, Çeşme, Urla and beach areas, check the current intercity or municipal connection separately.
No official recommended stay length is recorded. Your duration depends on whether the plan covers only Konak, Kemeraltı and the gulf waterfront or adds separate excursions to Ephesus, Bergama, Çeşme or Urla. Those destinations are spread across the province, so each requires its own travel time and itinerary space.
