Aegean Coast
Izmir
Treat this working Aegean port as a base, not a sight: ride the IZBAN in from the airport, sleep along the Kordon in Alsancak, and save your days for Ephesus and the Cesme beaches.
Best length
2-3 nights as an Aegean base
Airport
Adnan Menderes (ADB), ~18km south
Airport to centre
IZBAN train ~30 min for pence; Havas shuttle to Alsancak/Konak
Best base
Alsancak on the Kordon; Konak for the bazaar
In short
Izmir at a glance
Izmir is a working Aegean port city, not a postcard old town, and it earns its place as a base rather than a destination: stay along the Kordon waterfront in Alsancak, use the IZBAN train in from the airport, and plan the trip around day trips to Ephesus and the Cesme beaches rather than expecting a sights-packed city break.
The short version
- Treat Izmir as a 2-3 night base for the wider Aegean, not an Istanbul-style sightseeing city in its own right.
- Stay in Alsancak along the Kordon for the easiest first trip; Konak puts you next to the bazaar and the old core.
- Take the IZBAN suburban train in from the airport: it runs every 10-20 minutes, costs pence, and beats the taxi queue.
- Ephesus is the headline day trip, reachable by a cheap TCDD train to Selcuk and a dolmus; Cesme and Alacati are the beach option.
- Most of central Izmir is free to wander, so the real spend is flights, hotel and the Ephesus entry fee, not city attractions.
Izmir is Turkeyโs third city and a working Aegean port, and the quickest way to enjoy it is to stop expecting an Istanbul. There is no grand old town stacked with mosques and palaces here; what Izmir has instead is a long sweeping bay, the Kordon waterfront where the whole city walks at sunset, and the genuinely good Kemeralti bazaar with its restored Kizlaragasi caravanserai courtyard. Give the centre a single relaxed day for those, plus the free Asansor lift up to the old Jewish quarter cliff for the bay view, and you have seen the best of the city itself.
The real reason to fly into Adnan Menderes airport is what surrounds it. Ephesus is the headline day trip: a cheap TCDD train from Basmane station to Selcuk, then a short dolmus minibus to the gate, with the entry fee being the only real expense. The Cesme peninsula is the beach counterweight, an easy 80km motorway run by frequent intercity bus from Fahrettin Altay, with Alacatiโs windsurf bay and old stone streets at the end of it. Plan two or three nights based in Alsancak on the Kordon, build the days around those trips rather than around city monuments, and Izmir does exactly the job it is good at.
Getting around needs almost no planning. One Izmirimkart travel card covers the metro, the IZBAN suburban train you arrive on from the airport, the tram, the buses and the bay ferries, so top one up at the first station and forget about taxis. The ferry across to Karsiyaka on the north shore is worth doing as a short trip in itself for the view back across the water. The structured planning below picks up from here, with where to stay, airport transfers, day-trip logistics and a realistic budget in pounds.
Keep a first trip focused: book the big timed sights, then leave room for neighbourhoods and food.
Top things to do in Izmir
Kemeraltฤฑ Bazaar & Kฤฑzlaraฤasฤฑ Han
Kemeraltฤฑ is the sprawling 17th-century bazaar at the heart of ฤฐzmir โ a covered maze of fabric, spice, tea and jewellery lanes that is the city's main reason to linger. Free to wander, it rewards getting lost; aim for the restored Kฤฑzlaraฤasฤฑ Han, an Ottoman caravanserai whose galleried courtyard is the place to stop for a Turkish coffee rather than only shopping the outer streets. Mornings are calmer.
The Kordon waterfront
The Kordon is ฤฐzmir's bay-front promenade and the city's de facto living room: a long ribbon of grass, palm trees, cafes and horse-drawn carriages running along the Aegean. It comes alive at sunset, when locals walk, picnic and fill the seafront bars. ฤฐzmir is short on grand monuments, so an evening here โ free to use โ is the most honest way to feel the place.
Where to stay first
The areas that make a first visit easier โ not an exhaustive directory.
Alsancak
ยฃยฃ mid-rangeThe easiest first-timer base: pedestrian cafe streets, the Kordon on your doorstep, an IZBAN station and the liveliest evenings in the city. Not the cheapest area, but it saves you a tram or taxi every night.
Best for: First-timers, couples, evenings out
Konak
ยฃยฃ mid-rangeThe historic core around the Clock Tower and Kemeralti bazaar. Best if you want to walk straight into the old city and the ferry pier, though it is busier and noisier by day than Alsancak.
Best for: Sightseeing on foot, bazaar lovers
Karsiyaka
ยฃ valueAcross the bay on the north shore, reached by a short ferry. Calmer, more residential and better value, with its own waterfront cafes; choose it if you want a local rhythm and don't mind the ferry hop.
Best for: Value, repeat visitors, quieter stays
Basmane
ยฃ valueAround the historic train station, this is the budget-hotel and transit zone and the jumping-off point for the Selcuk train. Cheap and convenient for early Ephesus trips, but rougher round the edges at night.
Best for: Budget stays, early Ephesus departures
Airport to city centre
| Option | Time | Cost | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| IZBAN suburban train to Alsancak / Hilal | ~30 min | a few lira (well under ยฃ1) with an Izmirimkart | Best value; runs every 10-20 min |
| Havas shuttle bus to Alsancak / Konak | ~40 min | about ยฃ4-ยฃ5 | Useful with luggage if your hotel is near a stop |
| Taxi to Alsancak / Konak | ~30-35 min | usually ยฃ25-ยฃ35 | Easiest for late arrivals or groups |
When to go
Sweet spot: May, June, September and early October are the sweet spot: warm enough for the Cesme beaches and comfortable for walking Ephesus, without July and August's 34C Aegean heat. April is cheaper and quieter but still cool for swimming.
High summer is hot, humid and busy on the coast, and midday at Ephesus in August is genuinely punishing with little shade. Winter is mild, cheap and fine for the bazaar and city walks, but it is not a beach trip and some Cesme businesses wind down.
What it costs
UK return flights to Izmir (ADB) often run ยฃ60-ยฃ150 from London Stansted, Gatwick or Manchester with Pegasus, SunExpress, easyJet and Jet2 when booked 6-8 weeks ahead; summer school holidays and last-minute fares push that well past ยฃ200.
Daily budget per person
Izmir is one of Turkey's better-value city bases because its own attractions are mostly free. The money goes on the day trips, especially Ephesus, where the entry fee alone dwarfs anything you pay inside the city.
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