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A photograph of İzmir

City guide · Türkiye

Theme: History, Up to 1 hour in İzmir, Türkiye — page 2

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 inlan...

Photograph · Anonymous · CC0

2,764 Places
30 Districts
Suggested stay
Not recorded
Getting around
İzmirim Kart, İZBAN, İzmir Metro, trams, ESHOT buses and İZDENİZ ferries

Turn this list into a plan

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.

Plan İzmir

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

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.

Checked 2026-09-02

Practical information

Language spoken
Turkish
The official language of the Republic of Turkiye
Dialling code
+90
The international dialling code for Turkiye
Currency
Turkish lira (₺, TRY)
The official currency; one lira is divided into 100 kurus
Emergency number
112
One number for ambulance, fire and police
Plug type
European two-pin · 220 V
The national living guide records 220 V and European-style two-pin plugs
Tap water
Not recorded
No verified national source in the dataset

Planning a visit

September · The Turkish State Meteorological Service records a 29.3°C mean high and 18.8°C mean low for İzmir in September; this is among the most comfortable periods for long outdoor sightseeing days.

  1. January: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  2. February: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  3. March: good time to visit
  4. April: best time to visit
  5. May: best time to visit
  6. June: good time to visit
  7. July: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  8. August: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  9. September: best time to visit — current month
  10. October: best time to visit
  11. November: good time to visit
  12. December: viable with meaningful trade-offs

Sources

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

Filter the list

65 places match

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Category

Historic monuments 55 Museums 0 Places of worship 10 Nature sites 0 Viewpoints 0 Food and drink 0 Markets and shopping 0 Entertainment 0 Nightlife 0 Family attractions 0 Art and culture 0 Activities 0

Typical visit duration

Up to 1 hour 65 1 to 2 hours 18

Interests

History 65 Art 10 Museums 0 Nature 14 Sea and beach 10 Viewpoints 4
  1. Temple of Ephesian Artemis Temple of Ephesian Artemis
    07 45 min

    Temple of Ephesian Artemis

    Artemis Tapinagi

    The Temple of Ephesian Artemis is the Artemision sanctuary associated with ancient Ephesus, in Selçuk, İzmir Province.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Selçuk
  2. House of the Virgin Mary House of the Virgin Mary
    08 30 min

    House of the Virgin Mary

    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.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
    • Selçuk
  3. Teos Teos
    09 45 min

    Teos

    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.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Seferihisar
  4. Cyme Cyme
    10 45 min

    Cyme

    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.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Aliağa
  5. Kadifekale Kadifekale
    11 45 min

    Kadifekale

    Kadifekale, also called Velvet Castle, is an open-air archaeological site on Pagos, the 186-metre-high hill south of İzmir’s city centre.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Konak
  6. Library of Celsus Library of Celsus
    12 45 min

    Library of Celsus

    Celsus Kütüphanesi

    The Library of Celsus is a defining monument of Ephesus, near modern Selçuk in İzmir Province.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Selçuk
  7. Foça Castle Foça Castle
    13 45 min

    Foça Castle

    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.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Foça
  8. Çamlık Railway Museum Çamlık Railway Museum
    14 45 min

    Çamlık Railway Museum

    Çamlık Eski İstasyonu

    Çamlık Railway Museum is an open-air railway collection beside TCDD’s Çamlık station, approximately 7 kilometres from Selçuk in İzmir Province. It opened to visitors in 1991 and preserves steam-era railway heritage in the setting of a real railway yard.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Selçuk
  9. Metropolis Metropolis
    15 45 min

    Metropolis

    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.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Torbalı
  10. Klazomenai Klazomenai
    16 45 min

    Klazomenai

    Klazomenai is an archaeological site on the Urla coast and was one of the twelve Ionian cities.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Urla
  11. Claros Claros
    17 45 min

    Claros

    Klaros

    Claros is a sanctuary of Apollo at Ahmetbeyli in Menderes, İzmir, remembered for prophecy rather than for the remains of a complete ancient town.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Menderes
  12. Library of Pergamum Library of Pergamum
    18 45 min

    Library of Pergamum

    Pergamon Kütüphanesi

    The Library of Pergamum is a specific ruin in the upper city of the Bergama Acropolis, beside the Sanctuary of Athena in Bergama, İzmir.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Bergama
  13. Asclepion Asclepion
    19 45 min

    Asclepion

    Asklepion

    Asklepion is Pergamon’s ancient healing sanctuary, founded in the 4th century BC for Asklepios, the god associated with medicine. Its identity comes from the way a sacred precinct organised healing, movement and public experience together.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Bergama
  14. Konak Square Konak Square
    20 45 min

    Konak Square

    Konak Meydanı

    Konak Square is İzmir’s civic waterfront heart, where the city centre opens towards the Gulf and the historic entrance to Kemeraltı. Its defining landmark is the İzmir Clock Tower, completed in 1901 and rising 25 metres above the square.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Konak
  15. Ancient Greek theatre of Pergamon Ancient Greek theatre of Pergamon
    21 45 min

    Ancient Greek theatre of Pergamon

    Tiyatro

    Ancient Greek theatre of Pergamon is a Hellenistic hillside auditorium within the Bergama Acropolis archaeological site. Its seating descends directly along the Acropolis slope, making the terrain part of the theatre’s design rather than a backdrop.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Bergama
  16. Limantepe Limantepe
    22 45 min

    Limantepe

    Limantepe is a coastal archaeological settlement in İskele Mahallesi, Urla, where research examines a long sequence of occupation rather than a single monument preserved for routine sightseeing.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Urla
  17. Church of Mary Church of Mary
    23 45 min

    Church of Mary

    Meryem Kilisesi

    Church of Mary is an early-fifth-century Christian basilica within the Ephesus Archaeological Site near Selçuk in İzmir.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Selçuk
  18. Temple of Hadrian Temple of Hadrian
    24 45 min

    Temple of Hadrian

    Hadrian Tapınağı

    The Temple of Hadrian is a Roman Imperial monument on Curetes Street inside the Efes Archaeological Site at Selçuk in İzmir. Associated with Emperor Hadrian, it is recognised as one of Ephesus’s representative Roman Imperial buildings.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Selçuk
  19. Notion Notion
    25 45 min

    Notion

    Notion is an ancient Greek city spread across two hills at Ahmetbeyli in Menderes, İzmir.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Menderes
  20. Birgi Grand Mosque Birgi Grand Mosque
    26 30 min

    Birgi Grand Mosque

    Aydınoğlu Mehmet Bey Camii

    Birgi Grand Mosque, also known as Aydınoğlu Mehmet Bey Mosque, stands in Birgi in Ödemiş district of İzmir, beside the stream and within the town’s historic settlement.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
    • Ödemiş
  21. İsa Bey Mosque İsa Bey Mosque
    27 30 min

    İsa Bey Mosque

    İsa Bey Camii

    İsa Bey Mosque is a 14th-century Aydinid mosque on the south-western slope of Ayasuluk Hill in Selçuk, İzmir.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
    • Selçuk
  22. Bouleuterion (Ephesus) Bouleuterion (Ephesus)
    28 45 min

    Bouleuterion (Ephesus)

    Odeon (Konser Salonu)

    The Bouleuterion at Ephesus is a compact civic auditorium associated with the city council and also known as the Odeon.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Selçuk
  23. Theater (Ephesus) Theater (Ephesus)
    29 45 min

    Theater (Ephesus)

    Tiyatro

    The Great Theater of Ephesus is a vast ancient performance and civic building positioned where the city’s principal harbour route begins.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Selçuk
  24. Sığacık Castle Sığacık Castle
    30 45 min

    Sığacık Castle

    Sığacık Kalesi

    Sığacık Castle is a living historic settlement in Sığacık Mahallesi, Seferihisar, İzmir.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Seferihisar
  25. Çukuriçi Höyük Çukuriçi Höyük
    31 45 min

    Çukuriçi Höyük

    Çukuriçi Höyük

    Çukuriçi Höyük is a prehistoric settlement mound in Selçuk, İzmir, southeast of ancient Ephesus and near the Aegean coast. Its importance lies in the archaeological sequence beneath and around the mound, not in standing monuments designed for modern visitors.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Selçuk
Show 25 more places

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

Where to base yourself

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.

How the city is laid out

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

Getting around

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

Nearby districts and related places

Nearby places

Common questions

What should I see first in İzmir?

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.

Is İzmir a good base for visiting Ephesus?

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.

Can Bergama be visited as a day trip from İzmir?

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.

Which coastal places can I visit from İzmir?

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.

How do I get around İzmir without a car?

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.

How many days should I spend in İzmir?

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.