Things to Do in Aegean Coast

Sitting on the coast of the Aegean Sea, Izmir is Turkey’s third largest city and second largest port. Once known as Smyrna, its history goes back to around 3,000 B.C.  Today, Izmir is a modern city with a European feel that serves as a jumping off point for visits to nearby Ephesus, Pergamum and Asclepion.

How to Get to Izmir

Arriving in Izmir, you’ll dock at Alcansak, about a 20 minute walk from Konak Square – the center of town. If you don’t feel like walking, taxis are also available outside the terminal. A one-way trip should cost around 12-15 Turkish lira. The terminal is also about a 5 minute walk from the upscale Alcansak neighborhood, which offers plenty of shopping and dining opportunities.

Another option is to join the city’s hop-on hop-off bus sightseeing tour, which passes right in front of the port every thirty minutes.

One Day in Izmir

More likely than not, if you dock at Izmir, you’ll hop on one of your cruise ship’s excursions to Ephesus, Pergamum and/or Asclepion. If, however, you decide to hang around Izmir, there’s enough to keep you busy for the day.

Izmir’s hop-on hop-off bus tour mentioned above is a great way to familiarize yourself with the city and get around easily. Make your first stop at Konak Square in the center of town. The square is known for its clock tower, built in 1901, as well as the Konak Yali Mosque and the Kemeralti Bazaar located nearby. Then, head over to the bazaar to peruse the stalls of ceramics, jewelry, carpets and copper and try your hand at haggling.

To get a taste of old Izmir, make your way up to Kadifekale, an old castle sitting on a hill above the city, and visit the ruins of Agora, a marketplace dating to the 1st century B.C. that was once one of the most impressive in the Roman Empire. Izmir also has a few small museums worth checking out, including the Archaeological Museum and the Ethnography Museum located in Bahribaba Park, as well as the Ataturk Museum, the Izmir Museum of Arts and Sculpture and the Izmir Museum of Commercial History.

On your way back to the port, wander through the narrow streets of the Alsancak neighborhood to check out the old Greek houses and perhaps stop for a drink along the way.

Port Information

At the port, you can find a variety of shops and cafes as well as city maps offered by the local chamber of commerce. There is also an internet café about 200 meters away from the terminal. The official language is Turkish but visitors should be able to get around fine speaking English.

A holy shrine to the supposed death place of St. Mary, the House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus is a standing testament to the home of the beloved mother of Jesus. Many believe that the house was indeed the place where she spent her final days, and today you can visit the restored stone house, which now serves as a chapel.

Serving as sacred territory for Christians and Muslims alike, the significance of the house has called hundreds of thousands of visitors and pilgrims since its discovery in the 19th-century. Remnants of the chapel date as far back as the 6th-century, and serves as the place where its caretakers, the Lazarist Fathers, conduct mass every day. Despite the altar placed within, the house still contains a bedroom and kitchen, decorated with pictures of Mary and candles.

Many believe that the spring that runs beneath the house is blessed and possesses the power to heal, and once you enter the house, you can see left behind crutches and other apparatus’ that were apparently left behind amid miracles.

Situated within the four-story former St Roche Hospital, the Izmir Ethnography Museum houses some fascinating artifacts relating to the Seljuk period of Turkish history, exploring everything from camel wrestling and weaponry to jewelry and embroidery. The site makes for an interesting visit with photographs and dioramas to browse, plus various examples of local arts, crafts, clothing and customs from the period, demonstrating the way of life in Izmir and its surroundings.

Kadifekale, also known as the Velvet Castle, presides over the town from its vantage point on top of a hill of the same name. Built by General Lysimachos, a successor of Alexander the Great, Kadifekale appears to have acted as both a castle and a fort, giving clear views over much of the city and across to the Gulf of Izmir.

Pergamon is an ancient city dating as far back as the 5th century BC. Credited with the invention of parchment, this once great seat of learning and culture had a library with over 20,000 volumes and a medical center  - the remains of which can still be seen today.

Listed in the Bible as one of the Seven Churches of Asia, Pergamon flourished until the 14th century when, under Ottoman rule, it was abandoned and left to decay. Today, much of the remains of this once magnificent city lie underneath the modern-day city of Bergama but, thanks to Pergamon’s hilltop position, the remains of its most important buildings are still visible.

The Acropolis of Pergamon is clearly visible from anywhere in Bergama and closer inspection will reveal two partially reconstructed temples (Temple of Trajan and the Temple of Athena), ancient aqueducts and the incredible hillside theater, which is said to contain the steepest theater seating in the world.