Izmir travel review & recommendations by Father_Son_Cycle

Izmir is a major city in Turkey and a major port. It has a far mor relaxed atmosphere to Istanbul or Ankara.

Izmir spreads itself along a wide bay of about 20km with hills behind and large cargo ships in front waiting to load or unload. People travel along the sea-front road all day long in crowded buses, priced at 2YTL per trip (about one UK pound). The city has a busy feel and the people are up and about early in the mornings with shops and cafes still busy late at night.

We arrived late at night by coach from Istanbul to find that the Oto Gar (bus station) is way out of the city centre so we had to get into a minibus. However this took us (at 1am) to Balcova where we were staying. The driver and other passengers were embarrassingly kind and they didn't even remember to charge us! This is a friendly city and the locals are keen to ensure you enjoy it.

We stayed in the area of Balcova (pronounced Balchova). We were lucky enough to stay at the Izmir Economic University Halls of residence. My ex-head of department when studying Architecture is now Dean here and students were still on holiday. Balcova is a pleasant area about 15 minutes by bus from the old city area of Konac where a crowded market and bazar can be found. Watch out for the grotesquely kitzch wedding dress shops (all over Turkey in fact). Konac is also a cheap area to eat and has cheap hotels. There is a pier here where you can take ferries accross the bay.

Further along the waterfront you come to the more 'trendy' and modern area of Alsancak (Alsanchak). You will find more European style shopping arcades and cafes here. Some noteable ones we visited were:
Eko Bar (frequented by local ex-pats but rather pricey - 7ytl for a beer)
Tato (around the corner) Has live music or music on big screen, a more hip clientel and cheaper beer at 5ytl.
There are better quality hotels in this area.
Watch out for Ali Baba's Tickaret (a street stand selling tea, pastries, cigarettes and sweets etc. It is on the main street running Nth to Sth (at right angles to the waterfront). They are kind and love to practice their English.

In Balcova we would recommend in particular, a great Kebab and Pide (superb turkish pizza cooked in a wood fired oven) restaurant with the unfortunate name of UFUK. There is a Turkish TV station of the same name. I never found out what it means. The staff here are super helpful and the food always good and cheap. Most of this kind of local Turkish restaurants do not serve alcohol.

On the kebab front most places have the same on offer (with little variation throughout Turkey, whıch can get boring but the quality is usually good):

Urfa Kebab (named after the southern region city of Urfa) is mınced lamb (kofte) barbqued on flat skewers.

Adana Kebab (named after the northern region city) is the same as Urfa kebab but has chilli in it.

Tavuk Cis (Shish) Kebab is chicken breast or wings and legs barbqued on skewers.

Patlican Kebab (pronounced Patlichan) is Aubergine / Eggplant barbqued on skewers, sometimes with lamb also.

You may also find liver or vegetable kebabs sometimes.

Kebabs are usually served with delicious Pide style flat bread. Usually they will also give you a plate of basic mixed salad and a spicy chopped tomato, chilli / pepper sauce.
Jugs of tap water are free in most street restaurants and is generally safe throughout Turkey. In tourist restaurants you will be automatically given bottled water and charged for it if you open the bottle.

Turkish beer is not bad. Efes is the usual brew and is basically a lager. They do also serve an Efes Dark. Don't think of it as Stout. It bears little resemblance to Guinness except for the colour. It tastes lıke lager with a hint of coffee. Not unpleasant ıf you keep an open mind.

Izmir gets a bit of a lukewarm pasting from the ubiquitous Lonely Planet Guide on Turkey. I presume the writer did not stay long. It may be unremarkable in the extreme sense of the word but it is far from missable. Many people stop off here on their way to visit the ruins of Ephesus (luxury tour-bus tourist nightmare unless you can get there at a quiet time). Those who stay longer discover a relaxed, friendly city with numerous good places to eat and drink and all at affordable prices. There are many beaches nearby but especially good ones at Ceseme (pronounced Chessame). There are beautiful fishing village ports along the coast such as at Urla (reminiscent of Turkish and Greek islands) and there are historic ruins everywhere without the scourge of the tour coaches.

Ignore the Lonely Planet Guide and give it a chance.