Planning a glorious two weeks in Turkey at the end of August. Istanbul is planned thanks to the posts here. What should we plan on doing/seeing in Izmir after Ephesus (we have two days there)? Any not to misss sights/restaurants/markets etc? Any areas around Izmir we should see by cab or bus? <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance.

Alsancak,KArsiyaka <BR>Izmir is an old city. But Maybe You can get bored in Izmir. It doesn't sound interesting to tourists. For me,IT is the most beautiful city of Turkey. <BR> I work in a travel agent and sometimes work as a guide. <BR>Rgrds,

Hi Renee, We were in Izmir in June and after seeing Ephesus, we spent a day in Izmir. Its a pretty city, but there really is not much to do there. There is the Cordon, an area on the waterfront that has resturants and bars that are nice. Theres a promenade for strolling along the waterfront, but you don't see much, just other people. Then theres Alcansak, a area full of nice shopping and resturants. Again, not much to see. The Bazzaar there is really seedy and creepy. Go to Seljuk or Kusadasi, they're about an hour away, and much more fun. You can take day trips out of Izmir. Sardis is one of them but its more ruins, and nothing beats Ephesus.

I personally would not spend much time in Izmir. In fact, in my experience it is pretty much to be avoided. <BR> <BR>When I was in Ephesus in May we stayed in Selcuk which is about 2 km from the Ephesis ruins. For a small town, there is actually quite a bit to do right around Selcuk including a mueseum of artifacts from Ephesis, the Church of St. John, the place where the Virgin Mary allegedly "retired to" (whether you believe this or not... the Vatican apparently does... it is nonetheless a beautiful mountian site) and a quiaint little downtown area. There is also a place called the tomb of the seven brothers (I think)... which isn't so remarkable for the tomb but because there is a great big tent set-up where you can get these Turkish filled pancakes... it was actually some of the best food we had in Turkey for about $1 American apiece. <BR> <BR>You might also want to go to Kusadasi which is about a half hour from Ephesis or if you like resorts and beaches, there are many nearby. Kusadasi has a more touristy feel and is a lot larger city than Selcuk. It is where the cruise ships dock to let people off for the day and thus has a busy and tourist oriented waterfront. Kusidasi apparently has some pretty good restrurants although I cannot verify this. <BR> <BR>Good luck... and be sure to take plenty of water and a hat on your trip through the Ephesis ruins... It is really amazing.

I would definitely try and have a lunch or dinner in Kusadasi.It is a cruise ship town but we had a very inexpensive lunch with some of the best calamari I have ever tasted right at the water's edge. It is kinda cool to watch the cruise ships come in or out.(Don't bother buying at the market near the cruise ship area as everything is way more expensive than Istanbul!) Do you have a rental car? Is your base Izmir? One of the towns further down that I wished we had gone and heard great things about was Bodrum(has a great underwater museum,beach,etc.)Have a wonderful trip to Turkey but promise me you will save me some things to buy at the Grand Bazaar the next time I go back?

Thank you for the replys. We leave for istanbul thursday am. I think we will plan on a lot of day trips out of Izmir. thanks for the advice. i will report back!

i remember enjoying the local beer called efus (short for ephesus). I also second staying in selcuk. when i was there they had a fair going on and i kept cracking up because when you won a prize, you would win a toaster or a washing machine instead of a stuffed animal!

Renee-I forgot to tell you that one of the things that we did when we were staying in Selchuk(Hotel Hittet) was taking the road out of Selchuk north of Kasadasi to the beach one night. They are just now trying to develop some parts of it but we found numerous beach areas that were basically vacant.My family (husband,son,daughter and myself)parked our car and just walked on the beach while watching the sun set.You really could FEEL the history in the area and the Aegean Sea was gorgeous without noise and tourists!Defintely one of my favorite times in Turkey.Wish I was going with you!Debbie

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