One Day in İzmir

Most visitors pass through İzmir on the way to Ephesus or Pergamon, which is a pity: the city centre has a Roman agora, a good archaeology collection and a long seafront promenade, all within walking distance of each other. This route runs south to north, from Konak to Alsancak. You can walk the whole thing; a short taxi ride helps if the afternoon heat gets to you.

Morning: two museums in Bahribaba Park

Konak Square, with its late Ottoman clock tower, is the natural starting point and is served by both the metro and the cross-bay ferries. From the square it is a few minutes' walk up to Bahribaba Park. The İzmir Archaeological Museum collects finds from excavations across the region: statues, sarcophagi, coins and smaller objects. If Ephesus, Pergamon or Teos are on your list, this is useful background. Allow about an hour and a half.

Across the garden, the İzmir Ethnography Museum occupies a stone building from 1831 that began life as a French hospital. The ground floor shows local crafts with life-size figures: pottery, felt-making and the blue glass beads (nazar boncuğu) sold all over Turkey, plus a section on camel wrestling, a winter tradition in the Aegean countryside. Upstairs are furnished 19th-century rooms and regional bridal headdresses. An hour is enough.

Midday: Kemeraltı and the Agora

Walk back down to Konak and into Kemeraltı, the old bazaar district. The lanes are narrow and busy; the courtyard of Kızlarağası Han, an Ottoman caravanserai, is a good place for lunch or a Turkish coffee. At the eastern edge of the bazaar lies the Agora of Smyrna, the Roman marketplace of the ancient city. The colonnade above ground is photogenic, but the real interest is below: vaulted galleries under the basilica, where an ancient water channel still runs. Access to the part with Roman-era graffiti can be restricted, and excavation work sometimes closes other areas. An hour is plenty. There is little shade, so bring water and a hat in summer, and wear shoes with a decent grip on the uneven paving.

Afternoon: towards Alsancak

Head north on foot or by taxi to the Ahmet Piriştina City Archive and Museum, known locally as APİKAM, where old photographs and documents trace how the city grew and changed. Thirty minutes to an hour is fine.

Finish at the Arkas Art Center, close to the Kordon waterfront. It shows a private collection alongside temporary exhibitions. Give it an hour, then walk along the Kordon towards Alsancak; the bay at sunset is a good way to end the day.

Practical notes

Some museums close one day a week, so check the hours on each museum page before you set out. State-run sites accept the national museum passes, private and municipal ones may not; see our museum pass page. From İzmir, regional trains and roads lead south to Selçuk for the Ephesus day route, and the seven-day Aegean route links the major ancient cities by car.