Must see attractions in İzmir

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This museum is overlooked by many visitors to the city, who do themselves a great disservice in the process. Spread over three pavilions, it is one of the…

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A labyrinthine bazaar stretching from Konak Sq through to the ancient Agora, Kemeraltı dates back to the 17th century and is home to shops, eateries,…

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It’s difficult to imagine life in İzmir without its iconic seafront kordon (promenade), which stretches north from Cumhuriyet Meydanı to Alsancak and…

Dating from the end of the 4th century BC, Smyrna's ancient agora was ruined in an earthquake in AD 178 but soon rebuilt by order of the Roman emperor…

Built in the early 17th century, this Catholic church is the oldest still-functioning Christian house of worship in the city. Its survival during the 1922…

This restored Ottoman-built bedesten (warehouse) dates from 1744 and is similar to the İç (Inner) Bedesten in İstanbul's famous Grand Bazaar. It's…

One of Kemeraltı's most interesting pockets, this stretch of produce stalls links the centre of the bazaar with the Agora and the eastern stretch of…

Surrounded by popular coffeehouses, this mosque in the Kemeraltı Market is the largest in the city and dates from 1597. The interior is quintessentially…

The city's Archaeology Museum has some gems in its collection, including a late-Hellenistic-period bronze statue of a runner found in the Aegean Sea near…

Legend has it that in the 4th century Alexander the Great chose this site on Mt Pagos as the location for Smyrna’s acropolis. Nothing remains of the Greek…

On a pedestrianised stretch of Cumhuriyet Bulvarı, this wide plaza, named after the prominent Ottoman-era Government House, built in 1872, to the east,…

Built as a carpet merchant's residence between 1875 and 1880, this stately white building ended up in state hands after the shocking events of September…

The 1922 fire destroyed much of the town centre between Alsancak and Basmane, which had been a Greek neighbourhood for centuries. Today the area contains…

Housed in a splendid stone building that once functioned as a hospital, this museum showcases the arts, crafts and customs of İzmir. Dioramas, displays,…

Named after Atatürk’s beloved mother, who died in İzmir in 1923, this 50m-long, 307-tonne ferry was built in 1987 and sailed in İstanbul until early 2014,…

Occupying a handsome 1906 building that functioned as the French consulate until 2010, this arts centre hosts temporary exhibitions with an Aegean accent…

Housed in a fire station built by the British in 1923, this small museum mounts changing displays on İzmir’s history. It is named after Ahmet Piriştina, a…

This elevator in the Karataş neighbouhood south of Konak was built in 1907 as a work of public service by wealthy Jewish banker and trader, Nesim Levi…

One of the city's major landmarks, this Moorish-style clock tower with four fountains was designed by the Levantine French architect Raymond Charles Père…

Tucked away in an old house on a street filled with bars, this little museum spread over three floors has an esoteric collection of ceremonial and…