Stand on Konak Square in the late afternoon and the city arranges itself around you: the clocktower in pale stone, pigeons lifting off the paving, the ferry horns carrying across the gulf, and behind it all the bazaar quarter climbing inland. İzmir is a port city that has been trading across the Aegean for a very long time, and it still feels like one.
It suits travellers who like their cities lived-in rather than polished: markets, waterfront promenades, archaeological ruins sitting in ordinary neighbourhoods, and a food and bar scene in the old streets of Alsancak. It rewards people willing to walk and to use the ferries and the local rail line rather than chasing a single monumental sight.
This guide covers the places worth your time in the city itself, with a few excursions further out, plus a one-day plan that strings the best of them together.
Top things to do in Izmir
1. Konak Square
The city's main square and the natural starting point for a day in central İzmir. The clocktower (Saat Kulesi), erected in 1901, is the landmark everyone photographs, and the provincial governor's mansion that gave the square its name once stood here.
Konak Mosque sits within the square: octagonal, built in 1755 and decorated with Kütahya tiles, with a single entrance for both men and women. Combine the square with the bazaar quarter just inland, and come in the late afternoon when the light on the clocktower is at its best.
2. Kemeraltı Bazaar
The historic market district, and the place to lose an hour or two among shops, hans and small mosques. Several of the city's older mosques stand within or beside it, including Başdurak Mosque on 873rd Sk and Kemeraltı Mosque on the west side of the bazaar.
Kızlarağası Hanı is next to Hisar Mosque and makes a good midpoint for a break. Go on a weekday if you want room to move; the lanes are tight and busy at weekends.
3. Hisar Mosque
Built in the 1590s and described as a striking example of Islamic architecture, Hisar Mosque is the anchor of the bazaar area. Şadırvanaltı Mosque, 100 m east on 892nd Sk, was built in 1636 and is easy to add on the same walk.
Pair the visit with Kızlarağası Hanı next door, then continue into the bazaar lanes rather than turning back towards the waterfront.
4. Smyrna Agora
Ruins of the marketplace of Hellenistic and Roman Smyrna, open daily 08:30–17:30. This is the most direct way to see the classical city under the modern one, and the site is central enough to fold into a walking day.
Adult admission is 200 TL. Come earlier rather than later in the day, since the site closes in the late afternoon, and combine it with the bazaar and Konak Square nearby.
5. Asansör (Elevator)
A lift constructed in 1907 by Nesim Levi Bayrakoğlu, a Jewish businessman, to carry people and goods between the Karataş waterfront and the properties on the hill. It runs daily 06:00–00:00, is free, and has two cars taking about ten people each on a 58 m lift.
The restaurant at the top has a bird's-eye view of İzmir. The street at its base is also known as Darío Moreno Sk, for the singer who once lived there. Go up for the view and walk back down through Karataş.
6. Kordon
Kordon is what everyone calls the waterfront promenade of Atatürk Cd: tall apartments and palm trees on one side, the Aegean on the other, with a broad strip of lawn and a cobbled street between. It is the city's default evening walk.
You can take a 19th-century fayton (horse-drawn carriage) ride along it. Note that downtown has a pleasant waterfront but no beach — for sand you need to head west out of the city.
7. Kadifekale
The hilltop fortification above the city, open 24 hours and free. Around 330 BC, during the reign of Alexander the Great, the population moved off the cramped site now known as "Old Smyrna" to fortify this hill. The present walls are medieval and have mostly obliterated earlier structures, though you can still see the Roman cisterns that supplied the city's water.
Go for the outlook over the gulf and the city rather than for the masonry, and allow time for the climb.
8. Izmir Archaeological Museum
On Halil Rifat Paşa Cd in Bahribaba Parkı, open daily 08:30–17:30. It displays a large collection of finds from Smyrna and other Ionian cities, mostly Roman, plus a numismatic section with ancient coins and jewellery.
Adult admission is 90 TL. The Toy Museum is 100 m west on Birleşmiş Milletler Cd, open Tue–Sat 09:00–17:00, so the two make an easy pairing.
9. Atatürk Museum
A neo-classical mansion on Atatürk Cd with rooms used by Atatürk, open daily 08:30–17:00 and free. It is a quick, quiet stop that says a lot about the early republic period.
The Mask Museum, displaying 50 masks from around the world, is at 1448th Sk 22, a block east, open Tue–Sat 09:00–17:00 and free. Do both in one pass.
10. Alsancak
The district west of the History Museum and Alsancak Station, also called Punta or Reşadiye: a grid of small streets with lots of cafes and bars in old Greek houses. This is where you end up in the evening.
Base your evening here after a day of sights, and use Alsancak Station as your reference point when navigating back.
11. History and Art Museum
In Kültür Park Fuar Alanı, with mostly Hellenistic statues, ceramics and coins. Adult admission is 400 TL.
It sits within Kültürpark, which also holds Lunapark, a funfair open M–F 12:00–18:00 and Sa–Su 11:00–20:00 — useful if you are travelling with children.
12. Church of St Vukolos
A former Greek Orthodox church at 1281st Sk 11, now used as a cultural centre, open Mon–Fri 08:00–17:30. It is a reminder of the city's Greek past before 1922, and a calm interior in a busy quarter.
Check the weekday hours before setting out, as it does not open at weekends.
13. Radio and Democracy Museum
At 967th Sk 16, open Tue–Sat 09:00–17:00, showing the days when public information was gathered by clustering around the radio. A small, specific museum that rewards a short visit.
It fits neatly into a Basmane-area walk; the Women's Museum, at 1298th Sk 14 near Basmane station, is open Tue–Sat 09:00–17:00 and free.
14. Teleferik
A gondola built in 1977 that lifts you 423 m up the hill just south of the city, from Sakarya Cd 127. There are restaurants, cafes and gift shops at the top.
A return ride is 20 TL. It is a half-day outing rather than a quick stop, so give it its own slot.
15. Izmir Bird Paradise (Kuş Cenneti)
A birdwatching park in the salt marshes of the Gediz Delta, one of Turkey's largest coastal wetlands, open 24 hours. It is partly artificial, as the Gediz was diverted here to reduce silting of the port, and over 250 bird species have been recorded, with flamingos the most popular.
You have to leave your car at the parking lot, so bring a bike if you want to explore further in. Izmir Zoo is next to the reserve, open daily 09:00–18:30.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at Konak Square, seeing the clocktower and Konak Mosque, then walk inland into Kemeraltı Bazaar. Visit Hisar Mosque and Kızlarağası Hanı, then continue to Smyrna Agora before it closes in the late afternoon window.
Afternoon: Take the Asansör up for the view over the city and the gulf, then walk down through Karataş. If time allows, add the Izmir Archaeological Museum in Bahribaba Parkı, with the Toy Museum 100 m west.
Evening: Walk Kordon along Atatürk Cd as the light goes, then head to Alsancak for its grid of small streets, cafes and bars in the old Greek houses.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a beach in central Izmir?
No. Downtown has a pleasant waterfront but not a beach. You need to get out to the western suburbs and beyond for sand; north of the city the coast is muddy lagoons or inaccessible cliffs.
When are the city's festivals?
The Izmir Jazz Festival is in March, and the Izmir Marathon is held in April. The city also hosts the annual İzmir International Fair.
How do I get around the main sights?
Most of the central sights — Konak Square, the bazaar mosques, Smyrna Agora, the Asansör and the waterfront — sit close enough to link on foot. Alsancak Station and Basmane station are the useful reference points for the museum cluster and the Basmane-area museums.
What should I see if I want to go further out?
The Teleferik gondola, the Izmir Bird Paradise in the Gediz Delta and the Key Museum at Torbalı are the main excursions named here. The bird reserve requires leaving your car at the parking lot, so bring a bike if you want to go deeper in.
Pick your dates around the jazz festival or the marathon if either appeals, then start mapping the central walk from Konak Square inland.