The broad boulevards, glass-fronted buildings and modern shopping centres are dotted with traditional red-tiled roofs, the 18th century market, and old mosques and churches, although the city has an atmosphere more of Mediterranean Europe than traditional Turkey.

For many years Izmir has enjoyed its reputation as a cosmopolitan city of culture. The Ataturk Cultural Centre hosts weekend concerts by the Izmir State Symphony Orchestra, and the Izmir State Opera and Ballet perform in an Ottoman art deco building on Milli Kutuphane Caddesi.

During the summer there are events at the open-air theatre in the Kulturpark, and mid-June sees the month-long International Izmir festival with many events also in Cesme and Selcuk. The International Film Festival takes place every April, with foreign films shown in original language with subtitles.

Regular nightlife includes a host of bars and nightclubs in the wealthy suburb of Alsansak, with more venues on Birinci Kordon and the surrounding streets. The cinemas around the city centre tend to show blockbuster American films, many of which are dubbed into Turkish.

The climate is comfortable, with a relatively mild summer due to the refreshing breeze from the Aegean. The long attractive palm-fringed promenade, Birince Kordon, which stretches the entire length of the city up to the Alsancak Ferry Terminal, is a popular spot for evening walks, and there are many cafes along the waterfront.

Izmir has a good selection of culture and entertainment, from the Archaeological and Ethnographic Museums, to the Izmir State Opera and Ballet and Izmir State Symphony Orchestra, to the many bars and clubs.

The cosmopolitan and lively city gets even busier during the International Izmir Festival (mid-June to mid-July) with music and dance, with performances also in nearby Cesme and Ephesus.

Climate
With characteristics quite typical of a Mediterranean climate, the summers are hot and dry with an average temperature of 28C in July and August, and winters cool and rainy at around 10C.. Because of its location, the city tends to be a little cooler that the rest of the region, and the average water temperature varies between 11C (January) to 26C (August).

Places to visit

Kemeralty Bazaar
The huge bazaar in the city centre stretches from the coast road to the Konak area, and is a major shopping centre with a vast array of goods inside. It combines modern businesses, shops and cafes, with antiques, dried fruit, household and leather goods in old alleyways with vaults and domes.

Inside the bazaar is one of the most interesting structures of Izmir: Kizlaragasi Hani is an Ottoman caravanserai inside the Halim Aga Bazaar and was completed in 1745. This covered market sells hand-made products, carpets, leather and souvenirs. There are many entrances to the markets, from Basmane, Konak and Anafartalar. Konak is one of the oldest areas of the city, with most of the buildings that survived the great fire, although the traditional areas are gradually being modernised. This is the location of the city’s landmark, the Saat Kulesi (Ottoman clock tower) decorated with tiles.

Asansor (Elevator)
The elevator was constructed by Jewish businessman Nesim Levi in 1907, in order to make life easier for the local residents going to their mansions on top of the hill. These days tourists use it to admire the views of the old streets and houses of Mithatpasa.

Located in the heart of Izmir’s old Jewish quarter, it is housed in a 50m-high brick tower and after refurbishment in 1992 it now contains a caf? on the top floor, and the original hydraulics are exhibited on the ground floor. In its heyday in the 1930s, it also contained a theatre, cinema, refreshment stall and photographer’s shop.

Kulturpark
The huge Kulturpark in the city centre is one of the densest green areas in Izmir, covering 30 hectares. Within it are a zoo, artificial lake, parachute tower, open-air theatre and a collection of bars and cafes. This has been the venue of the International Izmir Fair every August since 1936.

Botanic Garden
Within the grounds of Ege University are the Botanical Gardens, one of the best in the country. There are around 3000 species of plants from the tropical regions to the Alps, many of which are kept under artificial conditions. The arboretum has hundreds of species of trees and bushes, and the herbarium centre contains dried plant samples that are preserved for the use of scientific research.

Izmir Cuisine
Izmir’s cuisine has largely been affected by its multicultural history, hence the large variety of food originating from the Aegean, Mediterranean and Anatolian regions. Another factor is the large area of land surrounding the region which grows a rich selection of vegetables.

Some of the common dishes found here are tarhana soup (made from dried yoghurt and tomatoes), Izmir meatballs, keskek (boiled wheat with meat) zerde (sweetened rice with saffron) and mucver (made from squash and eggs).

Shopping
The busiest shopping area is the Kemeralti Streets, which still retain a 19th century atmosphere of pull-down shutters, thresholds of the doors, low ceilings and old briquettes.

On both sides of Anafartalar Caddesi is the lively atmosphere of the street vendors, bronze workers and fishermen, and Fevzipasa Bulvari which is famous for its leather garments.

In contrast to the traditional and busy old market, Alsacak has modern boutiques and Cankaya has a huge shopping centre much.

Transportation

By Road
Most long distance buses come into the huge bus station, around 8km northeast of the city centre, and there are public buses and taxis to and from the city. Izmir is connected to every part of the country, with major destinations having a service at least every hour. These include: Istanbul (10 hours), Ankara (9 hours), Antalya (9 hours), Bursa (7 hours), Marmaris (6 hours), Bodrum (4 hours) and Konya (8 hours).

From Uckuyular bus station, 7km southwest of Konak, there are regular services to Cesme (90 mins) and Seferihisar (1 hour).

Main Bus Station Tel: (0232) 472 1010. Fax: 472 0418

Uckuyuklar Bus Station Tel: (0232) 259 8862

By Rail
Izmir has two railway stations: Basmane in the city centre is the major terminal for intercity trains, and Alsancak in the north is mainly a commuter and local route, also stopping at Menderes Airport every hour.

The main intercity services include: Ankara (Mavi Tren is the fastest at 14 hours), Denizli (3 express trains daily, 5-6 hours) and Isparta (9 hours). Trains for Istanbul connect with a ferry at Bandirma.

Basmane Station Tel: (0232) 484 8638

Alsancak Station Tel: (0232) 458 3131

By Sea
There is a weekly ferry from Istanbul-Izmir (19 hours), operating at weekends, and one or two weekly ferries between Izmir and Venice (67 hours). All ferries dock at the Alsancak Ferry Terminal, 2km north of the city centre.

Alsansak Yeni Liman (terminal) Tel: (0232) 464 8864 / 89. Fax: 464 7834.

By Air
Adnan Menderes Airport, 16km south of the city centre, has several daily flights to Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya. There are also regular flights from many European cities. Airport buses go to and from the city centre, and there are hourly trains to Alsancak Station.

Airport Tel : (0232) 274 2187. Fax: 274 2071