Izmir, Turkey

İzmir, historically Smyrna, is the third most populous city of Turkey and the country's largest port after İstanbul. It is located in the Gulf of İzmir, by the Aegean Sea. It is the capital of İzmir Province.

Izmir is a modern, developed, and busy commercial centre, set around a huge bay and surrounded by mountains. 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.

Things to See & Do

* Alsancak neighbourhood
* Izmir clock tower
* Konak square
* Izmir Bird Paradise
* Synagogues and castles

General Information

Cruise Season – Feb to Dec
Currency - New Turkish Lira (YTL)
Language – Turkish
Population – 3,770,000 approx
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC + two hours
International Country Telephone Code – + 90

Port Location – The port is located 2km north of the city centre.

Travel Links – The city has an airport (Adnan Menderes Airport) well served with connections to Turkish and international destinations.
A recently-built large bus terminal (Otogar) in Altındağ suburb on the outkirts of the city has intercity buses to points all over Turkey.
The city has rail service from historic terminals in downtown (such as the famous Alsancak Terminal (1858) which is the oldest train station in Turkey) to Ankara in the east and Aydın in the south.
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.