Izmir transfers
The Aegean’s big port city with the Kordon, Clock Tower and Kemeralti bazaar; 25 minutes from the airport.
Airport transfers
About Izmir
Izmir, spread around its wide bay, is Turkey’s third-largest city and has the character of a place that lives all year round. The Clock Tower in Konak Square, the historic Kemeralti bazaar that begins at the square, the Kordon promenade running up to Alsancak and the Historical Elevator in Karatas are its best-known spots. The Agora site and Kadifekale sit just above the centre; the cafes of Alsancak and Kibris Sehitleri Street are busy in the evening. The metro, tram and bay ferries cover travel within the city.
Accommodation is in city and business hotels around Konak, Alsancak and Pasaport; this is not a resort or villa area. Typical visitors are fair and congress delegates, business travellers, culture-minded guests making day trips to Ephesus and Pergamon, and people spending a night in town before moving on to Cesme or Urla. The bay view from Kadifekale, the Karsiyaka ferry, Pergamon and Selcuk are easy day routes from the centre.
The road from Adnan Menderes Airport to Konak is entirely urban dual carriageway via Gaziemir and Balcova, about 20 km / 25 minutes. During morning and evening rush hours the Mustafa Kemal coastal boulevard and the approach to Konak get congested, so allow an extra 15 minutes at those times. Hotels are reached door to door; in the narrow lanes inside Kemeralti the vehicle stops on the nearest main street. A minibus-class vehicle suits larger families and fair luggage. The Cesme motorway and the Selcuk road leave the city easily.