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One hour from Izmir: Ephesus
10+ Reasons to Love Izmir - your guide to one of the most exciting cities of Turkey
Izmir is an all year destination. To enjoy summer sea, the best months are June and September. July and August though are also surprisingly good – the heat in the air to some is a needed encouragement to jump in the quite fresh waters of Cesme, Foca or Karaburun.
BOOK A FLIGHT
By Air
There is an airport in Izmir and currently flights from Istanbul can be really cheap. The airport is 30 minutes drive from the center of the town. From there to the town you could take a shuttle bus (the best option), a bus (leaving roughly every 20 minutes from the airport), or a train. The cabs are also an option, bargain on the price in advance. Find more details here
By Rail
There are daily trains between Istanbul and Izmir, which take about 9 hours. Modern trains link Ankara with Izmir overnight, with comfortable sleepers. The trip lasts about 13 hours. For details see here.
Where to eat
Food is literally everywhere in Izmir. The first stop a traveller would usually make, is Passaport – the vivid promenade along the seaside, which has turned into a landmark with its black and white pavement.
BALKAN CUISINE
Once in a local restaurant in Urfa, most connoisseurs of Turkish cuisine would immediately order the Urfa kebab – the wonderfully tasty pieces of ground meat on a stick, accompanied by lots of onion
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There, at eight in the morning the waiters already stand by the neat rows of tables, arranging trolleys with boiled eggs, olives, pealed cucumbers, cherry jam, honey and butter. Moments later their first customers – men, take off their jackets, roll up sleeves, and indulge. By noon women and men of all ages sit against each other over a glass of tea or beer and play backgammon.
