Central Aegean Voyage Tips and guide

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Central Aegean is the central section of the Aegean coast of Turkey. Although it's named for the bordering sea, this region stretches over 200 km inland, comprising the provinces and cities of Izmir, Manissa and Uşak. It has a string of beach resorts along its convoluted coastline, and historic sites such as Ephesus.

• 38.4127327.138381 Izmir, Turkey's third largest city, has fine neighbourhoods and waterfront promenades.
• 38.3528.5166672 Alaşehir is a humdrum agricultural town, but once a major centre of early Christianity.
• 38.92405327.840193 Akhisar is an atmospheric city with the ruins of Thyatira.
• 38.25459428.0654484 Birgi is an old-style village overlooking Küçükmenderes Valley.
• 38.32526.775 Urla, itself agricultural, is the hub for small resorts on the peninsula west of Izmir.
• 38.28138926.3741676 Alaçatı on the peninsula is a village with well preserved stone architecture, ancient windmills, and a cove for windsurfing.
• 38.32226.2987 Çeşme at the tip of that peninsula has an impressive citadel.
• 38.66878926.7529198 Foça has old architecture. Its nearby islands are one of the last refuges for monk seals.
• 38.54583328.6494449 Kula is set in a strange volcanic badlands, a UNESCO Global Geopark.
• 37.8632427.26687310 Kuşadası is the main resort for western tourists.
• 38.61194427.42638911 Manisa is modern but with restored old mosques.
• 37.9469927.3734912 Selçuk is gateway to Ephesus, but also a historic centre in its own right.
• 38.0895727.731913 Tire has an old quarter with a lively street market.
• 38.68333329.414 Uşak gives its name to Ushak rugs and has an excellent museum.

• 37.66892827.1617561 Dilek Peninsula is a rare stretch of undeveloped coastline.
• Ephesus just west of Selçuk is a must-see, the extensive and well-preserved ruins of a Roman city.
• 37.94138927.4330562 Şirince is a charming village in the hills above Selçuk.
• 38.48833328.0402783 Sardis is a ruined city, the capital of Roman Lydia.

Ancient people preferred to get about by sea instead of struggling over rugged hills with their pack-horses, and the Aegean coast was settled by Hellenistic people that we call Ionians. Inland in the Iron Age was the kingdom of Lydia, later absorbed into the Roman empire. Even under the Ottomans, coastal cities had large Greek-speaking populations, Orthodox Christians who controlled merchant trade and city life, especially in Smyrna. Ethnic tensions rose in the 19th century as Ottoman power weakened. In the First World War of 1914-18 Turkey sided with Germany and Austria, was defeated, and lost large tracts of territory to the victorious western nations. Greece was awarded Smyrna, and used this as a springboard to grab more: they were almost at the gates of Ankara before Mustafa Kemal Atatürk rallied resistance and drove them back. The subsequent Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 redrew the borders on their present footprint, whereby Greece retained the islands to within 10 km of the Turkish mainland. Greeks were deported from Turkey and vice versa, and Smyrna became Izmir. Some of the region's empty Orthodox churches and monasteries were converted to mosques, others were left derelict.

Izmir grew with industry during the 20th century but other places here were slow to develop until modern tourism arrived. Much of this was domestic, as city dwellers escaped Istanbul for their seaside apartments, and the coast was marred by concrete. Western tourism was a niche affair until the 1980s, when wide-bodied jets, a relaxed visa regime and a favourable exchange rate drew a mass crowd. Hotel and catering standards improved under pressure from package operators. Even for independent travellers, these packages are an excellent deal - you can have a comfortable base, and hire a car or negotiate a tour by taxi to get round the sites of interest.

• Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB ^IATA) is south of Izmir. It has domestic flights from all major Turkish cities (hourly from Istanbul) and good connections across western Europe.
• Buses are the primary mode of public transport and run from many Turkish cities to Izmir.
• Ferries connect Çeşme to Chios and Kuşadası to Samos.
• Trains are mighty slow. They trundle overnight to Izmir from Bandırma on the Marmara coast and from Ankara.
• Istanbul to Izmir describes various itineraries you can take from the north.

You need your own wheels to explore this region. Buses link all the towns but their routes and schedules seldom fit with what you want to see.

A section of EuroVelo 8 cycling route runs from Dikili and Bergama in the north, through Foça and Izmir, to Çeşme in the west and Ephesus in the south.

IZBAN is the Izmir suburban railway. The Green Line runs north-south from Aliağa (for Bergama), Hatundre (for Foça), downtown Izmir (where Hilal is the main interchange), Adnan Menderes Airport, and Tepeköy where you change to the Southern Extension train every 90 min to Selçuk (for Ephesus).

A TCDD regional train runs six times a day from Izmir Basmane via the airport and Tepeköy, taking 90 min to Selçuk and continuing via Çamlık, Aydın and a dozen other places to Denizli (another 3 hr, for Pamukkale).

Other mainline TCDD trains (eg to Manisa) are at inconvenient hours.

• Ephesus is the best of the many Graeco-Roman ruins in this region.
• Museums: all the main towns have a good selection of local artefacts.

• Scuba diving: the coastal resorts have dive shacks with kit hire and dives suitable for beginners and mellow occasional divers.
• Efeler Yolu is a 500-km hiking trail from Izmir to Selçuk, crossing the mountains and commemorating the efes, noble outlaws of bygone centuries.
• Skydive at Efes airfield next to Ephesus. The usual jump for a beginner is a tandem freefall coupled to an instructor, so minimum training, fitness and skill are needed.

It's trad Mediterranean and Turkish fare, there's little cosmopolitan cuisine.

The water is safe to drink. Drink plenty, as the sun will parch you.

Beach resort cafes and restaurants serve alcohol; fewer in the conservative inland.

Beware traffic (including water traffic), safeguard valuables and stay clear of idiot drunks, same as anywhere else.

• Northern Aegean has small coastal resorts with domestic tourism, but western mass tourism hasn't arrived. Top sight is the ancient city of Pergamon above Bergama.
• Southern Aegean is prime tourist territory, with Bodrum the chief resort. Top sights are the travertine pools of Pamukkale, and the trio of ancient cities at Priene, Miletus and Didyma.
• Western Anatolia is the rugged interior. Afyon has an impressive hilltop citadel and Kütahya has fabulous tilework.
• Ankara is the fascinating national capital further inland.
• East Aegean Islands, reached by a short ferry ride, are part of Greece. The largest are Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Ikaria and Fourni.