Çeşme, Aegean Turkey

Çeşme, 85 km (53 miles) due west of Izmir, is the port for ferries to Chios, the Greek island, and also for the car-and-passenger ferries to and from Italy.

Çeşme (CHESH-meh, "fountain" or "spring," pop. 100,000) is a pleasant enough, popular sun-and-beach resort town, especially for visitors from Izmir, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom.

There are good beaches south of Çeşme, and at nearby Ilica (UH-luh-jah), easily reachable by minibus (dolmus).

The main square has restaurants, cafes, tea houses, and nice sunset views of the Aegean Sea. Çeşme's small fortress, now nicely restored as the local museum, looms over the square and provides a nice big dose of history and architectural character.

Çeşme's Tourism Information Office is between the south tower of the fortress and the sea, very near the dock for the Ertürk Line ferries between Çeşme and Chios, Greece.

Sunday is market day in Çeşme. If you're a day too early, head for the even nicer Saturday market in Alaçatı.

If you'd like to stay in Çeşme, the town has ample hotels in all price ranges, a few pleasant waterfront restaurants, and many more restaurants of all types along the old main street inland, which is now a pedestrian mall, and Çeşme's major strolling and shopping street.

I had a good lunch at Biz Bize Restaurant, at the beginning of the shopping street (when walking from the main square), on the right-hand side. The İmren Lokantası, a bir farther along on the same (right) side, is good and certainly reliable, having been in this same spot since 1960.

For a smaller, cozier, less crowded version of Çeşme, make the short trip to nearby Alaçatı.

Click here for maps of Çeşme, İzmir and Aegean Turkey.

Alaçatı

Çeşme & Alaçatı Transport

Aegean Turkey

Greek Island Ferries

Where to Go

Cesme Fortress, Aegean Turkey

Above, Çesme's fortress looms above the harbor.
Below, the main strolling and shopping street is lined with nice old Ottoman-style houses.

Main Street, Cesme, Aegean Turkey