Çeşme, 85 km (53 miles) due west of İzmir, is the port for ferries to Chios, the Greek island.
Çeşme (CHESH-meh, "fountain" or "spring," pop. 100,000) is a pleasant enough, popular sun-and-beach resort town, especially for visitors from İzmir, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom.
There are good beaches south of Çeşme, and at nearby Ilıca (UH-luh-jah), easily reachable by minibus (dolmuş).
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. More...
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 waterfrontrestaurants, and many more restaurants of all types along the old main street inland.
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.
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