Çesme, Aegean Turkey

Çesme, 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.

Çesme (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 Çesme, 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. Çesme'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.

Çesme'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 Çesme and Chios, Greece.

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

If you'd like to stay in Çesme, 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 Çesme'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 Imren Lokantasi, 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 Çesme, make the short trip to nearby Alaçati.

Click here for maps of Çesme, Izmir and Aegean Turkey.

Alaçati

Çesme & Alaçati Transportation

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