Izmir Tourist Attractions

Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport is the primary airport serving Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city. It is approximately 40 minutes away from downtown.

Airports Council International has named Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport one of the top European airports.

It accepts passengers flying into the region via Anadolujet, Buta Airways, Pegasus Airlines, Sun Express, and Turkish airlines.

There are numerous attractions in this Turkish metropolis for visitors, and excursions to the city's immediate surroundings will also provide many unforgettable experiences. Izmir, also known as Smyrna, has a long and turbulent history.

You can see the ruins of the historic agora as well as the city's symbol, the Ottoman-style Izmir Clock Tower. When visiting Izmir, plan your trip to the local temples, synagogues, and churches.

Izmir has a wealth of historic structures, landmarks, and modern entertainment venues for you and your family to enjoy.

While passing through Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport, consider looking for things to do in Izmir. In that case, the following area attractions will be of interest and enjoyment to you:

Izmir: Izmir Archaeological and Ethnography Museum

Address: Yeşiltepe, Izmir Arkeoloji Müzesi, Halil Rıfat Paşa Cd. D:No:4, 35250 Konak/İzmir, Turkey

Phone: +90 232 489 07 96

The Izmir Archaeology and Ethnography Museums are two separate museums on the hill at Bahribaba Park, just a short walk from Konak.

The building was constructed on a terrace in the 19th-century neoclassical style. It was first used as a hospital in 1831.

(St Roch Hospital) It is known that the French repaired it in 1845 and turned it into a nursing home for poor Christian families. The same structure was later used as the Public Health and Health Directorate's service building.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism was given the museum to be regulated as an Ethnographic Museum.

Since October 29, 1978, ethnographic works have been displayed on the lower floor of the Izmir Ataturk and Ethnography Museum in Izmir. The former Health Directorate building, restored between 1985 and 1987, was then converted into an ethnography museum.

The ground floor of the museum was built on three levels. The first and second floors are showrooms, while the third houses the Izmir Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate.

This exhibition aims to give visitors an impression of Izmir and its social life in the nineteenth century. You will see handicrafts on the verge of extinction due to industrialization, such as tin craftsmanship, pottery, eye beads, wood printing, carpet weaving, rope, felt, and saddlery, are on display.

The site is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Izmir: Arkas Art Center

Address: Konak, 904. Sk. No:52, 35250 Konak/İzmir, Turkey

Phone: +90 232 464 66 00

The Arkas Art Center is a museum in the Turkish city of Izmir. The Arkas Collection, created by Lucien Arkas, Chairman of Arkas Holding, has been on display since November 2011.

The part of the building facing the Gulf of Izmir, located in Kordon and used by the Honorary Consulate of France, was transferred to Arkas Holding in 2010 for twenty years. The Arkas Art Center opened its doors on November 19, 2011.

The Arkas Art Center also exhibits works from the Arkas Collection, created by Lucien Arkas, Chairman of Arkas Holding, and contains over nine hundred pieces. Pablo Picasso's results will be displayed at the Arkas Art Center from September 2019 to January 2020 as part of the Picasso-Méditerranée project.

The Arkas Art Center is a two-story structure that was built in 1906. It features nine exhibition rooms as well as a workshop.

Izmir: Kadifekale Castle

Address: Rakım Erkutlu Cd., Izmir, Izmir, Turkey

Phone: +90 232 483 51 17

Kadifekale Castle, also known simply as Kadifekale, is located on a mountain in the center of Izmir, Turkey, in the province of Izmir.

The history of Kadifekale Castle is inextricably linked to that of the ancient Greek city of Smyrna. Around the third century BC, Smyrna was built on the summit of Mt. Pagos and its slopes facing the sea. The Acropolis and city walls were part of the fortifications on Mt. Pagos.

The Kingdom of Pergamon conquered Smyrna in 197 BC. After the death of Attalos II, King of Pergamon, it fell to the Romans.

The city was destroyed by a devastating earthquake in 178 AD. Still, it was rebuilt on the orders of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The Roman Empire was divided in 395 AD, and Smyrna fell under Byzantine rule. The Byzantines overhauled the castle.

Smyrna became a prized possession over the following centuries, and it was ruled by Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuks, Crusaders, and Genoese.

Aydnolu Mehmet Bey captured Kadifekale Castle, then known as Yukari Kale, in 1317 but could not take the lower city, then known as Aşa Kale. In 1329, his son Ghazi Umur Bey conquered the lower city. However, in 1344, a Crusader army captured the lower city, then known as Liman Kalesi.

Evliya Celebi, a famous Ottoman Turkish traveler, visited Kadifekale Castle in 1671. He claimed that only vineyards, gardens, and a few houses inhabited by about 30 Janissaries and their families remained inside the castle. The inns, baths, bazaar, and mosque were destroyed within its walls.

The site and its historical significance will captivate you.

Although the castle's interior is relatively empty, it is a very nice castle ruin. There is a 14th-century mosque ruin and a Byzantine cistern. The court is open to the public.

The Arkas Art Center is a museum in the Turkish city of Izmir. The Arkas Collection, created by Lucien Arkas, Chairman of Arkas Holding, has been on display since November 2011.

The part of the building facing the Gulf of Izmir, located in Kordon and used by the Honorary Consulate of France, was transferred to Arkas Holding in 2010 for twenty years. The Arkas Art Center opened its doors on November 19, 2011.

Izmir: KEY Museum

Address: Çapak Mah, Özgörkey Cd. No:5, 35860 Torbalı/İzmir, Turkey

Phone: +90 232 850 35 35

The KEY Museum, dedicated to classic automobiles, opened to the public on May 6, 2015, in Izmir's Torbal district.

The museum is spread over 7,000 square meters and houses 130 classic cars dating from the 1880s to 2011.

You will be impressed by the collection, which includes the first cars ever produced by brands such as BMW, MINI, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, Ford, and Porsche.

The museum collection includes 40 vintage motorcycles, 2,550 model cars, 300 bonnet emblems from pre-World War II cars, and a group of car-themed scarves.

Each car, or those with interesting backstories, deserves its own set. There are crowd-pleasing items, such as the original Batmobile from the first Batman film and the same Stutz that Elvis Presley used to drive.

The background is embellished with 1950s advertisements and neon signs, adding to the nostalgic feel. There's even an American diner-inspired glossy red café and a 1950s Shell petrol station that look like they stepped out of an Edward Hopper painting.

The museum is open every Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Izmir: Izmir Wild Life Park

Address: Tuzla, Ahmet Piriştina Cd. No 3, 35620 Çiğli/İzmir, Turkey

Phone: +90 4444035

Izmir Wildlife Park, surrounded by lush green trees and beautiful flowers, is one of the best places to visit in Ankara for wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers.

It covers approximately 425,000 square meters and is considered one of Izmir's largest zoos. Rare bird species, rare flora, and tropical animals can all be found here.

The animals in this zoo are not caged and can roam freely in their natural habitat.

The zoo is home to approximately fifteen thousand animals representing one hundred twenty species, including zebra, deer, lions, tigers, monkeys, gazelle, hippopotamus, camels, and ostriches.

It's also a fantastic picnic spot and weekend getaway where you can bond with the animals and birds.

During the Spring season, which runs from April 1 to May 31, the park is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

On curfew days, the Izmir Wildlife Park is closed to visitors.