Izmir, Not Smyrnatinople

Izmir is definitely not Istanbul. While the tourist charms of Istanbul are obvious and seductive, Izmir's tourist spots are OK, but not very flashy. There are some beautiful Roman ruins, a waterfront and square that seem to be missing something, and a million restaurants that seem to be exactly the same. This is a city that is yearning to be modern and Western, but is still a few years away.

The food is delicious. That's a good thing because almost every restaurant serves the exact same thing: tavuk shish, Iskender Kebab, Pide, Mercimek - every Turkish restaurant serves delicious kebabs, the pizza-like pide, and lentil soup. I loved it for the first few days, but was getting tired of having the same thing twice a day by the end of the trip.

The Turkish breakfast we had in our hotel was very good, but again, everywhere you go will have the exact same thing: hard-boiled eggs, cheese, olives, tomatoes, and orange juice.

Quick Tips:

The hotels and major tourist areas will have English speakers, but it is still a little spotty. There are definitely pick-pockets, so make sure you use a money belt. The lira is so devalued that I had to keep mixing up 1.000.000 lira bills with 10.000.000 lira bills.

Best Way To Get Around:

The city is pretty large, so you will need to take taxis and use the metro. The metro is cheap, new, clean, and convenient, but is limited with only one line. If they extend the metro, it could be great. Otherwise, you'll need to take taxis around. Ask your hotel concierge to arrange them for you. If you want to take a day trip to Ephesus, you can hire a car and driver.

After staying in a dodgy dive in Istanbul, this four-star Western hotel was a huge comfort. Not that I need luxury when I travel, but it was nice to feel like the employees understood what I was saying. Their staff was very nice, very professional. The included breakfast buffet was good. And the location was nice - a five-minute walk to the water, right in the middle of the downtown area, and just off a metro stop. And it was still a reasonable price - about US$70 per night.

You'll want to make a stop here because it is the best view of the city, with sweeping 360-degree panoramas. This fortress was built in the time of Alexander the Great and has seen the rise and fall of many empires.

We got a modern history lesson from our Armenian tour guide about the Armenian genocide in 1922. You can see the waterfront area that was burned down as thousands of Armenians were killed and forced to leave. Though Kemal Ataturk is revered here as the man who modernized Turkey, he and his Young Turks spurred the previously unknown enmity between Armenians and Turks that persists to this day.

If you're staying within a couple miles of the fortress, try walking down. You get to go through residential neighborhoods and meet people who don't often see tourists.