Top Izmir Likely To Sell Out

Kick off your vacation in style and be whisked to your hotel in a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle, with plenty of luggage space and leg-room. This private arrival transfer takes all the worry out of navigating a new city, as your driver meets you at Izmir Airport and takes you right to the door of your Izmir or Kusadasi hotel. There’s no need to worry if you’re arriving late or your flight is delayed, either – transfers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Izmir’s cuisine is unmistakably local, shaped by centuries of Mediterranean influences from Greek, Sephardic Jewish, Armenian, Levantine, Kurdish and Cretan communities. We’ll begin in an Ottoman-era tea garden with boyoz, slow-cooked eggs and local tulum cheese, followed by a taste from a third-generation helva maker. From there, we’ll sample traditional soups, freshly made lokma and spices while exploring streets layered with Roman and Ottoman history. Later, we’ll eat our way through a neighborhood market, stopping for seafood, Bosnian-Turkish specialties, pide and homestyle dishes at one of the city’s classic lokantas. We’ll also try Izmir’s famous söğüş, made with poached sheep’s head, before finishing with şambali, a traditional semolina dessert, and Turkish coffee prepared from freshly ground beans.

Travel back to times to see the ancient christian ruins of Ephesus and visit St. Mary’s House during this guided day trip from Izmir. Along the eastern Mediterranean, discover the old yet well preserved city of Ephesus. Then, traverse to a famous pilgrimage site where the Virgin Mary spent her remaining days.