Why go
- City in the Aegean region of Turkey.
- Known for Smyrna was an ancient Greek city off the Aegean coast of Anatolia, until it was renamed in 1930..
- Served by Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB).
History
İzmir, known in Greek and historically known as Smyrna, is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara, and the largest metropolitan area on the Aegean Sea. It is on the Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. As of 2025 end of year estimate, İzmir Province has a total population of 4,504,184 while İzmir city is home to around 3.5 million inhabitants. It extends along the outlying waters of the Gulf of İzmir and inland to the north across the Gediz River Delta; to the east along an alluvial plain created by several small streams; and to slightly more rugged terrain in the south. İzmir's climate is Mediterranean.
Restaurants & places to go
292 more places in the Ultimate edition. See the Ultimate edition →
Airports
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 12 airlines, 44 direct destinations
- SunExpress XQ (737-800) · 28 routes: Adana, Amsterdam, Antalya, Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, Copenhagen, Diyabakir, Dortmund, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Gaziantep, Hamburg, Hannover, Helsinki, Istanbul, Kayseri, Lyon, Mulhouse, Munich, Nantes, Paris, Stockholm, Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Trabzon, Vienna, Zurich
- Pegasus Airlines PC (737-800, A320) · 22 routes: Adana, Amsterdam, Ankara, Antalya, Athens, Brussels, Diyabakir, Duesseldorf, Elazig, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Istanbul, Kayseri, London, Mardin, Mulhouse, Nicosia, Sanliurfa, Sivas, Stuttgart, Trabzon
- Turkish Airlines TK (A320, 737-800, A319, A321, 330, A340-300…) · 4 routes: Ankara*, Hamburg, Istanbul, Istanbul
- Transavia France TO (75W) · 3 routes: Birmingham, London, Manchester
- Atlasjet KK (A320) · 2 routes: Istanbul, Nicosia
- Aer Lingus EI (A320) · 1 route: Dublin
- easyJet U2 (A320) · 1 route: London
- Harmony Airways HQ (A320) · 1 route: Paris
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A319, A320, A321) · 1 route: Munich
- Luxair LG (737-800) · 1 route: Luxemburg
- Maldivian Air Taxi 8Q (A320) · 1 route: Istanbul
- Transavia Holland HV (737-800, 737-700) · 1 route: Amsterdam
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Regional airports
Further out, but often the cheapest way in — the airports the low-cost carriers use. Each links to its own town's guide for getting from there into the city.
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 10 airlines, 21 direct destinations
- easyJet U2 (A320, A319) · 5 routes: Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, London
- Jet2.com LS (737-800, 757-200, 737-800) · 5 routes: East Midlands, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle
- Monarch Airlines ZB (A321, A320) · 5 routes: Birmingham, Leeds, London, London, Manchester
- Transavia Holland HV (737-800) · 4 routes: Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Izmir, Rotterdam
- Pegasus Airlines PC (737-800, A320) · 3 routes: Ankara, Brussels, Istanbul
- Transavia France TO (737-800, 76W) · 3 routes: London, Manchester, Paris
- Turkish Airlines TK (737-800, A320, A321, 737-700) · 3 routes: Ankara*, Istanbul, Istanbul
- Atlasjet KK (A320) · 1 route: Istanbul
- Maldivian Air Taxi 8Q (A320) · 1 route: Istanbul
- Thomas Cook Airlines MT (A321) · 1 route: Manchester
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 5 airlines, 8 direct destinations
- Big Sky Airlines GQ (J41) · 3 routes: Chios, Limnos, Rhodos
- Aegean Airlines A3 (A320, Dash 8-400) · 2 routes: Athens, Thessaloniki
- Air Berlin AB (A320, 737-800) · 2 routes: Duesseldorf, Munich
- Olympic Airlines OA (A320, Dash 8-400) · 2 routes: Athens*, Thessaloniki
- Transavia Holland HV (737-700) · 1 route: Amsterdam
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Getting there by ferry
Where things are
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB); 2 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: ADB has direct flights to 44 destinations on 12 airlines (incl. Istanbul, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Adana, Ankara…). By water: 6 ferry terminals within 20 km (nearest: Pasaport Ferry Terminal, 1 km); routes include Alsancak-Pasaport Feribot Güzergahı, Bayraklı - Alsancak - Pasaport - Konak, Göztepe - Konak - Pasaport - Alsancak.
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for İzmir, Turkey. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Local transit
Trains & rail
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.