Welcome to the TravelPod forums

[manzara]

In the Travel Talk > Travel News forum, greekcypriot asked for a few ideas on quiet places to visit in Turkey where she could enjoy meeting friendly (English speaking) people and eat fresh fish. I thought it would be better to reply here and these ideas may help other people too.

Not too difficult finding quiet beaches and seaside villages around the Aegean coast of Turkey where we live or indeed through the country. Nor finding friendly local people, many of them speaking at least a little English. Certainly enough to make you feel very welcome. I’ll start close to home!

Close to where we live in Çeşme, western Turkey, there are some ideal spots. In fact just 4 kms north of the town you reach Dalyan, boasting a picturesque almost land-locked harbour. Here the wealthy Turkish people from İzmir, etc. gather at the rather expensive harbour-side restaurants on Sunday afternoons to eat fresh fish and drink Rakı. There’s a nice, course sand crescent beach nearby, too.

Also on the Çeşme Peninsula about 27kms northeast of Çeşme there is Ildır, a picturesque fishing village well know for its excellent fish restaurants. A paved road leading up behind the village takes you to the ruins of ancient Erythrae, an important site during Hellenistic and Roman times. Heading further north you can enjoy the stunning Karaburun Peninsula and maybe enjoy a relaxing lunch at one of the seaside villages such as Kaynarpınar.

Further afield, many people visiting the Aegean Coast include Ephesus on their itinerary. After a hot, tiring few hours exploring the site you deserve a relaxing couple of hours or so. There are a number of excellent possibilities.

- A visit to the originally Greek mountain village of Şirince, just 8kms east and above Selçuk, makes for a pleasant couple of hours or so exploring the cobbled streets, strolling through the small but interesting bazaar and maybe sampling some of the local wine for which the village is famous. However, the main highlight of a visit is the idyllic scenery and the distinctive domestic architecture.

- If you are looking for a quiet, simple relaxing lunch in the centre of Selçuk, look no further than the Anatolian Village Restaurant (Anadolu Köy Sofraları). Don’t let the unimposing entrance just opposite the steps leading up the the İsa Bey Mosque put you off! If it’s not too busy choose one of the three tree houses to enjoy your drink or meal.

- Finally, don’t overlook Pamucak Beach (sometimes called Ephesus Beach). It’s a wonderful stretch of sand approximately 15 kms north of Selçuk. The restaurant at the Dereli Motel (well signposted) overlooking the beach serves an enormous menu with excellent food at realistic prices – and the view is stunning especially at sunset.

So, just a few ideas to avoid the crowds, relax, eat well and simply enjoy life in this lovely region of Turkey. These suggestions are fairly close to our home in Çeşme but on another post, I’ll make some more suggestions for relaxing visits in other parts of the country away from the main tourist areas – and not forgetting your fresh fish, Popi!

[ciaotime]

In the Travel Talk > Travel News forum, greekcypriot asked for a few ideas on quiet places to visit in Turkey where she could enjoy meeting friendly (English speaking) people and eat fresh fish. I thought it would be better to reply here and these ideas may help other people too.

Not too difficult finding quiet beaches and seaside villages around the Aegean coast of Turkey where we live or indeed through the country. Nor finding friendly local people, many of them speaking at least a little English. Certainly enough to make you feel very welcome. I’ll start close to home!

Close to where we live in Çeşme, western Turkey, there are some ideal spots. In fact just 4 kms north of the town you reach Dalyan, boasting a picturesque almost land-locked harbour. Here the wealthy Turkish people from İzmir, etc. gather at the rather expensive harbour-side restaurants on Sunday afternoons to eat fresh fish and drink Rakı. There’s a nice, course sand crescent beach nearby, too.

Also on the Çeşme Peninsula about 27kms northeast of Çeşme there is Ildır, a picturesque fishing village well know for its excellent fish restaurants. A paved road leading up behind the village takes you to the ruins of ancient Erythrae, an important site during Hellenistic and Roman times. Heading further north you can enjoy the stunning Karaburun Peninsula and maybe enjoy a relaxing lunch at one of the seaside villages such as Kaynarpınar.

Further afield, many people visiting the Aegean Coast include Ephesus on their itinerary. After a hot, tiring few hours exploring the site you deserve a relaxing couple of hours or so. There are a number of excellent possibilities.

- A visit to the originally Greek mountain village of Şirince, just 8kms east and above Selçuk, makes for a pleasant couple of hours or so exploring the cobbled streets, strolling through the small but interesting bazaar and maybe sampling some of the local wine for which the village is famous. However, the main highlight of a visit is the idyllic scenery and the distinctive domestic architecture.

- If you are looking for a quiet, simple relaxing lunch in the centre of Selçuk, look no further than the Anatolian Village Restaurant (Anadolu Köy Sofraları). Don’t let the unimposing entrance just opposite the steps leading up the the İsa Bey Mosque put you off! If it’s not too busy choose one of the three tree houses to enjoy your drink or meal.

- Finally, don’t overlook Pamucak Beach (sometimes called Ephesus Beach). It’s a wonderful stretch of sand approximately 15 kms north of Selçuk. The restaurant at the Dereli Motel (well signposted) overlooking the beach serves an enormous menu with excellent food at realistic prices – and the view is stunning especially at sunset.

So, just a few ideas to avoid the crowds, relax, eat well and simply enjoy life in this lovely region of Turkey. These suggestions are fairly close to our home in Çeşme but on another post, I’ll make some more suggestions for relaxing visits in other parts of the country away from the main tourist areas – and not forgetting your fresh fish, Popi!

[ciaotime]

This is a surprise; looks like I posted Manzara's entry verbatim. How would that have happened?