Izmir and the Aegean coast: getting there, places, Ephesus, Pergamon and the rules in 2026

Izmir suits you if you want to combine a big city on the Aegean with excursions to ancient sites. The İZBAN suburban railway runs from the airport to Alsancak and, with one change, as far as Selçuk near Ephesus. Ephesus has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 2015, Pergamon since 2014.

Four things are new in 2026. In Ephesus the museum portal reports the Marble Road as closed from the Library of Celsus downwards because of restoration. A new local transport tariff has applied since 1 April, and the taxi office at the airport has a price list of 1 May. And the accommodation tax is 1 instead of 2 per cent until the end of the year.

Izmir suits you less in July and August, when the daily highs reach a mean of almost 34 °C. In December and January more than 125 mm of rain falls in each.

Getting there and from the airport into the city

With 915,271 passengers from Germany, Izmir ranked 22nd among international destinations from the main German airports in 2025. Most boarded in Düsseldorf (163,821) and Frankfurt (138,683); the busiest month was July and the quietest January. Among destinations in Turkey, Izmir came 4th after Antalya and the two Istanbul airports (Federal Statistical Office, year 2025; breakdown: own analysis).

Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB)

The airport has separate terminals for international and domestic flights. For international flights it advises you to be there at least three hours before departure. Free Wi-Fi is available on the network “TAV-FREE-WIFI”, activated by SMS code or with a password from the kiosk (as of September 2026).

İZBAN: 28 minutes to Alsancak

A moving walkway leads from the international terminal to Havalimanı station, starting at the exit of the arrivals level and signposted “Metro-İzban” (as of 25 September 2026). It takes 28 minutes to Alsancak, with a train every 13 minutes during the day and every 26 minutes from around 22:00. The first train leaves at 05:12 and the last at 23:50, followed by three more until 00:54. From Alsancak the trains run at regular intervals from 05:47 to 23:46, a few until 01:22 (timetable query for a Monday, as of 26 September 2026). İZBAN itself describes these times as approximate and non-binding.

Fares are calculated by distance: 40.00 TL for the first 20 km, then 1.50 TL per km, without transfers and without half-price periods (tariff from 1 April 2026). To Alsancak you pay 40.00 TL with İzmirim Kart, to Karşıyaka 53.72 TL (tariff query 26 September 2026). The card is available at the İZBAN counter in the airport, daily from 07:00 to 14:40 and from 15:00 to 22:40, and at three kiosks and cafés in the terminals (as of 15 August 2026).

By İZBAN to Selçuk (Ephesus)

For Selçuk you change at Tepeköy, which is 33 minutes from the airport. From Tepeköy only 14 trains a day run to Selçuk, every 60 to 95 minutes during the day, with a journey time of 26 minutes. The first leaves at 06:40, the last at 23:50; from Selçuk they run from 05:50 to 23:00 (timetable query for a Monday, as of 26 September 2026). With İzmirim Kart the journey costs 102.64 TL from the airport and 129.21 TL from Alsancak (tariff query 26 September 2026).

Havaş buses: rare to Alsancak, more frequent to the coast

The buses leave from the exits of the arrivals levels. All information is as of the Havaş query of 26 September 2026.

From Alsancak the bus to the airport costs 240 TL and leaves at 03:30, 04:30, 10:40, 12:40 and 13:40. From Çeşme via Alaçatı and from Kuşadası the return journey costs 600 TL, with the first departure at 03:00 in each case and the last at 22:00 and 23:00 respectively. In Selçuk the bus stops at “Kuğulu Park” next to the state hospital.

City buses: only at night according to the ESHOT timetable

ESHOT lines 200, 202, 204 and 206 run to the airport. According to the ESHOT timetable they run only at night, each line three times in each direction between 00:00 and 05:40 (winter timetable since 14 September, as of 28 September 2026). A journey costs 77.00 TL with İzmirim Kart and 86.00 TL with a credit card (tariff from 1 April 2026).

Taxi: list prices for destinations outside the city

The price list of the taxi office at the airport is dated 1 May 2026 and requires the taximeter to run on every journey. You can choose whether to pay the amount on the taximeter or the list price. Destinations in the city such as Alsancak or Konak are not on the list.

Getting around: İzmirim Kart, ferries and hire cars

Fares on bus, metro, tram and ferry

You pay with the İzmirim Kart, the disposable ticket Bilet 35, or contactless with a bank card. The card costs 200.00 TL plus credit. From 05:00 to 07:00 and from 19:00 to 20:00 half price applies, but not on airport and night buses, with Bilet 35 or on İZBAN. Bilet 35 for 2, 3, 5 or 10 journeys costs 140, 205, 315 or 540 TL. It is valid for 35 days from the first journey, without transfers (tariff from 1 April 2026).

Ferries across the bay

The city's shipping company İzdeniz connects Konak, Pasaport, Alsancak, Karşıyaka, Bostanlı, Göztepe and Üçkuyular, among others, and in summer also Urla and Mordoğan. From Konak to Karşıyaka takes 15 minutes, with 41 departures on Mondays from 07:30 to 23:20 (timetable query 26 September 2026). The city tariff applies, so 35.00 TL with İzmirim Kart including 90 minutes of transfers (tariff from 1 April 2026).

Car hire and tolls

The car hire companies operate around the clock in the arrivals halls of both terminals, and the airport lists 24 companies (as of 14 August 2026). Pick-up and return are in the multi-storey car park at the domestic terminal on level 0. The Izmir–Aydın motorway towards Selçuk and the Izmir–Çeşme motorway charge tolls, paid electronically with an HGS sticker. In Class 1, the sections from the airport (Tahtalıçay) to Belevi near Selçuk and from Seferihisar (Güzelbahçe) to Çeşme each cost 53.00 TL (tariff from 1 January 2026).

Where to stay: Izmir and the coastal towns compared

In Izmir it is best to stay near an İZBAN station or a ferry pier. For Ephesus, Selçuk is the closest. Çeşme, Alaçatı and Kuşadası suit beaches and water sports.

Journey times according to the İZBAN and Havaş queries of 26 September 2026, taxi according to the price list of 1 May 2026. Where “—” appears, the sources give no drawback.

Sights and excursions: times, prices and rules in 2026

The Ministry of Culture gives admission prices for foreign visitors in euros; the museum card MüzeKart can only be bought by Turkish citizens (as of September 2026). The Ephesus World Heritage Site also includes Ayasuluk Hill in Selçuk and the House of Mary.

In Izmir: Konak Square, Kemeraltı, Agora, Kadifekale

On Konak Square stands the 25 m high clock tower of 1901, the clock being donated by Kaiser Wilhelm II. Behind it begins the historic Kemeraltı bazaar, whose main axis is the curving Anafartalar Caddesi. In the bazaar is the Kızlarağası Hanı of 1744, today a market for crafts, carpets and silver.

The Agora of Smyrna in Kemeraltı is open daily from 08:30 to 19:00 and costs €6, the Archaeological Museum in Bahribaba Park €4 (as of September 2026). Above the city, at a height of 186 m, lies Kadifekale castle, which goes back to Lysimachus in the 3rd century BC. The Asansör, a lift tower of 1907, connects two streets with a height difference of 50 m.

Ephesus: €40 and a closed Marble Road

Foreign visitors pay €40, which includes the Ephesus Experience Museum (as of September 2026). It is open daily from 08:00 to 18:45, with the lower ticket office open until 19:00 according to the portal and the upper one only until 18:00 (as of 28 September 2026). In October 2025, according to the portal, Ephesus already closed at 18:00 and the ticket office at 17:30. The two gates, called “lower” and “upper”, are around 3 km apart. The Library of Celsus dates from the 2nd century AD, and the great theatre holds around 25,000 people.

From Wednesday to Saturday it is also open from 19:00 to 23:00, with the ticket office closing at 22:00 (as of September 2026). If the site is booked for an event, the evening opening is cancelled; the portal gives no end date. Check before an evening visit whether it is open.

The Terraced Houses, seven Roman homes from the 1st century AD, have their own entrance and cost extra: €15 (as of September 2026). They are open daily from 09:00 to 18:00, and from Wednesday to Saturday also from 19:00 to 21:30.

Selçuk: Ephesus Museum, Basilica of St John, Ayasuluk Castle

The Ephesus Museum in Selçuk is open daily from 08:30 to 20:00, admission €10 (as of September 2026). The Basilica of St John on Ayasuluk Hill stands over the tomb of the Apostle John; the building with six domes was constructed under Emperor Justinian (527 to 565). It is open daily from 08:00 to 19:00 and costs €6 (as of September 2026). According to the museum portal, Ayasuluk Castle can only be visited between 09:00 and 16:00.

House of Mary: no bus, two sets of opening times

The House of Mary (Meryem Ana Evi) is on Bülbül Mountain, 9 km from Selçuk. No public transport goes there. That leaves a hire car, a taxi, an organised tour or walking, uphill for just under an hour from the north gate of Ephesus. The operating association gives 08:00 to 18:00 as the visiting time, and 08:00 to 17:00 on its directions page (as of September 2026). Since a papal visit in 1967, services have been held every year on 15 August.

Pergamon: acropolis, Asklepion and museum in Bergama

The acropolis is open daily from 08:30 to 20:00, admission €15 (as of September 2026). The Asklepion, once a healing centre of the god Asklepios, has the same hours and costs €13; its theatre holds 3,500 people. The Bergama Museum costs €3, and the Red Hall (Kızılavlu) is closed according to the museum portal (as of September 2026).

Without a car you take İZBAN as far as Aliağa, its other terminus. From the interchange at Aliağa, the intercity line 835 runs to Bergama, 77.50 TL with İzmirim Kart (tariff from 1 April 2026).

Çeşme and Alaçatı

The museum in Çeşme castle is open daily from 08:30 to 21:00, admission €6 (as of September 2026). The castle was built in 1508 and 1509 under Sultan Bayezid II. Alaçatı is known for its stone houses and as a centre of windsurfing and kitesurfing, and in April there is a herb festival. In Çeşme lies the thermal and seaside resort of Ilıca with a white sandy beach. Izmir province has 60 Blue Flag beaches (as of September 2026).

Kuşadası: Pigeon Island and Dilek National Park

The castle on Pigeon Island (Güvercinada) secured the harbour of Kuşadası at the entrance to the bay; walls about 3 m high run around the whole island. Dilek Peninsula–Büyük Menderes Delta National Park, a protected area for birds and plants, extends over parts of Kuşadası, Söke and Didim. Admission costs 75 TL per person (2026 tariff).

MuseumPass Aegean: €95 for seven days

The MuseumPass The Aegean costs €95 and is valid for seven days from the first visit at more than 40 museums and sites in the provinces of Izmir, Aydın, Muğla and Denizli (as of September 2026). It is for foreign visitors only, each site counts once, and it is not valid at evening openings.

Best time to visit: Izmir's climate month by month

The values come from the Izmir measuring station of the weather service MGM (normals 1991 to 2020). The sea temperature is an MGM mean for the Aegean (1970 to 2025); a value for Izmir alone is not available.

May and October bring 26.5 and 24.6 °C by day with around seven rain days, and in September the sea, at 23.3 °C, has almost July values. July and August are the hottest at almost 34 °C, and the station's record is 43.2 °C (data series 1938 to 2025). From November to March around three quarters of the roughly 730 mm of annual precipitation falls (own calculation).

Costs

The table gives only prices from operators and authorities, excluding flights, hotels and hire cars.

The Turkish central bank gave a rate of 55.5878 TL to the euro for 25 September 2026 (foreign-exchange buying rate). The 600 TL for the Havaş bus is therefore around €10.80 (own calculation).

Accommodation tax: 1% until the end of 2026

Since 1 January 2023 Turkey has levied an accommodation tax of regularly 2% of the overnight price. According to Presidential Decision No. 11263 in the Official Gazette of 1 May 2026, it is only 1 per cent up to and including 31 December 2026. It also applies to services sold as a package with the accommodation, such as meals or all-inclusive, regardless of the guest's nationality.

Practical information

You pay in Turkish lira (TRY); this guide writes lira prices as TL. Since 2016 Turkey has been permanently on UTC+3: in the German summer it is one hour later there than in Germany, in the German winter two hours (own calculation). The emergency number 112 applies to all emergency services, is free from mobile and landline phones and determines your location automatically. The tourism office of Izmir province can be reached on weekdays from 08:30 to 17:30 (as of September 2026).

What applies to entry, safety and health is given by the German Foreign Office.

Who this is not for

• Anyone who avoids heat but can only travel in July or August: the daily highs are then a mean of almost 34 °C, the record 43.2 °C.
• Anyone who wants to swim in winter: December brings 131.3 mm of rain on 13.3 days, and the Aegean has a mean of 13.3 °C in February.
• Anyone planning excursions without a car: only 14 trains a day run to Selçuk from Tepeköy, and no local transport goes to the House of Mary.
• Anyone who wants to pay by bank card everywhere: it is not yet accepted on İZBAN, where you need the İzmirim Kart (200 TL) or Bilet 35 (as of September 2026).
• Anyone who wants to see Ephesus cheaply: €40 admission plus €15 for the Terraced Houses, and according to the museum portal the Marble Road is closed from the Library of Celsus in 2026 (as of September 2026).
• Anyone who wants to avoid crowds: Ephesus has on average around 1.5 million visitors a year, and Kadınlar Denizi beach in Kuşadası is rather crowded in summer.