Çeşme and Alaçatı in 2 days: the castle, stone lanes and Ilıca

Begin with the symbol of the peninsula. Çeşme Castle is one of the important castles still standing in western Anatolia: Genoese merchants built it in the 15th century to protect trade between Çeşme and the island of Chios across the strait, and under Bayezid II it was turned into an Ottoman fortress in 1508 with added buildings and repairs. The rectangular castle sits on a rocky slope, with a moat on three sides and the sea to the west, and it remained in use until the 19th century. The museum inside opened in 1965 as an arms museum with weapons brought from Topkapı Palace and has been an archaeological museum since it was rearranged in 1984. Its rooms show finds from the Bronze Age settlement at Bağlararası and from the nearby ancient city of Erythrai, a re-creation of the 1770 Ottoman–Russian naval battle and amphorae raised from the sea. Leave time to walk the walls and look down over the harbour and the town’s rooftops.

When you leave the castle, take a short break in the square right in front of it. According to the municipality, the castle has six towers and is ringed by a moat on three sides, and that defensive layout is easiest to read from the square. In front of the castle stands the statue of Cezayirli Hasan Pasha, a grand admiral of the Ottoman navy, shown with his lion. Because the Çeşme Festival and the International Çeşme Music Competition are held in the castle in summer, this square is also the centre of the town’s cultural life. Walking towards the harbour you will see fishing boats and the marina; the town is small enough that everything here is a few minutes’ walk apart.

The caravanserai just by the castle shows Çeşme’s past as a port and trading town. According to the municipality, it was built in 1528 under Süleyman the Magnificent and was used through the centuries mainly to lodge foreign merchants. Its cut-stone façade and arched entrance share the architectural language of the castle’s era. Because the building now operates as accommodation, the interior may not always be open to visitors, but looking at it from outside it is still easy to picture old Çeşme where caravans met ships. The small triangle between the castle, the caravanserai and the harbour forms the historic core of the town.

A few minutes’ walk from the caravanserai brings you to the Church of Agios Haralambos. It was built in 1832 as a Greek Orthodox place of worship; Çeşme Municipality restored it and opened it as a cultural centre in 2012. Today it hosts concerts, exhibitions and talks, and its frescoes draw visitors’ attention. The church’s place in the middle of town is a reminder of Çeşme’s mixed communities in the 19th century. If an exhibition or event is on, spend some time inside; if not, the stonework of the façade and the bell tower are worth a short stop.

After lunch, give the rest of the day to the sea. Boyalık is a bay of about 5 kilometres close to the centre of Çeşme and one of the easiest beaches to reach from town. According to the municipality, Çeşme’s coastline totals 29 kilometres; on these shores at the western tip of the peninsula the afternoon wind takes the edge off the heat. Public beach sections sit side by side with stretches run by businesses. Heading back to the centre in the late afternoon to watch the sunset over the harbour, then moving on to Çeşme centre or Şifne for dinner, rounds off the day naturally.

On day two, head to Alaçatı, about 3 kilometres from the centre of Çeşme. Its stone houses, colourful shutters and narrow lanes wrapped in bougainvillea are most pleasant to explore in the morning, before the crowds. Wild greens are central to Alaçatı’s identity: according to the municipality, the village market at the entrance sells greens such as radika, nettle, sorrel, golden thistle and samphire, along with local fruit and vegetables, eggs, bread and fresh fish. The market sets up only on Saturdays; if your trip falls on a Saturday you can start the walk at the market, and if not the route works just the same. The Alaçatı Herb Festival held in spring also celebrates this tradition. Keep a slow pace until lunch, stopping for coffee in the side streets and looking into the small shops.

After lunch, take the minibus to Ilıca. According to the municipality, Ilıca beach is nearly 2 kilometres long, wide and white-sanded; thermal springs rising in the sea feed the beach and make the water feel warmer than in the surrounding bays. For about 100 metres out from the shore the water stays below head height, which makes it an easy choice for families with children and for anyone who wants to stay in the water for a long time. A walk along the shore in the late afternoon light is one of the nicest moments of the day. For dinner you can return to Alaçatı or finish the day in the centre of Çeşme.