Ayvalik to Kusadasi

The coast between Ayvalık and Kusadasi is characterized by the coexistence of European Greek and Ottoman Turkish culture.

From the small port town of Ayvalik opposite the Greek island of Lesbos, the Greek island can be discovered in short day trips to the west as well as course south the small town Dikili, which already belongs to the province of the metropolis of Izmir.

A little further across the deep bay of Aliaga, Izmir is the metropolis of millions known as the Oriental Melting Pot. As Ottoman Smyrna, Izmir was already an important trading center on the way to the Silk Road over 5000 years before Christ. Today, Turkey's third-largest city with more than 4 million inhabitants offers everything your heart desires.

Those who prefer to avoid the hustle and bustle of the big city, let the Gulf of Izmir port side and sail around the Cape Akburun to Alacati, a worthwhile destination on the western Aegean coast. The village concept, whose architectural model was the lagoon idyll of Port Grimaud near St. Tropez, was created in typical Ottoman style. Between the colorful houses with their pretty balconies and colored roofs there are excellent restaurants where national as well as international cuisine is celebrated. A little further on is the offshore Greek island of Chios. With its typical white houses, it offers a refreshing contrast to the Turkish architectural style.

Everywhere invites the azure waters of the Aegean for swimming and snorkeling. In front of the tourist metropolis Kusadasi, you can visit the lively harbor town Seferihisar and Menderes with their medieval markets.