Cesme Izmir
Overview
Overseeing the deep turquoise Aegean Sea, the trendy holiday resort town of Cesme is situated to the extreme west of Izmir, in Turkey’s Aegean area. Hub of cloistered beaches and lavish green landscape, you’d tend to surrender yourself to the town’s natural exquisiteness.
Roam around its winding streets to look at the old-style houses, or course to the harbor to find a huge variety of restaurants dishing out mouthwatering seafood.
Cesme is among Turkey’s most gorgeous expanses, enclosed by pure blue waters, with panoramas of nurtured fields of sesame and artichokes lined with gum and fig trees.
In its pristine bays you can enjoy a dip in utter harmony. Tourists will find there first-rate holiday lodgings, bistros and numerous sports and amusement amenities.
Sports & Adventure
Windsurfing:
Alacati is a small town situated nearby Ceşme. Distinguished for its favorable surfing winds, its winding lanes, traditional white Turkish houses and honeyed fragrances of flowers, Alacati appeals the tourists for the choices of amusement. Certainly, Alacati is listed among world’s most suitable breezy coasts featuring a great atmosphere for water sports like windsurfing. Visit this coastal town to have a unique holiday experience.
Sea Diving:
Cesme offers perfect diving opportunities in its exclusive resort. The undersea of the area is incredibly diverse and several diving centers are located on site. One of the most suitable spots there for diving is Esek Adasi (Donkey Island). It’s not so windy and creates a perfect atmosphere for the divers of all levels.
Kite Surfing:
Alacati gets famous among the tourists during summer for the windsurfing and kite boarding choices it offers.
Whether you are a beginner or an expert kite boarder, the quick and safe learning choices are open for all. The Alacati kite surf area in Turkey is an awesome spot for kite boarders to experience perfect kite boarding environment.
Prefer to visit this place for holiday and sports during the high months of July and August. Other than these 2 months, the life is slow-paced there and the town hibernates to lassitude.
Things to do
Lay Back on the Sandy Beaches:
Cesme’s foremost natural charms are its soft sand beaches and hot springs having healing properties. Locate yourself a place on a calmingly isolated sandy bay and swim in the clear blue waters.
These extraordinary soft sandy beaches expand about 29km alongside the coast of Cesme. The beaches propose the seamless spots to swim in the sea, unwind, discover the neighboring islands or go windsurfing and diving. Famous beaches across the Cesme peninsula are Boyalik Cove, Ilica, Sifne, Ildiri, Pasa limani, Sakizli and Dalyan Coves, Pirlanta and Pirlanta beach.
Let the Hot Springs Heal You:
The three major springs in the Cesme area naming, the Cesme Hot Springs, the Ilica Sifne Thermal Hot Springs and the Sifne Hot Spring and Mud, are valuable for the ones suffering from poor metabolism, chronic rheumatism, skin problems, gynecological diseases and poor liver function and urinary tract conditions.
If you wish to stay there for a couple of weeks to fully absorb the benefits of the thermal springs then you may pick one of the 5 star hotels located in the vicinity.
There’s so much more to explore in Cesme than what words can capture. The charm and welcoming aura of this resort makes the holidaymakers come back here to explore more again and again.
Culture and History
Named initially Cyssus in the earliest time, the name of the town was finally changed to Cecme because of the chilly and delectable water reserves in the region. It became a tradition to make fountains at the outset of springs and this is how Cesme turned out to me an attraction to its visitors for its fountains.
Cesme, the location of historic Erythrai was founded by the Cretans as one of the towns of the Pan-Ionian League. This place is now included among the most visited places of the Aegean region.
Through the centuries, the region has been under the directive of the Persian, Lydian, Pergamon, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires.
In the present day, the town puts a spell on its visitors with its sublime cultural montage.
Boasting plentiful museums and landmarks, when in Cesme you’ll never be too distant from a historic attraction. Right in the midst of town, locate the prominent 14th-century fortress of Cesme. As you enter, you’ll realize about its significance during war times, and see excavated relics at the Museum of Archaeology. Caravanserai Hotel would let you spot further cues of the town’s Ottoman history. For a peek into the town’s primeval past, visit the city of Ildirli to find a collection of Early Bronze Age remnants.
Cesme Castle:
The Castle was constructed in 1508 and presently the conserved battlements, with its six towers and moats on three sides, present superb sights of Çeşme. It also has two museums, one of which displays relics from the neighboring ancient city of Erythrai and the other centers on the proceedings of the Russo-Turkish War. Every year in the first week of Jumy, the castle hosts the International Cesme Music Festival.
The Former Temple of Apollo:
Step up the Theatre stairs to the Acropolis to find the leftovers of a Greek Church and a former Temple of Apollo. From this spot, the sight of the Aegean bays and islands is amazing. Any history-lover won’t leave behind the Acropolis.
Ldiri
A peaceful seaside village situated 20 km northeast of Cesme, was early Erythrai which appears on the pages of history in 3000 BC. Excavations here revealed the settlements since the early Bronze Age, and the surrounding of the village of Ildiri have been confirmed as national heritage site.
The walls bounding the old city are still erect, and Hellenistic period floor medleys of incomparable magnificence can still be grasped in one of the buildings. Excavations have also exposed a temple of Athena. This village has a buffet for the lovers of history.
