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Izmir

Discover Izmir

Why Book Your Izmir Holiday with GotoBeach?

The İzmir coast is the cool, stylish side of the Aegean — and its star is the Çeşme peninsula, a windswept run of headlands and bays at the far western tip of Turkey, famous for clear turquoise water, white-sand beaches and the chic stone-cottage town of Alaçatı. This is where İzmir's well-heeled head for the weekend, so the mood is more boutique and design-led than the big all-inclusive strips, with world-class windsurfing, thermal-spring spas and a genuinely brilliant Aegean food scene. The water is fresher and cleaner than the Mediterranean, the breezes keep the summer heat comfortable, and a real Turkish city — İzmir itself — sits just up the road for culture and shopping.

Every İzmir-coast package we sell carries full ATOL financial protection under licence #11211, and your ATOL Certificate lands the moment you book — you can read how your ATOL financial protection works before you commit a penny. Each hotel on this page has been hand-picked and inspected in person against our 22-point criteria, not lifted from a brochure, so you are booking somewhere a member of our team has actually walked through, eaten in and checked against the view it promises.

"Çeşme is the Aegean at its most stylish — Alaçatı's stone streets, the windsurf bay, the thermal springs and some of the best food in the country," says Raşit Eti, our Turkey Destination Specialist, who has spent more than thirty years in Turkish tourism — from senior management at Sunrise Queen and Mylome Luxury to director roles at Air Tours — and still travels the coast every season, re-checking the hotels on this page in person. "It's a different crowd from the package strips — more design hotels and boutique stays, brilliant for couples and for anyone who wants the beach with a bit of polish. And the breeze means you can actually enjoy the heat." If you want the bigger picture before you choose, his overview of holidays around Kuşadası and İzmir sets the coast in context, and his guide to where to stay in Turkey helps you place it against the rest of the country. Meet Raşit Eti, our Turkey specialist.

 

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Top Hotels in Izmir

Piril Hotel
Piril Hotel

Izmir / Turkey

Half Board

£ 1938.44

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Discover Izmir

Top hotels on the Îzmir coast

Inspected in person · 22-point criteria

The Îzmir coast runs from the Çeşme peninsula round to the Özdere and Gümüldür beaches, so our shortlist spans the styles people actually ask for — design and boutique stays, thermal-spa resorts and family all-inclusives.

Çeşme · Îzmir

La Quinta by Wyndham Çeşme

Beachfront Resort
★★★★★

A smart, contemporary beachfront resort on the Çeşme peninsula, with bright rooms, a good spread of pools and direct access to the clear Aegean water. A polished, well-run base for couples and families who want the stylish side of the coast with dependable international comfort.

🏖 On the Çeşme peninsula beach

View La Quinta Çeşme

Çeşme · Îzmir

Babaylon Hotel

Boutique & Beach Club
★★★★

A stylish boutique beach hotel on the Çeşme peninsula, well known for its lively beach-club scene and design-led rooms. A favourite with couples and groups who want the chic, sociable side of Çeşme — clear water by day and a buzz after dark.

🏖 Own beach club on the peninsula

View Babaylon Hotel

Özdere · Îzmir

Labranda Lebedos Princess

Family All-Inclusive
★★★★★

A big family all-inclusive on the Özdere coast between Îzmir and Kuşadası, with a long beach, multiple pools, slides and kids' clubs. A classic resort-holiday base for families who want everything on site and the Aegean on the doorstep.

🏖 Own beach on the Özdere coast

View Labranda Lebedos

Gümüldür · Îzmir

Club Beyy Resort

All-Inclusive Resort
★★★★★

A relaxed all-inclusive resort on the Gümüldür coast, with a good spread of pools, a beach setting and an easygoing family feel. A sensible, good-value base for a beach-and-pool week, well placed for trips to Ephesus and the wider Aegean.

🏖 Beachfront on the Gümüldür coast

View Club Beyy

Çeşme · Îzmir

Pırıl Hotel

Thermal & Spa
★★★★★

A well-established thermal-spa hotel on the Çeşme peninsula, drawing on the area's famous hot springs, with indoor and outdoor pools and a serious wellness focus. A comfortable choice for couples and families who want the beach plus a proper spa, even in the cooler months.

🏖 Near the Çeşme thermal coast

View Pırıl Hotel

Îzmir Coast

Maya Bistro Hotel

Boutique Stay
★★★★

A relaxed, smaller boutique hotel on the Îzmir coast, ideal if you'd rather a more personal stay than a large resort. Comfortable rooms and a friendly, easygoing feel make it a good base for couples exploring the peninsula and the Aegean towns at their own pace.

🏖 Handy for the coast & bays

View Maya Bistro

That is a deliberately mixed shortlist rather than the whole programme — there are more Îzmir-coast hotels across our range, and you can see them all on the Îzmir hotels page. Prefer a quieter, grown-up week? Browse our adults-only hotels. Want Ephesus on the doorstep and a busier resort town? Kuşadası sits just south, and the whole Kuşadası & Îzmir region overview sets your options side by side.

Discover Îzmir & Çeşme

Îzmir is Turkey's third city — a relaxed, cosmopolitan Aegean port with a palm-lined waterfront (the famous Kordon), a great food culture and a more laid-back, European feel than Istanbul. But for a beach holiday, the action is out on the Çeşme peninsula, around an hour west, where the land narrows into a string of headlands washed by clear, breezy water. Alaçatı, just inland from the coast, is the jewel — a beautifully restored old Greek town of cobbled lanes, stone cottages, bougainvillea and boutique hotels, with a buzzing café and restaurant scene and a famous Saturday market.

Around it, Ilıca has a long white-sand beach and warm thermal springs that bubble up under the sea, while Alaçatı bay is one of the best windsurfing spots in the world thanks to its steady summer breeze and shallow, flat water. South of Îzmir, the gentler Özdere and Gümüldür coasts hold the bigger family resorts, with Ephesus and Kuşadası within easy reach. It's a coast that rewards exploring — design hotels, vineyards, fish restaurants and turquoise coves rather than a single resort strip. If you're weighing up the wider Aegean first, our overview of the Kuşadası and Îzmir region sets it in context.

Îzmir-coast beaches & seafront

The Çeşme peninsula is all about clear, breezy water. Ilıca is the headline — a long, gently shelving white-sand beach with notably warm water thanks to the thermal springs beneath it, and Blue Flag standards along much of its length. Altınkum (“golden sand”), near the tip of the peninsula, is a cluster of pretty sandy coves popular with families. Alaçatı bay is the windsurfing centre, its shallow, flat, reliably breezy water perfect for beginners and pros alike. Further round, secluded coves and beach clubs dot the headlands. South of Îzmir, the Özdere and Gümüldür beaches are longer, calmer stretches of sand-and-shingle backed by the family resorts. The Aegean here is cleaner and fresher than the Mediterranean further south, and the steady summer breeze keeps even the hottest days comfortable — one of the coast's quiet advantages.

Things to do around Îzmir

On the peninsula, the must-do is Alaçatı — wander the stone streets, browse the boutiques, eat exceptionally well and time your visit for the Saturday market. Windsurfing and kitesurfing at Alaçatı bay are world-class, with schools for complete beginners, and the warm thermal springs of Ilıca and Şifne are a treat for a spa day. The little Çeşme castle and harbour are worth an afternoon, and boat trips run to the nearby Greek island of Chios, a short hop across the water.

Îzmir city itself rewards a day out — the seafront Kordon, the historic Kemeraltı bazaar, and the ancient agora — and the magnificent ruins of Ephesus, along with Şirince and the sites around Selçuk, are within reach to the south. Inland, the white travertine terraces of Pamukkale make a longer excursion. Families enjoy the peninsula's beach clubs and water sports, while foodies will find the Aegean kitchen here among the best in Turkey. To plan beyond the hotel, our guide to the best Turkey holidays sets out how regions like this fit together.

When to go to the İzmir coast

The Çeşme coast's season runs spring to autumn, and the steady Aegean breeze keeps it comfortable even at the height of summer — here is how the months actually feel, and when our specialist would book.

WhenAirSeaOur take
April–May20–25°C17–19°CFresh, green and lovely for Alaçatı and exploring; the sea is still cool but the towns and pools are a joy, and prices are gentle.
June28°C21°CSummer arrives with a warming sea and reliable wind for the windsurfers — a sweet spot before the İzmir weekend crowds peak.
July–August32–33°C24–25°CPeak heat and peak buzz, but the breeze keeps it comfortable — ideal for windsurfing, beach clubs and the full Alaçatı scene.
September29°C24°COur pick: warm sea, softer heat, steady breeze and a calmer, more relaxed peninsula once the summer rush eases.
October24°C22°CA gentle wind-down — still swimmable and sunny, beautiful for exploring and great value for couples.

If you can choose your week freely, June and September give the best balance of warm water, comfortable heat and sensible prices, with reliable wind for the windsurfers. The thermal-spa hotels also make the cooler shoulder months genuinely appealing here — a real point of difference from the rest of the coast.

The practical parts

Getting there

You fly into İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB), the gateway for the central Aegean, and the transfer to the Çeşme peninsula is roughly an hour by road (Özdere and Gümüldür a little less). Many UK airports run direct services to İzmir through the summer, and every GoToBeach Turkey package includes your flights and your airport-to-hotel transfer at both ends.

Passports & entry

British passport holders currently don't need a visa for short tourist stays in Türkiye (up to 90 days in any 180). Your passport must meet Türkiye's validity rules — at the time of writing, valid for at least 150 days from arrival, with a blank page for the stamp. Entry rules can change at short notice, so always recheck the official guidance close to departure.

Money

The currency is the Turkish lira. Cards work fine in the resorts, boutiques and restaurants, but carry some cash for the Alaçatı market, beach clubs, taxis and small cafés. Tipping is customary and appreciated — a little for housekeeping, waiters and your driver goes a long way and is part of the local rhythm.

Health & insurance

A UK GHIC is not valid in Türkiye, so comprehensive travel insurance with proper medical cover is essential — and worth checking it covers watersports like windsurfing if you plan to take to the water. We can point you towards arranging suitable travel insurance when you book. Pack high-factor sun care for the bright Aegean light.

Getting around

The peninsula rewards a hire car — the coves, vineyards and Alaçatı are spread out and a car gives you freedom. Dolmuş and buses link Çeşme, Alaçatı, Ilıca and İzmir, and taxis fill the gaps. For the family resorts at Özdere and Gümüldür you can happily stay put and use excursions for the longer trips.

Food & eating out

This is one of Turkey's great food coasts. Alaçatı's restaurants serve modern Aegean cooking — herb-rich meze, olive-oil vegetable dishes, fresh fish and local wines — and the markets brim with produce. At the resorts you'll eat well from all-inclusive buffets, but do get out: the peninsula's kitchens are a highlight of the holiday.

Map of Izmir

Frequently Asked Questions About Izmir

Common questions and answers for planning your Izmir holiday.

Handpicked packages featuring the best destinations across the Izmir

Further reading from our specialists

Deeper diver from the team, all based on recent resort visits.

Turkey All Inclusive Holidays

All Inclusive Turkey – Everything Covered, Nothing to Worry About

Official guidance & sources

Entry and health rules for Türkiye can change at short notice, so always check the official advice when you book and again shortly before you fly. These are the sources we trust.