Despite Istanbul’s beauty, sometimes a break from its busy buzz and hassle is needed! A quick weekend gateway to one of Turkey’s less-frequented towns is often a good idea. Turkey is a home of different cultures, architecture and nature; each of them being interesting on its own, let it be a village köy or a city. Alaçatı is definitely a great destination to head to for a break. It is a beautiful colorful town in Izmir… well predominantly blue-white, just like a Greek island or Morocco’s blue pearl Chefchaouen. Alaçatı has its own identity of color prints and vintage furniture! It’s a great place to escape the daily stress of Istanbul, and spend a few days roaming around its cafes and restaurants! You will be hearing nostalgic Turkish music from all sokaks; which will make the walks more enjoyable. You can hardly resist taking pictures of each part you cross, because every corner is a story in itself; interesting in its own way. The town is covered with little vases and colorful flowers, that just do a great composition with the blue, red, or purple colors of the doors and tables of the town. It’s just like a white town aesthetically painted!
Getting there
Izmir is not so far to reach from Istanbul; you can go by car, bus, or plane. Driving will take around 6 hours. There are many bus companies that offer trips to Izmir and are comfortable like Metro or Koç.
I went by plane, as it only takes one hour and costs around 150 TL round trip, sometimes cheaper than a bus! I found this very convenient and affordable, and sometimes it can even be cheaper than that. There are around 48 flights per day from Istanbul to Izmir. Once you arrive to Adnan Menderes Airport, there are some mini buses that take you directly to any of the places you stay in Alaçatı. It is around 55 minutes away from the airport of Izmir, and the mini-bus costs 35 TL. It’s very comfortable and even provides outlets for chargers.
When coming back, the residence may help you reach these mini-buses or call a private car for you that only costs 50TL from Alaçatı to the airport. If you are more than one person, this is a convenient, affordable and a fancy way to get there.
Where to stay
Since Alaçatı is a vintage town with its own interesting theme, most of the places to stay there are boutique hotels. They are little vintage hotels decorated with the same very lovely details of the town. They also mostly serve the royal breakfast of Alaçatı that is organic and very tasty. Alaçatı is famous for its organic jams, and I promise jams, cheese and honey will be the best part of your breakfast — very fresh and natural.
Because Alaçatı is very touristic, especially in summer, I recommend taking this trip any weekend during the year — and not necessarily during summer — to avoid skyrocketed prices.
I traveled in early May, the weather was beautiful, and the city was not as crowded. Weekdays were very calm and prices were reasonable. I stayed in a relatively pricey boutique hotel, but it was very clean and well-located. It was also a birthday treat, so it was worth it. Named Ruzgar Boutique Hotel, I booked it and paid through Expedia. The staff was also very nice. The best thing about it was the location, as I was able to walk around and access the major locations of the town easily. It was around 150 TL/night.
The town is packed with many other similar hotels, which you can find online and compare prices.
In case there was a surge in prices in all of them for you, you can also check hotels in Ilçe, which is 10 minutes (and 4 TL) by dolmuş away from Alaçatı, and has its own beach as well! Ilçe tends to be cheaper, has awesome breakfast and provides free access to their beautiful beach!
What to do
Alaçatı is a small town that is easy and enjoyable to roam around. Every corner is worth looking at and makes for great pictures. It is calming and beautiful. There are many restaurants, most of which serve homemade food. There are also plenty of dessert places, which you must try! While they serve a variety of beautiful desserts, you have to try the Trileçe, as it is different and tastier than its Istanbul counterpart.
Also Alaçatı is famous for its ice creams! Do not miss this while you roam around.
Another thing you should not miss is buying some cute organic jams from the little shops. A small jar should not cost you more than 10 TL.
As I enjoyed going to different restaurants for lunch and dinner and trying new desserts as I walked, this in itself was an amazing gateway. However, you should also take the dolmuş to other nearby scenic towns like Çesme & Ilçe.
Ilçe is nice for its calming, lovely beach. I had a chaise lounge for an entire day on the beach at only 10 TL. And since I went in May, it was almost all to myself. You can spend 5-6 hours on the beach, swimming or chilling and then head back to Alaçatı for a late lunch. This makes for an amazing day.
Another gorgeous town to visit — more modern and populated than both Ilçe and Alaçatı — is Çesme! It has a Greek-Turkish spirit, and it is very different than Istanbul. It has an interesting city-center (where the dolmuş will drop you off). From this city center you can walk till you reach the Marina or Harbor of Çesme, where you can find some amazing scenery. I went there around sunset and it was stunning! I had a walk and then stayed in one of the restaurants for dinner. There are many restaurants and shops around this alluring harbour! Do not miss it! There is also Çesme beach, in case you decide to swim there instead!
The dolmuş run every 10 minutes, and after 21:00 they run every half hour until 00:00. So you can very cheaply and safely go between these three towns.
I went there #solo for my birthday, stayed longer than a usual Alaçatı trip (five days), and it definitely ended up being one of favorite trips. I loved everything about the town — its weather, people, food, houses, narrow streets, and the intricate detail that went into decorating it. It is certainly a destination that should not be missed! As usual, I am sure pictures will speak better to the beauty of Alaçatı.
All images courtesy of the author.
Very enjoyable article, and interesting profile.