For a country which is mostly Muslim it's always amazing to see churches in Turkey which have…read moresurvived from a time when Turkey was predominantly Christian. The Ayios Haralambos Church was built in 1832 as a Greek Orthodox Church in Cesme before the Greeks fled Izmir. It was restored by the city in 2012 and opened as a cultural center. For the past few years I've visited in the summer there is always a pop up art gallery where local artists come to display their art. I've bought art from these galleries the past two years I have visited. If you're in the area I would definitely recommend visiting, it's on the main shopping strip in Cesme and it's free to enter! Not only will there likely be an art exhibition, but the mosaics that are on the ceiling are absolutely stunning.

Old landmark area of the Çeşme İzmir region. Very quaint area with beautiful stone walkways and…read morebuildings. Plenty of little cafe and boutiques for coffee, tea & souvenirs.

Such a historic site with the marble slab walkways and ancient ruins still standing. Close your…read moreeyes and you can imagine this beautiful place filled with the hustle and bustle of people walking down the streets. Ephesus is considered one of the greatest cities of the Western world and one of the 7 churches mentioned in the Holy Bible, thus an important part of Christian history. Highlights include the Theater carved into a hill, the Temple of Hadrian, The Gates of Hercules, The house of Mary and the impressive Library of Celsus. Our private guide walked us downhill which was a more impressive route than walking uphill like others were doing. The walkways can be slick in wet conditions, so take a walking stick to help. I don't think a trip to Turkey can be considered complete unless you come here to witness this amazing city formed back in 1000bc.

Ephesus is a great stop if you are in the area. The sighs are unreal to see and a great educational…read moreexperience. Whether you are a history lover or not, make sure to plan for a minimum of 2 hours here. Beware that this is an ancient city and the roads and sidewalks are uneven and often slippery.

Yedi Uyurlar is the Cemetery of the Seven Sleepers, young men said to have slept ~200 years to…read moreavoid persecution of Christians while Christianity slowly became the norm of the Roman Empire. A church was built over the original caves and the ruins of both are what can be seen today. You can see some of the excavation site, but it's fenced off (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/yedi-uyurlar-sel%C3%A7uk?select=9OMFNXtH6wWtIGeo2s1Yaw#j5JDKR_832bqeilcScxILQ) so you can't get too close. Most of my pictures are holding the camera above the fence or between bars (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/yedi-uyurlar-sel%C3%A7uk?select=9OMFNXtH6wWtIGeo2s1Yaw#oMUnrDGubWM7E0NbODEmbQ). I would give a higher rating, if you could get closer. If you're short on time and trying to decide which places to visit, this was more worth a visit than the Virgin Mary's House, IMO, of course. And no admission fee!

Beş yildiz. Why? Because THIS is the symbol of Izmir. A…read morecity that I fell in love with back in 2007. It's located in the municipality of Konak. Pretty much all the financial areas and government buildings are in that area. The clock is super old. Like 1901 old. If you're in the 35 (Izmir's regional code) you should take a look.

We have seen reviews that are up and down, but we were really affected by our visit. This is…read morebelieved to be / could be the final house of the Virgin Mary. The house was destroyed except for the bottom two rows of bricks. It has been reconstructed and is now a shrine. There are 4 springs with "holy water" and a prayer wall. We found it very impactful to possibly be walking where the Virgin Mary and St John the Apostle walked.

Mary shrine. This is pit stop for our trip. This a last home place of Mary. It is a holy place that…read morefor worship due to last Mary Home. The place is very small. Our tour guide warn us about it. Sometimes take two hours to visit this small house. We were visited during the lunch time which is the less tour group here. It takes us 30 minutes.