Izmir - What to do if you've been to Ephesus?

What can I do in the port of Izmir if i've been to Ephesus? Is Izmir worth touring? Do they have a bazaar? Do you think going into town is safe, not being part of a tour? Any insight is appreciated.

Izmir is a very large city (3rd largest in Turkey) and it does have enough to keep most adventurous travelers busy. The Kemeralti Market is one of the best in Turkey and would keep most shoppers happy until they dropped. The Alsancak is a fun area to explore on one's own. For those of us who are comfortable exploring places on our own, Izmir is fine. For those that must have a structured tour (led by a guide with a little sign) it might no be the best place. Personally, DW and I would be happy to spend time in Izmir tomorrow. But many are now afraid of Turkey and we say nothing useful to alleviate that type of anxiety.

Hank

There's the hop on hop off bus.

Thanks to everyone's suggestions. Maybe the cruise ship will have a flyer of other things to do with a map to get to some of the Izmir attractions.

Thanks to everyone's suggestions. Maybe the cruise ship will have a flyer of other things to do with a map to get to some of the Izmir attractions.

Don't count on it. Most of the mass-market lines want to push cruisers to book their shore excursions and provide very little information or encouragement to do-it-yourselfers. Your best bet is to do some online research before you get there. Google maps is great for getting directions.

Thanks to everyone's suggestions. Maybe the cruise ship will have a flyer of other things to do with a map to get to some of the Izmir attractions.

Keep in mind that if they do provide you with some kind of local map/options, the cruise lines tend to only list shops/restaurants that pay them (through their shore excursion company) a promotional fee. In other words, to be recommended or mentioned by a cruise line...one must pay an advertising fee (bribe). This is another reason why you should do your homework before the cruise and not depend on the cruise line for decent information. An unfortunate factor is that the cruise lines will often not tell passengers about the best options...because they refuse to pay! One great example happened to us on Celebrity (a few years ago) when we were docked in Rio de Janeiro and the ship actually tried to discourage passengers from going to H. Stern (arguably the best jewelry store in Rio and possibly all of South America). This happened when Mrs. Stern got tired of being "robbed" by the cruise industry and stopped advertising/paying fees.

Hank:confused: