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Located on the Aegean coast at the head of the Gulf of Izmir, the city has long been a vital centre of trade and commerce. Founded as the Greek city of Smyrna, the city boasts remnants of its Hellenic heritage alongside modern skyscrapers.
Would confidently recommend Izmir as a destination for anyone seeking a unique European city-style experience. Enough to keep entertained for a weekend city break if already in Turkey.
I visited Izmir briefly for a week in 2022 and when it came to picking out destinations for the next summer it was top of the list.
One of the better Turkish cities for Airbnbs, if booking in advance you shouldn't have a problem finding a good value apartment. Double check for A/C in summer months as it can be surprisingly uncommon in some older buildings.
Izmir has a solid selection of coworking options, with the majority of them towards the Bayraklı area. The area is easily accessible using public transport from either Alsancak or Karşıyaka.
Out of anywhere i have visited in the country I believe Izmir represents some of the best value. The quality of the infrastructure is high and there is great quality food and drink available at comparatively great prices to the rest of Europe. Don't expect too many bargains if heading to Çeşme or Alaçatı.
I found a great ambience in Izmir during both of my summer trips. The area around Alsancak is consistently busy, with plenty of options for restaurants and nightlife on weekends. On the opposite side of the bay, Karşıyaka is another vibrant hub, with both areas lively until the early hours. While dramatically smaller than Istanbul, there’s more than enough to keep you entertained throughout a month.
Turkey adheres to GMT+2 in summer, reverting to GMT+3 in winter due to the absence of daylight saving time practices.
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Izmir is a massive city and whilst it is well connected by public transport, I'd suggest being close to one of these hubs.
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Situated in Bornova, a five minute walk from the Sanayi Izban station, Originn is a large, industrial feeling coworking space with a range of options for hot desking, fixed desk and private offices.
Desks are large, wifi is strong and there is an on site cafe serving coffees throughout the day as well as on site kitchen with a rotating daily menu. Most importantly during summer, the A/C keeps it pleasantly cool. If it does get too hot, there is an area for taking a nap also, which I did make occasional use of.
There aren't a lot of places to take calls in private, but the space is so large and open, it was never a problem. The surrounding area is something of an industrial estate, but there is a supermarket within 5 minutes walk as well as more options for food and coffee.
Even if you are staying on the other side of town in Bostanlı, I would say it's the best option in town and worth heading over for.
Impressive archaeological site with monumental ruins of Roman & Greek temples. Little shade on a hot day, so come prepared. Reachable by train from the centre of Izmir.,
Even with temperatures getting up to 35 degrees on a couple of days, the heat never felt too severe when in the city, the caveat being that is only the case if where you are working from and where you are staying has A/C. Mornings were the perfect temperature for a run and the evenings go late into the night with people eating and drinking outdoors.
With over 300 days of sunshine a year, similar to Athens you are likely to always get some clear skies in the city. May would probably be the perfect balance between being able to make the most of the beaches and outdoors, without it being too scolding.
There's not much of a remote work community in the city however I did spot a couple of Facebook expat groups which appear to exist. Izmir draws in people throughout the country with a good mix of locals and others.
Izmir is known to be one of, if not the most liberal city in Turkey and in areas like Bostanlı and Alsancak, there's little to suggest that you may in a country with such strong Islamic ties. Local people are friendly with English generally spoken well in most cafes and bars especially by the younger generations.
The city itself is not much of a tourist destination, but you are likely to see people passing through en route to vacations in the hotspots of Çeşme and Alaçatı.
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