Considering Izmir is Turkey's 3rd largest city, it doesn't receive many international tourists but I hugely enjoyed my time here. Vivid, bustling, colourful Izmir is a photographer's dream, whether you are in the historic kemeralti bazaar district or people-watching on the busy waterfront, where people gather to socialise in the evenings. And Izmir is a great base for exploring ancient sites - Ephesus is only an hour's journey to the south, and Pergamon just over an hour to the north, and there are many more. I will return one day to keep exploring. All photos from September 2023.

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