Home Turkey Istanbul Gallipoli Efesus Izmir Milet Antalya Termesos Aspendos Venezuela Caracas Every-day life Chirimena &    Tacarigua Las Lajitas Coro Choroni &   Chuao Quibor Ciudad Ojeda Mochima Cumana Caripe Ciudad Bolivar Puerto Ordaz Callao &   El Dorado La Gran Sabana Merida Observatory Slovenia Ljubljana Bled Kanal ob Soci Idrija Velenje Predjamski grad &   Postojnska jama Balkans Beograd &   Sofia Netherlands The Hague Leiden Amsterdam IMC

Izmir has nothing much to offer to a tourist – a lot of historical buildings were lost in earthquakes and fires -- but a lot to a “turcophil”. It is the third biggest city in Turkey (after Istanbul and Ankara) and one of the main cultural centers in the country. Even though it is situated on the western coast, it is still very traditional and it offers the best of both worlds. It is believed that Homer lived here.