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Çesme |
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A once-attractive town of old Greek houses wrapped around a castle,
ÇESME these days is little more than Izmir on holiday, and a convenient
stopover on the way to the Greek island of Híos. The town's two main
streets are Inkilap Caddesi , the main bazaar thoroughfare, and its
continuation Çarsi Caddesi, which saunters south along the waterfront.
The sights comprise the town's thirteenth-century Genoese castle (daily
8.30am-noon & 1-5.30pm; $1), with a museum containing finds from the
nearby site of Erythrae, and the Kervanseray , a few paces south, dating
from the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent but now a somewhat dubious
luxury hotel.
Coming by ferry from Híos (Chios in Turkish), you arrive at the small
jetty in front of the castle. By bus from Izmir you'll probably arrive
at the otogar 1km south, although some services meet the top of Inkilap
Cad. Dolmuses to Dalyan leave from the roundabout at the northeast of
Ankilap Cad; those to other nearby attractions depart from next to the
harbourside tourist office (daily 8.30/9am-noon & 1-5/5.30pm; tel
0232/712 6653). In summer there are many options for accommodation ,
with a clutch of pensions on the right-hand side of the castle as it
faces the sea. The efficient Avrupali (tel 0232/712 7039; under £5/$8)
has a picturesque garden and well-appointed rooms including suites with
kitchenettes, while Özge (tel 0232/712 7021; under £5/$8) is
immaculately kept and comfortable. A bit further along and away from the
harbour past the local hamam is the friendly, clean and basic Aras
Apartments (tel 0232/712 7375; under £5/$8), which offers rooms with
balconies in and out of season. Down in the flatlands, the Alim Pansiyon
, Müftü Sok 3 (tel 0232/712 8319; under £5/$8), has simple ensuites,
while in the opposite direction, a ten-minute walk beyond the harbour is
the pleasant two-star Kerman Otel (tel 0232/712 7112, kerman2001@anet.com.tr
; £5-10/$8-16), overlooking the beach. Among Çesme's better restaurants
are the Rihtim and Marina , both overlooking the fishing harbour; Körfez
, on the marina, is possibly the most elegant, serving up excellent
charcoal-grilled fish at a price. Best-value is the nearby Kordon Pide
next to the post office. Rumeli Pastanesi at Inkilap Cad 44 serves some
of the best ice-cream on the Aegean, and specializes in desserts and
jams made from the sap of gum trees. Lezzet As Evi at no. 14 offers good
basic lokanta fare. Internet access is at Emre Internet Café, Kutludal
Sok 11.
You can buy tickets for the ferry to Híos ($30 one-way, $40 open return,
plus $70-90 for a car) from Ertürk (tel 0232/712 6768, www.erturk.com )
or Karavan (tel 0232/712 7230, ikucur@superonline.com ), both in front
of the tourist office. Schedules change according to demand, from as low
as one a week in winter to twice daily in high season. There are no
taxes departing Çesme, but roughly $20 in tax coming from Híos. Tickets
for the weekly ferry to Brindisi in Italy can be had from Tamer (tel
0232/712 7932) and Maskot (tel 0232/712 7654).
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