Middle East - Anthony Ham [471]
Sights
One of the highlights of the Aegean coast, the well-proportioned Asclepion (Temple of Asclepios; admission/parking TL10/3; 8.30am-5.30pm), about 3km from the city centre, was a famous medical school with a library that rivalled that of Alexandria in Egypt. The ruins of the Acropolis (admission TL10; 8.30am-5.30pm), 6km from the city, are equally striking. The hilltop setting is absolutely magical, and the well-preserved ruins are magnificent, especially the vertigo-inducing 10,000-seat theatre and the marble-columned Temple of Trajan, built during the reigns of emperors Trajan and Hadrian and used to worship them as well as Zeus.
The excellent Archaeology Museum (Arkeoloji Müzesi; 632 9860; İzmir Caddesi; admission TL2; 8.30am-5.30pm Tue-Sun) has a small but important collection of artefacts from both of these sites, including a collection of 4th-century statues from the so-called ‘Pergamum School’.
Sleeping & Eating
Odyssey Guest house ( 653 9189; www.odysseyguesthouse.com; Abacihan Sokak 13; dm TL10, s/d without bathroom low season TL15/30, high season TL20/35) This 180-year-old house has clean (but sparse) rooms, furnished with copies of Homer’s Odyssey. There’s a trading library and breakfast is served on the rooftop terrace.
Gobi Pension ( 633 2518; www.gobipension.com; Atatürk Bulvarı 18; s/d €20/32, without bathroom €14/22; ) On the main road behind a greenery-draped terrace, this is a great family-run place with bright, cheery rooms, most with new private bathrooms.
Akropolis Guest House ( 631 2621; www.akropolisguesthouse.com; Kayalik Caddesi 5; s/d €20/49; ) This 150-year-old stone house is the closest Bergama gets to boutique, with eight attractively decorated rooms surrounding a pool and garden, a restaurant set in a barn and a terrace with Acropolis views.
Pala Kebap Salonu ( 633 1559; Kasapoğlu Caddesi 4; kebap €2.20; 8am-11pm Mon-Sat) Though small and simple, this place is terrifically popular and the food’s delicious. Try the spicy Bergama köfte (TL6).
Bergama Ticaret Odası Sosyal Tesisleri ( 632 9641; Ulucamii Mahallesi; meze TL5, mains TL6-8; 10.30am-11pm) Run by Bergama municipality, this restaurant occupies a beautifully restored 200-year-old Greek house.
Sağlam Restaurant ( 632 8897; Cumhuriyet Meydanı 47; mains TL6-11; 8am-11pm) This large, simple place is well known in town for its high-quality home cooking. It does a good selection of meze, which change daily, and delicious kebaps.
Getting There & Around
There are frequent buses to/from İzmir (TL10, two hours, 110km) and Ayvalık (TL7.50, 1¾ hours, 60km). Bergama’s new otogar lies 7km from the centre at the junction of the highway and the main road into town. From here a dolmuş service shuttles into town (TL2); a taxi should cost around TL15 during the day.
There’s no public transport to the archaeological sites. A taxi tour of sites including the Acropolis, the Asclepion and the museum costs from TL40 to TL60, depending on the time of year.
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İZMİR
0232 / pop 2.6 million
Though you may eventually fall for its hectic nightlife, great shopping and top-notch museums, İzmir can take some getting used to. Certainly nowhere else in the region can prepare you for the sheer size, sprawl and intensity of the place.
At the water’s edge, İzmir’s traffic has been beaten back and the city really comes into its own. The seafront is one of its main attractions, the wide, pleasant esplanade of Birinci Kordon providing eating, drinking and sunset-watching opportunities. Inland, things are more hectic, but you’ll find a buzzing bazaar, plenty of interesting ruins and a newly restored Jewish quarter.
Orientation & Information
İzmir’s two main avenues run parallel to the waterfront. Atatürk Caddesi (Birinci Kordon or First Cordon), known locally as the Kordon, is on the waterfront; a block inland is Cumhuriyet Bulvarı, the İkinci Kordon