İzmir Kordon

The Kordon is İzmir's waterfront and the city's living room. It runs along the eastern edge of the gulf through Alsancak, with a wide lawn between the road and the sea, a cycle and scooter lane that carries on for kilometres, benches, and a line of nineteenth-century Levantine buildings and cafés behind. What people do here is sit: on the grass, on the sea wall, at café tables, from late afternoon until well after dark, because the gulf faces west and İzmir's sunsets are the thing the city is proudest of. Ferries cross constantly to Karşıyaka and Bostanlı on the far shore, and the crossing at dusk with a glass of tea on deck is the cheapest good thing in the city. Bikes are for hire along the strip. It is genuinely social rather than touristic - most of the people on the grass live here - and the atmosphere is noticeably more relaxed than Istanbul's waterfronts.

What you actually see

• The lawn strip - grass between the road and the sea wall.
• The sunset - the sun going down over the gulf.
• The cross-gulf ferries - boats to Karşıyaka and Bostanlı.
• The Levantine facades - old buildings behind the promenade.

When to go

April to June and September to October, in the late afternoon and evening. Summer evenings are pleasant; summer afternoons are punishing.

Honest expectations

There is nothing to see as such - the point is sitting, walking and the sunset. The cycle lane is fast and shared; watch when crossing. Café prices on the front are above the side streets.

Nearby

Konak Square and the clock tower are south; the Alsancak bar streets are immediately behind.