Izmir

Izmir wraps around a deep bay and faces the Aegean with the openness of a port town. It has been continuously inhabited since the Bronze Age — Homer was reportedly born here. Kemeralti, the central bazaar, is one of the great covered markets of the Mediterranean. Eat midye dolma (stuffed mussels) and boyoz (Sephardic flaky pastry) along the bay. The Kordon promenade at sunset is where everyone in Izmir ends up.