Property for sale in Izmir

İzmir is a good place to buy if you want Aegean coastal living with a large city behind it, and most of TFF's İzmir listings are on the Çeşme peninsula: Çeşme, Alaçatı, Ilıca and Urla. The peninsula suits holiday-home buyers, families who spend long summers by the sea and buyers looking at boutique hospitality; the city itself suits people who need year-round urban services.

• 4,504,185 residents in İzmir province (2025, TÜİK via Sözcü)
• 18 km from İzmir Airport to the city centre (DHMİ)
• 35 km from İzmir city centre to Urla (GoTürkiye)
• 6.6 magnitude of the 30 October 2020 earthquake off Seferihisar (AFAD)

Where it is and how it feels

İzmir is the main city of Türkiye's Aegean coast and, by the 2025 register figures reported by Sözcü, home to 4,504,185 people across the province. For most foreign buyers who contact us, though, "İzmir" means the Çeşme peninsula. GoTürkiye, the official tourism portal, describes Çeşme, Alaçatı, Ilıca and Urla as the main holiday towns on the peninsula, which stretches into the Aegean west of the city.

The towns are close together but very different. Alaçatı is the one people picture first: GoTürkiye mentions its stone houses, cobbled lanes, boutique hotels and restaurants that spill onto the street, and calls it a famous windsurfing destination where constant wind also draws kitesurfers. Çeşme town has the harbour, beaches and the thermal waters the area is known for. Urla, about 35 km from the city centre according to GoTürkiye, has a longer history than most visitors realise: the ancient port of Klazomenai and the Liman Tepe mound, described as the oldest port in the Aegean.

The trade-off is simple. The peninsula gives you beaches, wind and a holiday rhythm; the city gives you hospitals, universities, offices and year-round life. Many owners live in the city or abroad and use a peninsula home for the season.

Areas TFF covers in İzmir

• Alaçatı — stone houses, boutique hotels and wind sports; the historic core is an urban protected area.
• Port Alaçatı — the marina in the north-west of Alaçatı Bay, a name that appears in some of our listing titles.
• Çeşme — the harbour town at the tip of the peninsula, with beaches and thermal waters nearby.
• Ilıca — one of the peninsula's holiday towns, home to the Çeşme Ilıca Residences project on our site.
• Urla — closer to the city, with ancient Klazomenai and Liman Tepe and a quieter, greener feel.
• İzmir city — the metropolitan centre, for buyers who need year-round services.

Getting around

Flights come into İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport. DHMİ, the state airports authority, says it lies about 18 km from the city centre and is served by a Metro-İZBAN station, municipal ESHOT buses, Havaş shuttles, taxis and more than 20 car-hire firms. From the airport, the peninsula is reached by road.

The İzmir–Çeşme motorway is a toll road run by the General Directorate of Highways (KGM). Its 2026 toll tariff lists stations at Seferihisar (Güzelbahçe), Urla, Karaburun, Zeytinler, Alaçatı and Çeşme, so all the towns in this guide have their own motorway exit.

Once you are on the peninsula, GoTürkiye's advice is plain: the best way to get around Çeşme and Alaçatı is by car, especially to reach the beaches. Plan for one, and check parking at the property, because Alaçatı's old lanes are narrow.

• Airport İzmir Airport has its own Metro-İZBAN station for city trips (DHMİ). For the peninsula, arrange a car or transfer.
• Motorway Urla, Alaçatı and Çeşme each have a toll station on the İzmir–Çeşme motorway (KGM, 2026).
• Marina life Port Alaçatı has a marina on Alaçatı Bay, and the bay's wind makes it a base for windsurfing and kitesurfing.

Daily life: health, services and seasons

On the peninsula, the public hospital is Çeşme Alper Çizgenakat State Hospital on the Ilıca road at Boyalık. Its website lists emergency services, outpatient clinics, imaging, laboratory and a hemodialysis unit. For specialist care you may need to travel to İzmir city; ask your insurer which private hospitals in the city it covers.

Before you buy, walk to the nearest shop, pharmacy and restaurant from the property. Many places on the peninsula run to the tourist calendar, so check what stays open in winter if you plan to live there outside summer. Urla, being closer to the city, works better for buyers who want the countryside and the city within reach.

Alaçatı's protected status shapes daily life too. A May 2026 report in Yeni Asır said all interventions in the urban protected area are supervised by the Monuments Board and KUDEB, the municipal conservation office, and described a new design guide for shop signs and awnings. That keeps the streets attractive, and it also means owners need permission for changes to facades.

Homes you will find and what to check

TFF's İzmir listings are mostly apartments and villas, with a couple of hotels and one commercial property. Examples on the site include Villa For Sale With Greek Architecture In Cesme Alacati!, Cesme Ilıca Residences and Kekliktepe Izmir Urla Project. On the peninsula you will find stone houses in and around old Alaçatı, detached villas with pools, holiday apartments in compounds, and boutique hotels.

• Protected areas Law No. 2863 protects urban, archaeological and natural sites. In Alaçatı's protected core, changes are supervised by the Monuments Board and KUDEB. Ask what you may change before you buy a stone house.
• Coastal law Under Coastal Law No. 3621 (1990), the shore is under state control and open to everyone, and buildings in the coastal strip may come no closer than 50 m to the shore edge line. Check what "sea front" means for the specific plot.
• Earthquake design AFAD recorded a magnitude 6.6 earthquake off Seferihisar on 30 October 2020. Buildings permitted from 1 January 2019 follow the 2018 Turkish Building Earthquake Code; for older buildings, ask for structural information.
• Hotels and commercial For a hotel, check the tourism licence, the occupancy permit and that the built rooms match the approved plans. Ask for operating accounts and have them reviewed by your own adviser.

Who it suits and who should look elsewhere

• Holiday-home buyers who want Aegean beaches with a big city and its airport reachable by motorway.
• Families who spend whole summers by the sea.
• Windsurfers, kitesurfers and sailors.
• Buyers interested in boutique hotels in Alaçatı and Çeşme, who will run due diligence on the business.

• Buyers who need full city services on foot all year: look at İzmir city or at Istanbul.
• Anyone who wants to change a historic stone house freely.
• Buyers who do not want to drive.
• People who want a calm, windless summer terrace every day.

Buying here as a foreigner

Foreign nationals can buy in İzmir province under the Land Registry Law. Article 35, as published by TKGM, caps foreign individuals at 10% of a district's area open to private ownership and 30 hectares per person nationwide, and excludes military and security zones. On a peninsula with a long coastline, your lawyer should confirm early that the parcel is open to foreign purchase. Our buying process guide covers the steps.

Purchases in İzmir can be used towards Turkish citizenship if they meet the rules in force on the application date, based on the official valuation. Read our Turkish citizenship guide first.

How TFF can help

We arrange viewings in Çeşme, Alaçatı, Ilıca and Urla, and video tours for buyers who cannot travel yet. We help with the title deed process, coordinate with your lawyer and technical inspector, and support you after the sale with utilities, maintenance contacts and letting questions. For hotels, we request the seller's documents so that your own advisers can review them. We do not promise prices or returns.

1. Brief us Which town, holiday or year-round use, villa or apartment, and your budget.
2. View In person or by video, including the street, parking and the nearest beach.
3. Check Title deed, permits, protected-area and coastal status, earthquake design.
4. Complete Title deed transfer, then after-sales support.

Frequently asked questions

Browse our current İzmir property listings, or contact us to plan viewings on the Çeşme peninsula.

Sources

• Sözcü, February 2026: İzmir province population for 2025 from TÜİK data (accessed 2 October 2026)
• GoTürkiye (Ministry of Culture and Tourism): Çeşme, Alaçatı, Ilıca and Urla; Urla 35 km from İzmir; Klazomenai, Liman Tepe, Erythrai (accessed 2 October 2026)
• GoTürkiye: Çeşme thermal waters, Alaçatı wind sports, getting around by car (accessed 2 October 2026)
• DHMİ, İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport transport: distance to city centre, Metro-İZBAN, buses, taxis, car hire (accessed 2 October 2026)
• KGM, 2026 toll tariff for the İzmir–Çeşme motorway: toll stations (accessed 2 October 2026)
• Yeni Asır, May 2026: Alaçatı urban protected area, Monuments Board and KUDEB supervision, design guide (accessed 2 October 2026)
• PredictWind marina directory: Port Alaçatı Marina location on Alaçatı Bay (accessed 2 October 2026)
• Çeşme Alper Çizgenakat State Hospital: location and services (accessed 2 October 2026)
• AFAD, 30 October 2020: magnitude 6.6 earthquake off Seferihisar (accessed 2 October 2026)
• Coastal Law No. 3621: public shore, coastal strip, 50 m building line (accessed 2 October 2026)
• Law No. 2863 on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets: protected sites (accessed 2 October 2026)
• Official Gazette, 18 March 2018: Turkish Building Earthquake Code, in force 1 January 2019 (accessed 2 October 2026)
• TKGM, Land Registry Law Article 35: limits on foreign ownership (accessed 2 October 2026)