Ayvalik Guide

Ayvalik


Ayvalik is beautiful, spreading onto a peninsula and circled by islands, with many coves swirling in and out of its coastline. The bustling dock town and Cunda Island across the way retain substantial proof of the Greek community that flourished here and gained in the olive oil trade until being banished in the population exchange of 1923. Atmospheric back streets are full of breaking old Greek houses. A long, light beach is just a short minibus ride away, and many pleasure boats stand ready to take visitors on diving and snorkeling excursions.

Ayvalik has some of the finest 19th-century Greek-style design in Turkey, and a recent renovation has begun to change decades of neglect. Different typical Ottoman houses (tall, narrow, and built of wood, with an overhanging bay window), Greek homes are stone, with classic angular pediments above a square box. The best way to travel is to turn your back to the Aegean and roam the tiny side streets heading up the hill into the heart of the old residential quarter (try Talatpasa Caddesi or Gümrük Caddesi). The artsy Tarlakusu café on Cumhuriyet Caddesi has some helpful maps to get you started.

Several historic churches in town have been transformed into mosques. St. John's is presently the Saatli Cami (Clock Mosque). St. George's is presently the Çýnarlý Cami (Plane Tree Mosque). There are several mosques converted from churches in Turkey, but these are amongst the most striking—the elaborate style of Orthodox churches does not fill the plain minimalist style of mosques, and the unimpressive minaret built later at the Cinarli Mosque looks almost absurd. The pictures of the saints inside are painted over but can still be seen if you look thoughtfully. The now-shuttered Taxiarchis Church holds an unusual series of decorating done on fish skin representing the life of Christ. Barbaros Caddesi on the south end of the dock will take you to Phaneromeni Church (Ayazma Kilisesi), performing beautiful stone craftwork, and to the Hayrettin Pasa Camii, also converted from a church.

In summer, Sarimsakli Plaji, the 10-km (6-mile) range of sandy beach 7 km (4½ miles) from the center of town, is famous, and easily and cheaply reached by minibusses that stop near the harbor. It's a packed resort with a mess of cement hotels right behind the seafront, and traffic and parking can be a dilemma, but the beach and sea are lovely.

Day or evening sails to the bays and islands of Ayvalik are enjoyable and range from party boat trips to lower-key swimming tours to the Patrica Nature Reserve on the distant side of Cunda Island. Salesmen on the docks will try to sell you a tour as you walk by the boats, and competition makes prices very fair—about 30 TL for a day trip including a fish meal. Diving trips are also possible at a higher cost. The tours are offered from May until the end of October.

Seytan Sofrasi, a peak 9 km (5½ miles) from town, on a right corner on the way from Ayvalik to Sarimsakli, is the place to get a scenic view of the islands and the bays and have a cup of tea or a snack at one of the cafés. It's especially lovely at sunset when minibusses make the return trip from town for about 5 TL.