Complete Guide on What to do in Alacati, Turkey

Continuing a quest to discover unlikely destinations and sharing travel secrets with the world. There’s a reason you’re here, and it’s because you want to know more about what Alacati is. So, are you looking to escape for a little while? Be in a beautiful place, calm, refreshing, colorful? Alaçatı (pronounced Ala-cha-ti) is the place for you – just beware, this is only the perfect destination in off-season. Yes, that’s right, to truly enjoy this small slice of heaven, you have to go when the crowds leave. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck within a stampede of visitors.

The best thing here is that locals really embrace coffee culture, not just coffee, drinking in general, relaxing in general, and doing nothing in general. It’s perfect for just shutting the world off for a few days.

How to get there?

Alaçatı is in the province of Çeşme, located in Western Turkey and a short ride from the country’s third largest city of Izmir.

Most visitors get to Alaçatı through Izmir city. (&here’s a handy guide if you spend the day in Izmir) From the port city, you’ll need to hop on the train towards Kaymakamlik (which is also the last stop, and where you need to get off). The bus ride is around 50 minutes. Once you get off, you’ll need to take a bus to Çeşme for another hour out. The bus is only 8 TL and the scenery along the way is beautiful. Now the actual bus is tricky to find, it’s not right by the train station. You’ll find a busy gas station straight ahead; you’ll need to walk past it then around it to the right where you’ll find the buses parked. Here’s a link to Izmir’s railway map to help you plan your trip.

Where to Stay

Although there are a ton of really beautiful rustic boutique hotels in Alacati, but here are our favorite places to stay. Maizon D’Azur is a good choice if you’re looking for a budget friendly location to spend your time in Alacati, Maizon is perfectly quaint and quiet but in a hidden street and can get a bit dark at night. I loved my stay regardless! 

Here are a few suggestions for those willing to splurge a bit: Viento Hotel and Dmira Hotel are a bit more luxurious and certainly worth the extra pennies. Gaia Otel is another luxurious lodging location – everything here from the staff, the décor, and the vibe will make your trip to Alacati incredibly comfortable.

Our last suggestion is Hotel Pop Alaçatı because they have incredible decor and an outdoor pool and who doesn’t love pools? Alright, now that we’ve covered where you’ll be staying at this gem of a location let’s talk about all the places you can visit, and where you can get some really good coffee & food in Alaçatı. More or less, this is a pictorial ode to Alaçatı with sprinkles of things to see.

What to Do in Alacati

There’s a whole lot of lounging. It’s all about wandering the cobblestone streets, checking out new establishments, looking at art, jewelry and mingling with locals, and best of all enjoying the fresh flowers and colorful street décor.

Wind Mills – Probably the main “attraction” in town, these ancient windmills date back to the 19th century and overlook the entire village. It’s a beautiful stop for sunset especially and is not to be missed.

Alacati Marketplace Mosque – another great symbolic monument to check out right in the middle of town is the Alacati Mosque.

Are you here on a Saturday? You have to experience a local Saturday market then! The whole town is out and about among street vendors selling everything you can think of.

Now, speaking of markets, there’s an entire souvenir hub. It’s a covered space with about two dozen stalls selling clothes, jewelry, and little trinkets.

Grab a taxi from city center, there’s a station right next to the Wind Mills and head to Marina Port. Alacati is most known for windsurfing, so the port is filled with surfing schools.

There’s also many restaurants and cafes, but mostly yachts and anchored boats. Take a quick tour, or stop at Terrace Restaurant for some views on the other side!

Afterwards, grab another taxi to Delikli Koy Beach, which is a little glimpse of Pamukkale (& if you’ve never been check it out. It’s beautiful limestone rock formations in Denzili) or you can get it right here in Alacati during the perfect day at the beach.

The Cafes.

Straight & center, Kose Kahve takes the lead for being the most comfortable, approachable and delicious coffee shop. And the online community agrees, naming it the top coffee shop in Alacati.

The Restaurants.

Bumba Breakfast Club– hands down my favorite restaurant in all of Turkey. The bohemian vibes, trendy décor, excellent service and phenomenal food (was that enough adjectives to describe this glorious food experience? probably not). Get the traditional all you can eat Turkish spread! Thank me later.

Newly wedded-couple owned Mudavim Pide Salonu delivers the freshest, made to order savory & sweet pide selections. It’s a little shop at the entrance of the town, but it’s a must stop!

Sailors Meydan– I loved eating at Sailors because of their location! You can find good food in many of Alacati’s restaurants but good food and a great vibe is hard to come by. Sailors is the center of town, overviewing the square with an outdoor terrace. If you’re going for a traditional Turkish dish, get the Manti (ravioli like dish with yogurt and tomato sauce), a tip from a foodie? Don’t order it fried, get it steamed.

Hoshaff– How many times is someone allowed to use the word trendy in a post? The food is delicious; the seating terrace is beautiful and cozy.

The Nightlife.

Morah– this is a great place for a midday stop, but even better at night with live music, bands, great cocktails and a delicious pot of freshly made warm sangria. Honestly, you should stop by twice, the décor is wonderful and homey (very spring like) – you’ll want to snap some photos here in daylight.

Goz Lounge – just another nightclub/place to hang out in the evenings. Cozy little setting and a winner with the locals.

Now, as we’ve talked about – Alacati is all about walking around, relaxing, lots of food and locals. If you need to get your tourist on, then you can do a day trip to Ephesus. The ancient Greek city is only 2 hours away and makes for a great little historical adventure.

Or you can continue to hang out in Alacati, make sure to wander at night, it’s a remarkable feeling.

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