To get to Yeni Foca you can either leave the E87 from
Izmir to Cannakale just past Buruncuk or carry on for 5
miles and drive along the coast. This takes you past a very
ugly recycyling factory and can be very scary with dozens of
large lorries carrying scrap metal.
The more scenic route passes through unspoilt countryside
full of olive groves and other agriculture. Passing through
Eski Foca you take the coast road towards Yeni Foca. This
road provides fantastic views of the coastline and, about
5km out to sea, the Greek island of Lesbos. Along the route
there are numerous coves and the odd hotel.
About 20km from Eksi Foca you drive over a hill and see Yeni
Foca below you stretching around a gorgeous bay to the left
with hills full of olive groves to the right.
One thing you will notice immediately is how close
everything is to the sea. Like any true fishing port the
town stretches around the bay rather than away from it. This
is ideal because, as visitors/tourists most of your
activities inevitably centre on the seafront. In Yeni Foca
everything is either directly on the seafront or in the
streets immediately behind. As an example the local bus
station sits on the edge of town, on the main coast road we
arrived on. This is literally a few minutes walk from the
harbour.
Yeni Foca has the initial feel of a small fishing village
but as you start exploring you realise that the bay takes
the best part of 45 minutes to walk end to end. There are
lots of little cafes, varying in price and specialising, of
course in fish. However, pide, kofte, salads etc are also
widely available.
The harbour is at the northern end of town and houses many
typical small Turkish fishing vessels - no large commercial
trawlers here. Around the edge are a number of restaurants
all offering the days catch.
As you walk away from the harbour, heading south along the
bay you come to the first of two main beaches. The gently
sloping bed of the sea ensures that the water remains
shallow enough for children to play safely. Beyond the first
beach there is a promenade offering more opportunities to
sunbathe or simply relax. This in turn leads to the next
beach, towards the southern end of the bay. Many parts of
the promenade are closed to traffic in the summer. All along
the seafront there are bars, restaurants and beach clubs
that are happy to serve drinks and snacks to you on the
beach.
Turkey accomodation, click the pic :
Set back from the seafront the narrow old streets house a
number of bakeries, fruit and veg stalls and cafes. For
general shopping there are three main supermarkets; Dia,
Tansas and a brand new large general supermarket.
There is a weekly street market and during the summer there
is a nightly market which sells everything from jewellery to
clothes to touristy things. In the summer evenings, the sea
front bustles with people of all ages “promenading” which is
great because unlike in Bodrum or Marmaris, no one dresses
up, they just have fun and enjoy themselves.
Overall, the appeal of Yeni Foca is that it is unspoilt by
tourism. It already has tourism in the form of visitors from
Izmir, other Turkish towns and a few Europeans, and
soon-to-be English residents. Yet it manages it in such a
way that the character of the town remains unchanged. There
are strict local restrictions on development and all new
buildings are limited to two or three storeys.
To read more about what others have to say visit the
forum holidays section.
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Articles written by John G
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