Cute fisherman's village: Foça

Foça is place to go if you want to have a quite and boutique type of vacation. It is only 70kms away from downtown Izmir, road is very nice, especially once you are off to highway scenery gets pretty impressive. Interstingly this little town is divided into two parts, Yeni Foça (New Foça) and Eski Foça (Old Foça), not far from each other they are different by distance such that Yeni Foça is 20km away from Foça itself.

This little town gets crowded during summer with Izmir localies or tourists who like casual type of vacation, season starts in May until mid September. It is famous with its fresh fish. The shoreline is closed to traffic, there are many seafood restaurants and coffees on the line. What makes Foça different from other famous summer town, it is quiet, never gets over crowded, nightlife is not as crazy as Bodrum or Kusadasi, people are much more relaxed, does not seem to bother with wearing fancy clothing, neither never saw ladies in high heels, seriously. There were tons of fishermen boat in every corner, with big cats waiting to be feed:) Some fisherman even build a small bed for them, is not that something:)

Many parts of this little town is under strict environmental protection. Hotel or residential constructions are not permitted, it is set to preserve its natural characteristics. Foça is home for three protected marine areas. Due to the value of flora and fauna, small caves and bays Yeni Foça and Eski Foça are place to visit.

During our visit to my sister in Izmir, we spent half day in Foça and loved it. Hundred years old Castle of Foça was going through major restoration which was very impressive. We walked around the shoreline, people were relaxed, it was a very casual atmosphere. People were having their afternoon tea at their balcony, I had a sense that these people were living in a peaceful and wonderful neighborhood which I envy a lot. It is really hard to come by these days...

After we had our simply grilled fish at one of the seafood restaurant, we took a walk and surprised to see people were getting ready for a swim at 8pm! Than my sister told me, that is a tradition among locals, they do not swim really, they just socialize in the water! So we spotted many heads in the water children to adults to elderly, loved it:)

So if you are around, definitely recommend a day trip to Foça, restaurants are not over priced, you will get warm Turkish hospitality in every step you take, and you won't be disappointed.