Getting around the peninsula

The peninsula is compact — Çeşme town to Alaçatı is about ten kilometres, and almost nothing is more than half an hour away — but the coastline is scattered and public transport follows the main roads only.

With a car: the simplest option, and the only one that reaches the northern bays, Ovacık and the smaller coves. Parking is the trade-off: Alaçatı's centre is largely closed to traffic and its edges fill early in the evening, and popular beaches charge for parking in season.

Without a car: local minibuses (dolmuş) connect Çeşme town, Alaçatı, Ilıca and Dalyan frequently through the day and less frequently late at night. They are cheap and reliable for the main corridor and useless for anything off it. Taxis and ride apps operate but get scarce and expensive after midnight in August.

By scooter or bike: workable for short hops between Alaçatı and the nearest beaches, less so in the afternoon wind or on the motorway-adjacent stretches.

On foot: Alaçatı and Çeşme town are both walkable in their centres and pleasant in the evening. Between them, walking is not realistic.

A sensible pattern for a short trip: base yourself in Alaçatı or Çeşme town, walk in the evenings, and take a car or minibus out to one beach a day rather than trying to see three. The peninsula rewards staying put more than covering ground.