Ildır, Erythrai and the northern bay

Ildır sits on the northern coast of the peninsula, about twenty minutes from Çeşme town and a long way from its atmosphere. It is a working village on a bay dotted with small islands, and it is the part of the peninsula that has changed least.

The bay faces north-east, away from the prevailing summer wind, which makes it the calmest and clearest water in the area on an afternoon when the south coast is choppy. Small boats run short trips between the islets; there is no beach-club culture here.

Above and around the village lie the remains of Erythrai, one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League. What survives is scattered rather than monumental — a theatre cut into the hillside, sections of city wall, and foundations across the fields — and the site is open, unfenced and largely unattended. Wear proper shoes and expect to find it yourself.

The village itself is a handful of fish restaurants on the water, mostly serving whatever the boats brought in. Lunch here is one of the better plain meals on the peninsula, and one of the few that has not been redesigned.

Go for a half day: the ruins in the morning while it is cool, a swim from a boat or the shoreline, and lunch on the water before driving back. There is no organised infrastructure, no ticket office and little shade — which is precisely the point.