Guide
The Ephesus–Mimas route is a network of walking and cycling trails across the İzmir peninsula, laid out to follow some eight thousand years of settlement there. It takes its name from its two ends: Ephesus, at Selçuk, and Mimas, the old name of the Karaburun peninsula. In between it crosses seven districts (Selçuk, Menderes, Seferihisar, Urla, Güzelbahçe, Çeşme and Karaburun), taking in natural sites and remains that range from Ionian cities to Ottoman buildings.
The walking network has 49 trails, 709 kilometres in all, beginning in front of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus and ending at Karaburun. Six Ionian cities tie its sections together: Ephesus at Selçuk, Kolophon at Değirmendere in Menderes, Lebedos at Ürkmez and Teos at Sığacık, both in Seferihisar, Klazomenai at Urla, and Erythrai at Ildırı in Çeşme. A seventh Ionian city, Phokaia at Foça, is linked to Karaburun by the blue route, which joins the land to the sea.
Cyclists have 773 kilometres of routes, and the 190-kilometre stretch between Çeşme port and the Temple of Artemis is built to the standards of EuroVelo, the European cycle network. Two themed routes cross the countryside: the olive route, named for the ancient trees and olive presses along it, passes through Güzelbahçe, Çeşme, Seferihisar, Menderes and Selçuk, while the 151-kilometre vineyard route connects Selçuk, Seferihisar, Menderes, Urla, Karaburun and Çeşme.
When to go
- Climate
- Across İzmir as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 8.9 °C in January to 28 °C in July; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in April, May, September and October; rainfall is heaviest in December (146 mm) and lightest in July (4 mm). Long-term means for 1938-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
