Anyone who has visited the indoor bazaar in Istanbul and feels he now knows what a Turkish market is all about should really come to visit the Kemeralti market in Izmir.

This is the real thing, not the overpriced facade you get in Istanbul, where many of the goods are low quality (although you can find bargains there sometimes).

You can spend half a day getting pleasantly lost in the Kemeralti market, as you stroll through the massive area it covers. Some of the stores are in covered arcades, noticeably the jewellery and the carpet stores, but most of the market is outdoors.

Many of the products are centralised in one area, so you will find a whole street of kitchen utensils, then a whole street of wedding attire (quite something to see...), and there is even a street full of shops that manufacture printed signs, rubber stamps, engraved trophies and other similar items.

You will find many shaded corners to sit and sip a cup of turkish coffee or apple tea, and best of all....the prices are much lower than in Istanbul.

You can purchase leather jackets at prices that make you think they are plastic (but they are not).

If you keep walking, you will eventually come out of the market either at the sea front or on one of the main roads which are easily identifiable on a street map, so take it easy, wander freely and when you are done, just keep walking in one direction until you find an exit.

After tiring out your feet head to the sea promenade and sit down for a good meal at one of the many excellent restaurants.

Izmir is a very secure and enjoyable city. you can walk thorugh the center of city, from alsancak to kemeralti, the biggest traditional bazaar in turkey. Walking routes inside the city center aproximetly 5 km. You can find pratical tips an walking routes in the web site  http://www.walkizmir.com