Experts' Choice Award Kadifekale
What the experts agree on
Kadifekale's restored ramparts reward the climb with sweeping views of Izmir's harbor and cityscape—on clear days, the vistas stretch toward Greece. This hilltop fortress, built after Alexander the Great's conquest, offers Izmir's best panoramic
“Climb the windy, restored ramparts of the Kadifekale (Turkish for "velvet castle"), built soon after Alexander the Great swept through Smyrna, for sweeping views of the city and its harbor.”
– Fodor's
Frommer's "Probably constructed on the foundations of an earlier civilization...on a clear day you'll swear you can see as far as Greece from atop the remaining ramparts." Full review
