What You Could Get in Izmir for $10 – Some Things That Also Make Me Want to Go Back to the City!

Hello, everyone! 😀

The second Wednesday of 2019, and my correspondence with Lindsay from My Trampoline Kids took me back to summer 2010 instead. Time flies so fast that I didn't even notice that it's almost 9 years already ever since I left Izmir.

Yes, on this week's $10 series, we'll go to the Aegean coast to see how you could spend your $10 in Izmir. When I read Lindsay's piece on this, I've got so many things to add on but then again I'm not sure how much 9 years have changed the city.

3 years ago, I was also in Turkey but I, unfortunately, didn't get a chance to stop by the present area of Smyrna and only had a chance to visit my friend in Mersin and my then-boyfriend in Istanbul.

However, if there's anything I really want to add on what you could get in Izmir, I'd really recommend midiye dolma, or stuffed mussels, in Inciralti area. It was my favorite when I stayed at the dorm in the area. In 2010, I could get 5 TL of the stuffed mussels to the point I got so full and almost wanted to throw up. But it was worth it.

I'm not sure how much it would cost nowadays, but you could spend some time there at night. Even if maybe the seller no longer sells the stuffed mussels there, you could stop by Inciralti Sea Museum in the evening or chill around some fancy cafe there.

To get there, just take the 311 bus from Konak, where the Clock Tower is. And the bus will stop at Inciralti area, and the stuffed mussels vendor is located not so far from Crowne Plaza.

Anyway, let's continue to Lindsay's piece! 🙂

How to Spend Your TL When Things Are Cheaper Nowadays!

Izmir is located on Turkey's Aegean coast and $10 USD goes a long way in the city. $1 USD is currently equal to about 5.5 TL although the currency has had some volatile fluctuations as of late. It has gone from 4 TL to $1 USD to 6.9 TL for $1 USD in 2018 alone.  This has made buying power for locals quite difficult. But for visitors, things are cheaper.

Food

Firstly, when it comes to food, you can eat plenty of street food for less than a dollar. For example, an ice cream cone was generally 1-2 TL and was the perfect bite size to eat before it melted.

Secondly, we found a great hotdog vendor outside the Karsiyaka ferry terminal that sold hotdogs for 1.5 TL. Turkey's version of grilled cheese was 2-3 TL and a sandwich from a street vendor was generally 4-8 TL.

Tea or coffee was 1.5 TL on most signs, but when you sat in the bazaar for a drink, you would be charged 4-5 TL for a cup of Turkish coffee.

Transportation

Taking transportation was super cheap, and we took a train from Izmir's Basmane station to Ephesus for just 7 TL per adult, and my kids rode for free. There was no assigned seating, but Izmir was the terminal and it was quite easy to get seats going towards Ephesus.

But when coming back to Izmir from Ephesus in Selcuk, the train was quite full the entire way.

Izmir Zoo

The Izmir Zoo was quite impressive too, and it cost just 2 TL.

Inside the food court was where we spent most of our money, as a bottle of water was the same price as our entrance cost. Once the bus to the zoo, entrance fees and food were factored in, we still spent less than USD 10 for our day trip for 2 adults and 2 kids.

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Contributor: Lindsay of My Trampoline Kids

Lindsay is a mom of two little boys who love the outdoors and are trampoline addicts. They are the proud owners of bouncey castles and trampolines, and they have brought hours of enjoyment. 

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