Many property buyers prefer İzmir over Istanbul because of the outdoor activities and nature in İzmir.
İzmir Wild Life Park
This Zoo was established in 2008 by the İzmir Municipality. The park is surrounded by trees and greenery everywhere. It is a perfect picnic spot for families and the birds plus all tropical animals make it a very nice place to visit. The animals are not caged like in most Zoos, and there are over 1500 animals and 120 different species.
Kültürpark
This urban park in İzmir is located in the area Konak. It was founded in 1936 and the area is about 360.000 m2. Since a long time ago it has been hosting the International Trade Fair. The park is perfectly suitable for a nice stroll, exercise or to just get a moment away from the city life in İzmir. This park is much bigger than any of the parks in Istanbul.
Kent Forest
The “İnciralti City Forest” is the first urban forest of İzmir with an area of 620,000 m2, which can be used at all hours of the day, and can be used as an area for sports, walking, sightseeing, and picnics in the area where the sea meets greenery. There are nice seating areas with natural stones, rocks, and wood. The entrance of the forest is covered with large marble plaques, equipped with marble columns, and statues. The wetland in the forest is where birds shelter and lay eggs, there is a bridge plus walking, and bicycle path.
İzmir Kuş Cenneti
This is an area of 40 thousand hectares with 289 bird species and hosts close to one hundred thousand waterbirds in the winter months. This area is one of the two areas where flamingos are bred in Turkey; it has about 30 thousand flamingos. The globally endangered crested pelican is bred in the same area.
Karagöl Tabiyat Parkı
“Karagöl Tabiyat Parkı” is a nature park in the province of İzmir. It is located in the Yamanlar Mountains on the northside of İzmir. The natural area with a calm lake is perfect for a cosy picnic in the autumn or wintertime.
Seaside İzmir
İzmir city is developed next to a u-shape bay and has a huge coastline. A very popular activity for locals and foreigners is to walk on one of the long shoreline promenades in İzmir. Along the shoreline there are multiple spots with various bars and restaurants. The most popular ones are “Pasaport” and “Kordon”.
Windsurf and Kitesurf
Çeşme is a well-known wind and kite surf spot all over the world. In Alaçatı port there is a surfing school and an enormous big facility for beginning kite and windsurfers. The windy location of Çeşme makes it perfect for wind surf activities.
