Izmir Clock Tower (Izmir Saat Kulesi)
The basics
Designed by the French-born, Izmir-based architect Raymond Charles Péré, the Izmir Clock Tower (once known as the Smyrna Clock Tower and sometimes called the Konak Clock Tower) is to Izmir as the Eiffel Tower is to Paris: a city icon and essential meeting point. Most Izmir city tours will include a stop on Konak Square to see the tower, and perhaps also Yali Mosque (also known as Konak Mosque) and the old governor’s mansion.
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Things to know before you go
- It’s not possible to climb the Izmir Clock Tower.
- It’s easy to visit Konak Square with strollers and many kids will enjoy buying seeds and feeding the pigeons.
- Konak Square is flat, even, and wheelchair-accessible.
How to get there
Izmir Clock Tower stands in Konak Square (Konak Meydanı), at the very heart of Izmir. It’s a 2-minute walk from the Konak metro station (Line 3), 5 minutes from the ferries at Konak Pier, and 10 minutes from the popular Izmir Archaeology Museum.
Trip ideas
When to get there
Both the square and the tower are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Twilight is a great choice for photographers as the sun sets over the ocean and night lighting gives the tower a rosy glow.
Izmir’s Other Must-See Sights
Formerly known as Smyrna, Izmir is Turkey’s third-largest city and the unofficial capital of the Turkish Riviera. Highlights include vibrant Kemeralti Market, the Kordonboyu waterfront promenade, hilltop Kadifekale citadel, known for its spectacular views, and the Agora Open Air Museum, one of the best-preserved Greco-Roman marketplaces in the world.
- Church of St. Polycarp
- Baths of Varius
- Izmir Archaeology Museum (Izmir Arkeoloji Muzesi)
- Izmir Ethnography Museum (Izmir Etnografya Muzesi)
- Kadifekale
- Izmir Cruise Port
- Agora Open Air Museum (Izmir Agora)
- Konak Square (Konak Meydani)
- Basilica of St. John
- Temple of Artemis (Artemision)
- Ephesus (Efes)
- Library of Celsus
- Public Latrine at Ephesus
- Temple of Hadrian at Ephesus
- Ephesus Terrace Houses