The go to place when you have nothing else to do…read more This is a slice of Turkish suburbia in the eyes of an American. For those who do not have the luxury of having a Watson's in their country(!!!) this is a great place to stock up on their health goodies. Note of warning though: You cannot convert to TL without someone who is Turkish at the banks in the mall. Once in LC Waikiki they let my friend convert USD to TL after she made a huge purchase, but don't bet on that to complete your shopping. Very clean atmosphere, but not the hugest selection of stores. Can get old after a while. We often came here via taxi, but via the train, I think you can get off at Ege Universitesi and then walk across the campus until you hit the mall. Ikea has great comfort food for those missing a slice of Americana/Swedish food.

Bornova Forum - what can I say? Its pretty awesome. If you think its "small" now, you should have…read moreseen it in 2007/2008...the expansion they made recently (as of last year when I went back) is pretty significant. Was the go to place in regard to hitting up IKEA for apartment items & the huge Kipa where I did most of my grocery shopping...kill time at the movie theater & grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants. Plenty of shopping to be done. This open air shopping center is legit. As for money conversion, I have never had any issues (since 2007). Don't be scared to use your debit card out in town as the system do in fact convert your USD to TL automatically. Also the various ATMs around the shopping center are perfectly fine to use. 99% of them will allow you to withdraw TL & the other 1% will allow for USD/Euro also. We usually drove from Alsancak (which is roughly a 10-15 min drive depending on traffic) & parking is pretty easy. IIRC, they offer valet, but self parking is free so :) I will add this however, even with the expansion this mall pales in comparison to say Agora or the gigantic Optimum (100% LEGIT!)

It's a new mall in an older area Eşrefpaşa. It's great because it's only a short walk away. 0…read moreforeigners so if you're a foreigner expect some stares. Close to BUCA Garrison if you're in that area. 5* ultra clean & ultra new. Good amount of stores but NO FENERIUM :/ NOT CROWDED :)

There was a time in Izmir when Forum Bornova/Bornova Forum was THE it place…read more Then came along Optimum in Gazimir. Now it's all about Mavibahce in Mavisehir. The place is huge & seems to be always full of people! Went with a few friends & family & I was in shock. 1 I hadn't heard about this place & 2 it's an amazing mall...how have I not heard of this place (lol). I had been to the Mavisehir area before when Ege Mall & the older Carrefour/Praktiker AVM behind it were the places to be. Things have changed. It doesn't matter WHERE in Izmir you are. Great choices to eat (Beeves Burgers!), retail etc. You should stop by this mall!

Agora mall...real talk it was the only place in Izmir you could go eat at Popeye's Chicken back in…read morethe day (2007/2008)...I'm not sure if that has changed since, but it's still there as of last year. Anyway, the mall is a bit on the older side, but don't let that fool you. Its still an extremely popular spot. Its a pretty nice mall actually & its right off the highway. Have been there quite a few times for movies and shopping or just a walk around with the wife. There's a parking garage, with plenty of parking.

It's an old Caravanserai from Ottoman period where the caravans used to bring goods from other…read morecountries or cities and unload their cargo to sell. Now it's restored and used as souvenir shops for tourists. It's located in the corner of Kemeralti bazaar area in the center of Izmir and offers intersting stuff to both tourists and locals. The architecture of the building is also amazing. There are also several coffee shops around, just outside of the building, where you can sit and enjoy the traditional Turkish coffee or black tea.

Great touristic spot and a place where you can go with friends for a chill out spot. Shop or look…read morearound, at end have a tea or coffee to end the day. I enjoy this place each time!

Back in the day, when I used to live in Izmir as an exchange student, walking around Konak Pier was…read moreone of my favorite things to do. I'd meet my friends there for lunch (usually in Burger King as we did not have a lot of money to spend on the nicer places). It is a very sophisticated and small shopping mall located right in the center of the city, that used to have a great bookstore (not sure it is still there) and a bunch of cool (and expensive) brand stores. It may even have a cinema (I can't remember for sure and even if I did, it has been eight years, so that may have changed too). The thing I loved the most about it is that it is kind of open and the corridors are very large so you don't feel as if you are confined, something that usually happens to me when I go to other more traditional shopping malls. There are a bunch of really nice restaurants too, and you can sit there and appreciate the amazing view of the sea while you wait for your order to come. It is very close to the super popular Kemeralti market, so if you do not have the resources to do your shopping here, just make sure you come by for the view and some food and then you can move on to the street market to buy cheaper stuff!

Nice little mall close to Kemeralti open air market. Nice restaurants right on the water…read more The main stores are pretty expensive (because they have to probably pay a ridiculous rent). Anyway, this was the first place I went to see a movie while in Izmir. I saw 300 back in the day. I went to a movie there last year also. Still just as nice. They have sweet love seat style couch seats for 2 people. It's like watching a move at home! There's an Italian restaurant, a steak restaurant & a sushi place...they are all good.