Foça

Last update October 6, 2026

Foça is situated approximately seventy kilometres north of İzmir and gets its name from the Mediterranean monk seals which live on the small islands off the coast, the name fokia being Greek and fok Turkish. There are fewer than 600 of these seals in the world and about twenty of them make their home in the waters around Foça, which is why the animal has become the town’s unofficial mascot, there being a statue by the harbour to show it. You can’t be certain of seeing one, but boat trips to the nearby islands give you a better chance than most spots in the Aegean.

The town divides into two parts: Eski Foça, the old town, and Yeni Foça, a more recent settlement located about twenty kilometres north of it, which in comparison is only around 800 years old. It is in Eski Foça that you should spend your time, as it has a harbour which has been hosting sailors since 600 BC and includes two small fortresses, Beşkapılar and Dışkale, showing evidence of Byzantine, Genoese, and Ottoman rule. The castle was included on Turkey’s tentative list for World Heritage in 2013, but frankly, the main attraction here is not the ruins. Rather, it is the atmosphere: there are old Ottoman-Greek houses with grapevines growing over the doorways and open-air restaurants along the Küçük Deniz, with fishing boats moored in the Büyük Deniz just beyond them.

There are six beaches in and around Foça with Blue Flag status, and if you are looking for water that matches the Aegean’s reputation then Hanedan Beach, Sazlıca Cove and Mersinaki Cove are worth visiting. To properly cover the distance between Old Foça and New Foça you should rent a car since the two towns are far enough apart to make walking between them impractical. Most of the day a boat tour from the harbour is available, calling at the nearby islands for swimming and snorkelling and usually providing lunch.

It is better to spend your time in one of the small pensions or boutique hotels in the old town rather than in a resort located further away, and if your schedule permits it, allow Foça two or three days. The town is less well known and less crowded than Çeşme or Alaçatı, which is the reason it still has the atmosphere of a genuine Aegean fishing town rather than that of a destination built completely for tourists.