Özdere is a small Turkish coastal settlement and resort town in the Menderes district of İzmir Province, along the Aegean Sea coast. It has a permanent population of around 15,000 people, which can rise to nearly 100,000 during the summer[a] as a result of its popularity amongst tourists.
It is located approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of the nearby resort town of Kuşadası and 70 kilometres (43 mi) to the south of İzmir, the provincial seat. The town is situated within close proximity to numerous historical sites and is accessible via the Kuşadası-Selçuk-Seferihisar-Urla provincial road.
The area was settled and cultivated long before Turkish administration of the area, which is reflected in the several historical names the town once bore. During the Ottoman period the town was known as Kesri. In the 1960s that the village underwent a considerable increase in density and population and started to be generally referred to by its current name, Özdere. On June 3, 1979, a municipality was established in Menderes district under this name, with the official borders of the town being drawn. It is currently unincorporated as a result of the municipality’s dissolution in 2008.
With a temperate climate and favorable location, the town is a local center of tourism, which its economy is primarily and steadfastly centered upon. The customs and culture revolve around the behaviors of local business owners, the attire of residents, and its cuisine. Although several pharmacies and doctors practice in the area, as of 2015 the town no longer has an independent municipal health department (Turkish: sağlık ocağı), and such affairs are operated and administered by the district. Numerous schools are located within or near the town and its vicinity.
The ease of access to the town makes the administration of several shuttle buses and share taxis by the province and from central İzmir to Özdere and its beaches possible. Dolmuş and coach buses also operate from the İzmir bus station and from other nearby towns such as Kuşadası and Seferihisar. The town can be reached from the İzmir Adnan Menderes International Airport, where rental car services and taxis can be used to the reach the town center, its neighborhoods, and nearby areas. Ferry and yacht services can be found at several harbors within and near town.
Altitude: Sea Level
Airport: Adnan Menderes Airport 45Km
Transfer: Bus, mini bus
Average teMperature in centigrade: Jan 6/13; Feb 5110 ; Mar 4/14; Apr 10/19; May 15/ 22; Jun 20/27; JuI20/30; Aug 22/32; Sep 18/27; Oct 15/22; Nov 10/18; Dec 7/10.
City transport: Taxi , mini bus, car rental
Sightseeing Tours and Excursion:
1. Ephesus – Mary’s House
(5 hours – daily) Visit the shrine of Virgin Mary; St. Paul, Temples, Library, Great Theatre, Stadium, Archealogical Museum, ısabey Mosque, Basilica St. John, Temple of Diana.
2. Priene – Milletus – Didyma
Priene – Theatre, Temple of Athena, Altar of Zeus.
Miletus – Theatre, Byzantine Fortress, Mosque.
Didyma – Temple of Apollo.
3. Hierapolis
Theatre, Temple of Apollo, thermal baths, Plutonium, Necropolis, Karahayit
4. Aphrodisias and Nysa
(10 hours, daily) Theatre, Agora, thermal bath of Hadrian, The Odeian, Sculptor’ s workshop, The Bishop’ s Balace, temple of Aphrodite, the stadium, the museum
5. Seferihisar, Cesme
Visits: 245
