What's on in Çeşme (Çeşme), Turkey through the year

Busy — Semester (winter) break in Turkey, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Out of season (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — Semester (winter) break in Turkey, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Out of season (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — Second-term mid-break in Turkey, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Out of season (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — Alacati Herb Festival, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Alacati Herb Festival

  20–26 AprMajor festivalCrowded

  The peninsula's wild greens get a week of cooking competitions, foraging walks and street stalls in Alacati. It is the one time the stone village is busy before the season starts. Source ↗

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Alacati windsurfing season

  1 May – 30 Sep · usuallyWind season

  The meltemi funnels into Alacati bay most afternoons and the water stays waist-deep for hundreds of metres, which is why every beginner in Turkey learns here. Mornings are usually flat.

Still on: Alacati Herb Festival (20–26 Apr)

Busy — Summer holidays in Turkey, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Sea warm enough to swim

  5 Jun – 20 Oct · usually

  Ilica and the shallow bays warm up fast and stay swimmable into October, once the beach clubs have stopped charging for a sunbed.

Still on: Alacati windsurfing season (1 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Istanbul arrives, Summer holidays in Turkey

• Season

  Istanbul arrives

  15 Jul – 31 AugSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  This is where Istanbul spends August, and the peninsula prices accordingly: beach-club entry, Alacati rooms and the motorway queue from Izmir all peak in the same fortnight.

Still on: Alacati windsurfing season (1 May – 30 Sep (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (5 Jun – 20 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Istanbul arrives, Summer holidays in Turkey

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Alacati windsurfing season (1 May – 30 Sep (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (5 Jun – 20 Oct (usually)), Istanbul arrives (15 Jul – 31 Aug)

Busy — Summer holidays in Turkey, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Alacati windsurfing season (1 May – 30 Sep (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (5 Jun – 20 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (5 Jun – 20 Oct (usually))

Busy — First-term mid-break in Turkey

• Season

  Out of season

  1 Nov – 31 Mar · usuallyOff-season shutdownClosures

  Alacati keeps a dozen places open for weekenders and the rest of the peninsula shuts. The thermal hotels at Ilica are the reason anyone comes in February.

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Out of season (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))