Which museums in Izmir can you visit with a Museum Pass, and for how long?

İzmir province is one of Turkey's richest in museums and archaeological sites. Giants like Ephesus and Pergamon and the small museums in the middle of the city are all visited on the same card. In this piece we have gathered where the card works, what order makes sense and how long to give each place.

The Müzekart is an annual card for Turkish citizens giving entry to all ministry museums and sites. For foreign visitors there are regional Museum Pass options. Cards are sold at museum ticket offices and online. In İzmir a single visit to Ephesus recovers most of the price, and the rest is a gift.

In the city the card works at the Archaeology and Ethnography museums (Bahri Baba Park, two hours together), the Agora (one hour) and the History and Art Museum in Kültürpark (one hour). You can do all four on foot in a single day; the Museum Day route does exactly that.

In Selçuk, the Ephesus site (three hours), the Terrace Houses (separate ticket, card valid, forty-five minutes), the Ephesus Museum (one hour) and the Basilica of St John (one hour). The House of the Virgin Mary is not a ministry site and you pay separately.

In Bergama, the Acropolis (two hours), the Asklepion (one hour) and the Bergama Museum (forty-five minutes). The cable car is not included. The Red Basilica may be closed for restoration; you look from outside.

On the peninsula, Çeşme Castle and Museum (forty-five minutes), Klazomenai (forty-five minutes), Teos (one hour). There is also Erythrai north of Çeşme, less visited, with more of a view.

As for hours. In the summer period, roughly April to October, most places open at 8:30 and close between 7 and 8 p.m.; Ephesus runs night visits until 11 p.m. on summer nights. In winter closing moves to 5 or 5:30 p.m. Ticket offices stop selling half an hour before closing, so do not leave it to the last minute. Some museums close on Mondays; check the ministry's provincial page before you set out.

Our suggestion for the order is this. Start the first day in the city at the Archaeology Museum; seeing the statues from Bayraklı, Ephesus and Pergamon first and then going to where they came from doubles the meaning of the trip. In Selçuk, site first then museum; in Bergama, the Acropolis in the morning and the Asklepion in the afternoon.

The card is personal and is checked with ID. At busy sites it skips the ticket queue, but there is still a queue at the turnstile. If you left the car at the upper gate at Ephesus, a minibus takes you back from the lower one. In summer spend midday in museums and morning and evening at the open sites; cooler, better light, and nobody sweats in your photos.