İzmit City Guide

Known as an industrial city, Izmit likes to surprise its visitors. The most comfortable way to discover the surprises that the city offers you is to rent a car. After checking the item "Renting a car in Izmit" on your to-do list for Izmit, you can move on to other items. The suggestions of locals of Izmit will make your job easier while planning the day. What to eat in Izmit? What are the places to visit in Izmit? You can make your trip more enjoyable with our article including answers to these questions.

Breakfast, which is the best way to start the day, will be one of the activities you can enjoy during your Izmit trip. You will never forget the breakfasts you will have with the smell of homemade breads fresh out of the oven in the city, which hosts many different venues where homemade flavors are served.

Kartepe is the first place where Izmit residents recommend you see after breakfast. The region, which is a popular ski and water sports resort, is one of the most spectacular areas of the city. At Kartepe Ski Resort, you can enjoy the winter by skiing or have a picnic or trekking in Maşukiye, which is known for its unique nature, about 13 km away. Kuzu Plateau, which is about 11 km away from Kartepe, is another place that should be included in list of nature lovers. The region, which attracts attention with its unique snowy lanscapes in the winter months, dazzles eyes with its magnificent nature in summer, therefore it is a must to visit this location in every season.

Thanks to its location, Izmit is famous for its dishes where many different main ingredients are used successfully. You can have a pleasant meal in restaurants where white and red meat are served with different interpretations. It is possible to say that the meals you will eat towards a unique view especially on the coastline will be much more memorable. You can also choose pişmaniye (pulled sugar) and höşmerim (cheese dessert) desserts to fulfill your energy during the Izmit trip.

Osman Hamdi Bey is one of the greatest museologists and painters of the Ottoman Empire. The Tortoise Trainer, one of the painter's paintings, is still considered one of the most important works of Turkish art history. The mansion built by the famous painter in Gebze Eskihisar in 1884 serves as the Osman Hamdi Bey House and Museum. The house on the west of Eskihisar beach, where Osman Hamdi Bey spent his summer months for 26 years, is also of great importance because it is the place where the artist created his most famous works. Including this museum on your Izmit trip is one of the things you must definitely do. Eskihisar Castle, 800 meters from the mansion, is another place to see. After seeing this Byzantine building with an amphitheater inside, you can watch the sunset.
 
About 25 km from the castle, Kaiser II Wilhelm Mansion and Historical Guest House are also among pleasant options for those who are interested in different architectural structures. The building designed by the architect of Italian origin Raimondo D'Aranco is located in Hereke. You can examine the famous Hereke carpets in the weaving factory right next to this building and if you wish, you can buy different gifts for your friends.

You have many alternatives in Izmit for a pleasant dinner accompanied by the lights of the city. In Izmit, where you can be quite comfortable while making choices that suit your taste and expectations, you will surely come across with delights that will surprise you. Sauced duck, black cabbage meal, crepes are some of the tastes you can enjoy during dinner.

You can find quite different options together in Izmit nightlife. In addition to the venues that attract attention with their views along the coast, you may also prefer entertainment venues in the city. If you tell Izmit what you want, there is no doubt that it will offer you its best.