Cunda is the largest of the islands scattered across the bay of Ayvalık, connected to the mainland by a causeway and also reachable by small passenger boat from the town waterfront. Like Ayvalık itself, it was a prosperous Greek community before 1923, and the old village at the northern end of the island has a concentration of stone houses and ruined churches that feels even more melancholy than the mainland quarter — some buildings here were left to decay and have stayed that way, vines growing through window frames, walls slowly subsiding.
The waterfront at the southern end of the village is the main draw for day visitors: a line of fish restaurants and meze places facing the water, where you can eat well and watch the boats. Octopus drying on lines outside restaurants has become an iconic image of the place. The quality of the seafood here is genuine — the bay is clean and the fish is fresh.
Away from the restaurants, the island rewards a half-day of walking. There are several small beaches on the eastern side, reached by narrow roads through olive groves. The ruined Church of Taxiarchis in the centre of the village is the largest of the old Orthodox churches, still standing but abandoned to the weather.