Foça is an old Aegean harbour town north of Izmir, close enough for a long day trip but much quieter in spirit. The old town, usually called Eski Foça, curves around two small bays, with fishing boats, stone houses, seafood restaurants, and the castle walls of ancient Phocaea still holding the headland.
The place has more history than its size suggests. Phocaea was one of the Ionian Greek cities and sent sailors across the Mediterranean; Marseille traces its origins to Phocaean colonists. Later Byzantine, Genoese, and Ottoman layers survive in the walls, mosques, and waterfront lanes, while the memory of the old Greek town lingers in the stone architecture.
Foça is also a sea place. Boat trips run out to the islands and coves, past cliffs tied to the Sirens of the Odyssey and waters protected for the endangered Mediterranean monk seal. Come for the castle and the old harbour, stay for the light on the bay.