Junda Island
Junda Island
Junda Island is one of the most beautiful Turkish islands and is practically unknown outside of Turkey. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country opposite the city of Ayvalik, which is considered the main center of Turkish olive oil production.
Every year Junda Island becomes more and more popular and not only for tourists. During the period of general holidays - Bayram - the number of people who come to relax exceeds the average flow of visits by several dozen times. Not far from Ayvalik, residents of large cities relax in summer houses. Therefore, the best time here is the off-season, when time doesn’t move anyway, but here it is completely frozen.
Narrow streets paved with stones are surrounded by luxurious gardens. Turkish cats sleep on cafe chairs and in the shades of trees, creating the right anti-stress mood for travelers. It is worth noting that the island has beautiful beaches, but basically the atmosphere of Junda is reminiscent of a fishing island lost in time.
Accommodation
Within a radius of 10 kilometers from Junda Island there are 108 hotels that you can choose from. Popular among travelers:
- Cunda Sir - 3.1 km, 4-star hotel (free breakfast, parking, free WiFi)
- Cunda Deniz Hotel - 3.8 km (3-star hotel, free self parking, free WiFi, restaurant)
How to get there
You can get to Junda Island from Istanbul by taking a ferry to Yenikapi. The journey will take about 3 hours. You can also come to the island by land: it is connected to the mainland by a bridge. The road, for example, from Ayvalik is 8 kilometers, which is approximately 10 minutes of travel.
Advantages of holidays around the island
- Availability of comfortable beaches - Aytash and Sarymsakly in Ayvalik.
- Lovers' Hill (Aşıklar Tepesi), as a place for romantic evenings in the Değirmen cafe.
- Local attractions include an ancient church and the city library.
- Opportunity to fish both from the beach and in the open sea.
- The Christian buildings of the island are the churches of Taxiarchis, Agios Yannis, Panagia and the monastery of Ai Dimitri Ta Salina.
- The bazaar takes place on Junda on Saturdays, where you can buy olives and olive oil - the main product produced on the island, as well as fig jam.
- Interesting antiques are sold in the Nilgün Hanım antique store.
A coffee shop that women are allowed to visit
In one of these buildings there is the oldest coffee shop in the city, “Taş Kahve” - it is more than 100 years old. Its peculiarity is the ceiling, which is supported without a single column. And the antique mirrors that have remained in the coffee shop since the Greek era still silently look at the visitors who play cards, talk and drink the best tea on the island - “ada çayı”. By the way, women can also come to this coffee shop: after all, as you know, most Turkish coffee shops only have the right to visit men. The coffee shop also has an “open-air” terrace, where you can also relax with a cup of aromatic coffee and admire the local beauties that can hardly be seen anywhere else
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