Buying Property in Çeşme and Alaçatı: Areas and Rules

Buying property in Çeşme and Alaçatı comes down to two questions: will you use the home only in summer or all year, and do you want a historic stone house or a newer gated community? Alaçatı offers historic streets and a lively season, Ilıca a long beach and settled residential life, Dalyan a marina and fishing-harbour feel, while Çiftlikköy, Boyalık and Ovacık offer quieter villa living. In Alaçatı’s historic core, conservation rules shape almost every decision.

The areas of the Çeşme Peninsula

Alaçatı

With its stone houses, narrow lanes, a bay well suited to windsurfing and a busy summer scene of restaurants and boutiques, Alaçatı is the best-known part of Çeşme. Its historic core, Köyiçi, is an urban conservation area, and works there are overseen by the conservation board and the local heritage office (KUDEB). In May 2026, the İzmir Planning Agency (İZPA) and the Çeşme Vision Office published a design guide for the Alaçatı urban conservation area to protect its historic identity. Outside Köyiçi, villa and gated-community projects surround the town. Our portfolio here includes Kempinski Residences Alaçatı Çeşme and Port Alaçatı.

Ilıca

Known for its long sandy beach and thermal springs, Ilıca combines hotels with established residential neighbourhoods and stays active all year. Its proximity to Çeşme town makes everyday errands easy. Folkart Ilıca Çeşme is one of our projects in Ilıca.

Dalyan

On the north of the peninsula, Dalyan has grown around its fishing harbour and marina. Waterfront restaurants and a calm atmosphere make it usable in both summer and winter. Mi’Marin Dalyan is located here.

Çiftlikköy, Boyalık and Ovacık

• Boyalık: Next to Ilıca, with a shallow, sheltered bay that families like.
• Çiftlikköy: South of Çeşme town, a relatively quiet settlement among vineyards and gardens.
• Ovacık: Rural in character, with larger plots and hillside villas for those who value privacy.

Elsewhere on the peninsula, the portfolio also includes Swissôtel Residences Çeşme and DAP Çeşme.

Getting to İzmir and the airport

Çeşme is reached by road via the İzmir–Çeşme motorway. The nearest airport is İzmir Adnan Menderes; according to the State Airports Authority (DHMİ), it lies 18 km southwest of İzmir (as of October 2026). Areas close to the motorway junction naturally have shorter airport transfers, and summer weekends can bring heavy traffic at the entrance to the peninsula.

How the seasons work

The contrast between summer and winter is marked.

• Summer: Population and activity rise sharply, especially in Alaçatı and Ilıca, with a dense calendar of restaurants, beach clubs and events.
• Winter: Everyday life continues in Çeşme town, Ilıca and Alaçatı, while some seasonal businesses close.
• Wind: The peninsula is windy. That is a plus for surfers, but it matters when you assess gardens, terraces and pool positions.

Villa, stone house or residence?

• Stone house: Characterful and central, but comes with conservation rules, limited garden and parking, and a permit process for renovation.
• Gated villa community: Pools, gardens and security make upkeep easier; service charges and the management plan matter.
• Residence or branded home: Suits buyers who want hotel-style services and a lock-up-and-leave lifestyle.

Renting out and the rules

Homes in Çeşme can be let for short stays in summer. Before relying on any income estimate, know the rules:

• Under Law No. 7464, renting a home for tourism purposes for up to 100 days requires a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, obtained before any contract is signed.
• In condominium buildings, a unanimous decision of all owners in that building is required.
• Single rentals of more than 100 days fall outside this law.

Key checks before you buy

Protected areas and stone-house restoration

Under Law No. 2863, works such as major repairs, construction, installations, demolition or excavation in protected areas cannot be carried out contrary to conservation board decisions. Where a conservation zoning plan has been approved, works on plots without a registered cultural asset follow that plan, with permission from the authorised administration. In practice:

• Find out whether the house is a registered cultural asset.
• Check that earlier renovations were carried out with the required permits.
• Review your restoration plans with an architect before you commit.

Coastline and zoning

Under Coastal Law No. 3621, the shore is under State control and open to everyone, and buildings in the coastal strip may come no closer than 50 metres to the shoreline boundary. Under Zoning Law No. 3194, a building may only be used once an occupancy permit (iskan) has been issued. Always obtain the zoning status, building and occupancy permits from the municipality, and check the title deed for annotations.

Rules for foreign buyers

• Total land owned by foreign individuals cannot exceed 10% of the privately owned area of a district.
• Every foreign buyer must convert the purchase price at a Turkish bank, which sends a Foreign Exchange Purchase Certificate (DAB) to the land registry before the sale.
• If a party does not speak Turkish, a sworn translator must attend the title deed transaction.

Costs (as of October 2026)

Item	Rule
Title deed fee	2% of the declared sale price, charged separately to buyer and seller
Property tax (residential)	0.1%; doubled within metropolitan municipality limits
High-value home tax	Applies in 2026 to homes with a building tax value above TRY 17,711,000, at stepped rates on the excess
DASK	Compulsory earthquake insurance for residential title transfers

If you are considering citizenship by investment, the property must be worth at least USD 400,000 and carry a three-year no-sale annotation; see our invest in Turkey property page for the full conditions.

Çeşme in our portfolio

You can filter all our Çeşme and İzmir projects by area and type on the projects page.

Working with NeoKonut

Leave an enquiry and one of our consultants will call you to match the area and type of home to how you plan to use it. We also work on stone houses, villas and apartments that are not in our portfolio. The first consultation is free of charge.

This article is for general information only; please obtain legal and tax advice specific to your transaction.