OCTOBER 2022
Have you already heard of Küçükköy? I hadn’t heard of it before I discovered it was on our Turkey itinerary. Our guide worked really hard to show us Instagram highlights as well as authentic local Turkish experiences, and Küçükköy was in the latter category. If you would like a taste of slow rural Turkish life, combined with shops with handmade crafts, I would highly recommend a visit to Küçükköy.
Practical information
Küçükköy is a little village, which is located near Ayvalik, a local favorite beach town at the Aegean Coast. Because of the Aegean influences, the architecture of Küçükköy will make you feel like you are in Greece or Italy. Küçükköy is known for its artsy shops, if you want to buy original gifts and handmade crafts it is a good spot. Due to its history, there are still inhabitants with a Greek or Bosnian heritage, as these groups used to live here in earlier periods. Make sure you try the local specialty burek! We visited in the morning during coffee time, which was a super relaxed time to visit, the shops had not opened up yet and you could still get the best seats at the terraces. The village was still super sleepy, which was perfect for taking pictures with the colorful doors and flowers. However, if you would like to do some shopping, I would recommend to visit from noon. You can reach Küçükköy by car, you can park just outside of the city center.
Pictures to inspire you to visit Küçükköy
I can keep on explaining why you should visit Küçükköy, but pictures tell the story of a historic and colorful town overgrown with flowers, better than words.