Balıkesir is a province of two coasts, one mountain, and a thousand small pleasures, and its best experiences are wonderfully varied. Whether you want to photograph nesting herons, wander the Greek lanes of an Aegean port, or simply eat the best toast in Turkey, this region delivers. Here is a countdown of the essential experiences, ordered from the coast inward, so you can build your own itinerary with confidence.
1. Wander the Old Town of Ayvalık
The single most beautiful place in the province is the old town of Ayvalık, where a hillside of neo-classical mansions looks out over the Aegean. Built mostly in the nineteenth century, these houses of stone and painted wood belonged to the town’s former Greek community, and the lanes between them are pure atmosphere.
The old town rewards slow walking: a church here, a courtyard there, olive groves pressing against the streets, and cats asleep in doorways. Climb toward the upper lanes for the best views over the rooftops to the sea and islands.
Allow a full morning or late afternoon. The light is best at golden hour, and the town is quietest after the midday tour groups have moved on to lunch.
2. Watch the Birds at Kuş Cenneti
The Bird Paradise National Park on Manyas Lake, near Bandırma, is one of Europe’s great wetland spectacles. In spring and early summer, tens of thousands of herons, egrets, spoonbills, and cormorants nest in the reed beds within sight of the visitor boardwalks.
The park is set up beautifully for visitors: wooden paths, observation towers, and a small museum explaining the wetland’s life. Photographers will need patience and a long lens, but even casual visitors will be stunned by the sheer quantity of birdlife.
Go early in the morning, when the birds are feeding and the air is cool, and plan to spend two or three hours. Spring, when the chicks are hatching, is the magic season.
3. Climb into the Forest of Kaz Dağı
Kaz Dağı, the mountain of Greek mythology, rises in the south of the province, and its national park is the region’s great escape. The pine forest is dense, the air is famously clean, and the waterfalls and streams make the mountain feel primeval.
The park road climbs through beech and pine, with viewpoints over the Aegean and the Edremit plain far below. Trails range from short forest strolls to full-day hikes, and in summer the mountain is a refuge from coastal heat.
Plan half a day. Stop in the honey villages on the way up, buy a jar of the local pine honey, and let the forest do the rest. In winter the mountain can be wet and cold, so check conditions.
4. Eat a Susurluk Toast and Ayran
The town of Susurluk, on the road between Balıkesir city and the coast, is the home of two of Turkey’s most beloved roadside foods: ayran, the frothy salted yogurt drink, and the Susurluk tost, a grilled sandwich of sausage, cheese, and tomato.
The tost is not a snack; it is an institution, served with a special sauce and eaten with a fork in the town’s legendary roadside cafes. The ayran, churned with ice and salt, is the perfect companion, and the combination is a national pilgrimage for Turkish road-trippers.
Every traveler passing through Susurluk stops, and so should you. It takes twenty minutes, costs little, and will be remembered long after more elaborate meals are forgotten.
5. Explore Cunda Island
Linked to Ayvalık by a causeway, Cunda, or Alibey, is the island that time forgot. Its old Greek houses, waterfront fish restaurants, and slow pace make it the perfect Aegean escape, a step from the mainland but a world away in atmosphere.
The restored church of Taksiyarhis, now a museum, is the island’s great monument, with its painted ceiling and intact belfry. Beyond it, the back streets climb through the old quarter, where mansions are slowly being reborn as guesthouses and galleries.
Come in the late afternoon, walk the waterfront as the fishing boats return, and choose a restaurant by the number of locals at the tables. Sunset over the gulf is the island’s daily show.
6. Visit the Taksiyarhis Church Museum
The star of Cunda Island deserves its own entry. The Taksiyarhis Church, built in the nineteenth century for the island’s Greek Orthodox community, was abandoned for decades and has been restored as a museum of exceptional quality.
The interior retains its painted decoration, its galleries, and its sense of a living place of worship, and the museum tells the story of the island’s former life as a center of trade, fishing, and winemaking. It is one of the most moving church museums in the Aegean.
Allow an hour. The building is at its most atmospheric in the morning light, and the small displays do an excellent job of evoking the vanished world of the island’s old community.
7. Swim at Sarımsaklı Beach
Just south of Ayvalık, the long sweep of Sarımsaklı beach is the province’s most popular stretch of sand, and it delivers exactly what a summer day on the Aegean should: warm water, shallow bays, and beachside cafes.
The beach is backed by a lagoon and pine-shaded areas, and the swimming is gentle, which makes it ideal for families. Behind it, the olive groves of Ayvalık run down to the shore, so the views are as much inland as out to sea.
Summer weekends are busy, so come early or visit on a weekday. In late September the water is still warm and the crowds thin out dramatically, which is the secret of the locals.
8. Visit the Manyas Lake Shore
Beyond the national park itself, the Manyas Lake rewards a slower exploration. The lake’s southern shore is a patchwork of reed beds, meadows, and fishing villages, where the daily life of the lake continues much as it has for generations.
Small boats work the shallows, water buffalo graze the margins, and village tea gardens sit beside the water. This is rural Turkey at its most relaxed, and the birdlife is everywhere, even outside the park’s boundaries.
Rent a car for the day and follow the lake roads, stopping wherever the view insists. In spring and autumn, migrant birds make the whole lake a moving spectacle, and the villages are genuinely welcoming.
9. Shop the Balıkesir Markets
The provincial capital’s markets are the province in miniature. The old covered bazaar sells the region’s bounty: green olives and golden olive oil from Edremit, dark honey from Kaz Dağı, sesame pastes, dried fruits, and the local cheeses and meats.
The bazaar is a working market rather than a tourist one, which is exactly its charm. Prices are local, the vendors are patient, and the tea is free if you linger at a spice stall long enough.
Buy your honey and oil here rather than at the coast, where prices rise with the tourists. The vendors will happily advise on grades and uses, and a few words of Turkish will open the conversation wide.
10. Eat Keşkek and Höşmerim
Balıkesir’s food culture deserves a day of its own. Keşkek, the slow-cooked dish of wheat and meat that is served at weddings and celebrations, is the province’s most famous dish, and restaurants in the city and villages serve it throughout the year.
For dessert, seek out höşmerim, the sweet, buttery confection of flour, cheese, and sugar that is the province’s signature. It is served warm, soft, and utterly simple, and it is unlike anything else in Turkish cuisine.
A day of eating is a day well spent in Balıkesir. Follow the locals: keşkek for a proper meal, tost and ayran for the road, and höşmerim whenever the moment calls for it.
11. Explore the Olive Country and Kaz Dağı Villages
South of Ayvalık, the plain around Edremit is one of the great olive-growing regions of the world, a sea of silver-green groves that stretches to the foot of Kaz Dağı. The oil pressed here is among the most prized in Turkey, and the countryside is beautiful at every season.
Drive the back roads between the groves, stop at village presses when they are working in autumn, and taste the oil on bread the way the locals do. The town of Edremit itself is a market center of old houses, bakeries, and tea gardens.
This is a day for the senses rather than the sights. The harvest, from late autumn to early winter, is the most interesting time, but the groves are lovely in every season, and the mountain views behind them never disappoint.
The mountain villages of Kaz Dağı are among the most characterful in the province, and the drive between them is a destination in itself. Stone houses, chestnut groves, and apiaries line the roads, and the villages live by honey, olive oil, and the quiet rhythm of the hills.
Stop in a village square for tea, buy honey from the producer, and walk a short forest trail before lunch. In summer the villages are cool when the coast bakes, and in autumn the chestnut harvest fills the markets.
The mountain air and the hospitality make this one of the most memorable days of a Balıkesir trip. Allow the road to decide the itinerary, and you will not go wrong.
Frequently asked questions
What is Balıkesir most famous for?
The province is known for its olive oil and honey, the wedding dish keşkek, Susurluk toast and ayran, and the natural wonders of Kuş Cenneti and Kaz Dağı. Ayvalık and Cunda are its most beautiful places.
When is the best time to visit?
Spring and autumn are ideal, with mild weather for the mountains and the bird park at its richest. Summer suits the beaches but brings crowds, while winter is quiet, cool, and good for markets and village life.
Can I see the main sights in one day?
Not all of them. The province is large, and Kuş Cenneti, Kaz Dağı, and Ayvalık each need half a day at least. Plan two or three days, or choose the sights that match your interests and leave the rest for the next visit.
All Over Information
The All Over Information editorial team researches and writes practical English-language guides to Turkey. Facts are checked against official and local sources before publication, prices are published as dated ranges rather than quotes, and guides are revised when things change. We accept no sponsored posts, paid placements or paid links.
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