Cesme Ilica

Çeşme Ilıca on the westernmost tip of Turkey's Aegean coast, facing the Greek island of Chios barely eight kilometres away, offers one of Turkey's most unusual thermal experiences — hot springs that emerge directly on the beach and into the shallow sea floor, creating naturally warm coves where thermal and seawater mix in the open Aegean. The chloride thermal springs at Ilıca have been used since antiquity, and the beach resort combining sea bathing with thermal water has been popular since Ottoman times. The Çeşme peninsula's exceptional wind conditions make it one of Europe's premier windsurfing and kitesurfing destinations, creating an energetic resort atmosphere that contrasts pleasingly with the therapeutic warmth of the thermal bathing. The proximity to Chios and the Greek island ferry routes adds an international dimension to this Aegean thermal destination.