Most travellers stay in the atmospheric old town, where almost every other building is a pansiyon , although there's also a nucleus of hotels between the bus station and the bazaar. Sabah Pansiyon , Hesapci Sok 60/A (tel 0242/247 5345; under ?5/$8), is clean, well-run and the owner speaks English; book ahead in season. Near the Hadarlak Kulesi, the ageing Hadrianus , Zeytin Sok 4/A (tel 0242/244 0030; ?5-10/$8-16) has a wonderful garden, but the rooms are musty. There are unparalleled rooftop sea views from Keskin 1 , Hadarlak Sok 35 (tel 0242/244 0135; under ?5/$8), and the family-run Senem, Zeytingecidi Sok 9 (tel 0242/247 1752; ?5-10/$8-16). Keskin 2 , Hadarlak Sok 37 (tel 0242/242 3941; ?5-10/$8-16), has no views but a nice orange garden in which to breakfast. The Adler , Barbaros Mahalle Civelek Sok 16 (tel 0242/241 7818; under ?5/$8), is one of the cheapest but most characterful of the old town pensions, with no en-suite rooms. Best of all is the Antique Pansiyon , Tuzcular Mah, Pasa Camii Sok 28 (tel 0242/242 4615, antique@ixir.com ; ?5-10/$8-16), housed in an old Ottoman building and boasting Internet access as well as an English-speaking owner. Bambus   camping (tel 0242/322 5557), 3km south of town on the Lara road, is expensive but has its own rocky cove for swimming.

Many Kaleici pansiyons have their own restaurant , and you may prefer to eat in rather than attempt to explore the limited and overpriced options. For elegant dining, Antique Pansiyon's evening menu is particularly good but you'll have to book in advance. Otherwise, the licensed Parlak , just off Sarampol Cad, mainly serves delicious grilled chicken - something of a local speciality - while the Sim , Kaledibi Sok 7, offers reasonably priced home cooking. Cumhuriyet Cad is the location of a number of eating-places with terraces offering excellent views of the harbour that are good for leisurely breakfasts. Southwest of the junction of Cumhuriyet Cad and Ataturk Bulvara is the covered pedestrian precinct, Eski Sebzeciler Ici Sokak, which has recently been modernized and lost some of its atmosphere, but still has a small number of restaurants serving the local speciality tandir kebap (mutton roasted in a clay pot). The Gaziantep eatery, at the edge of the bazaar through the pasaj at Asmet Paza Cad 3, is excellent. Two other quality choices are Karadeniz Pideci on Recep Peker Cad, which offers a good take on standard pide fare and Ol Gunegliler , just north of the clock tower, serving southeastern specialities. Nightlife is mostly located around the harbour and single men - even tourists - may well be refused admission. The popular Cafe Iskele has tables grouped around a fountain, while the nearby Cece often has live music and Club 29 , an expensive disco, boasts a terrace with pool and a restaurant. A little inland in the Kale district, Ici Karatayhan Pansiyon boasts the reasonably priced and laid back Gizli Bahce bar. Further out, the Olympos disco, beside Falez Hotel near the archeological museum, is a popular late-night dance venue. There's an Internet cafe on Recep Peker Sok near Hadrian's Gate.