Ayvalık

Ayvalık is a coastal district of Balıkesir province on the north Aegean coast, facing the Greek island of Lesbos. Its economy rests on olives and tourism, and the district has about 2.5 million olive trees. The town's former olive-oil and soap industry has been on Türkiye's UNESCO Tentative List since 2017 as the Ayvalık Industrial Landscape.

In the old town, the Taksiyarhis Memorial Museum occupies a church rebuilt in 1844 and opened as a museum in 2013. Saatli Mosque and Çınarlı Mosque are both former Greek Orthodox churches. Cunda (Alibey) Island, the largest of about 22 islands in the bay, is linked to the mainland by a bridge and causeway. Its Taksiyarhis Church of 1873 now houses a Rahmi M. Koç museum. Şeytan Sofrası, a hill of old lava, looks out over the islands.

The nearest airport is Balıkesir Koca Seyit at Edremit, roughly 40–45 km away. Sarımsaklı Beach lies south of the town. Old-town streets are narrow and cobbled.