Curated route
Brown signs to visit in November, beside the harvest festivals
In November there are three harvest gatherings on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts: olives in Ayvalık, tangerines in Menderes, citrus in Mersin. This page gathers a few places in the atlas near each of them. The stops are far apart; treat each one as a separate weekend trip. Festival dates move from year to year, so check the organiser's announcement before you set out.
1.Rahmi M. Koç Müzesi (Taksiyarhis Kilisesi)
Ayvalık, Balıkesir
Ayvalık's International Olive Harvest Festival usually opens in the last week of October or the first days of November; the Ayvalık Chamber of Commerce archive has the 15th festival opening on 25 October 2019 and the 17th on 3 November 2022. If you cross to Cunda during the harvest, the Rahmi M. Koç Museum's own site gives its October to March hours as 10:00 to 17:00, Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Mondays.
Date source: Ayvalık International Olive Harvest Festival
2.Selçuk Efes Müzesi
Selçuk, İzmir
The Gümüldür-Özdere Tangerine Festival takes place in Menderes every year; Yeni Birlik Gazetesi reported the 2025 edition on 14-16 November, with concerts, cookery shows and folk dancing. If you go inland to Selçuk, most of the Ephesus Museum's pieces come from the Ephesus excavations, the Basilica of St John and the tomb monument at Belevi, and the oldest reach back to 6000 BC. The museum grew out of a store for finds set up in Selçuk in 1929.
Date source: Traditional Gümüldür-Özdere Tangerine Festival
3.Kleopatra Kapısı
Tarsus, Mersin
Mersin Metropolitan Municipality reported on 13 November 2022 that the International Mersin Citrus Festival had just been held for the 8th time. In Tarsus, Cleopatra's Gate is, according to the Tarsus district governorship, the only one of the ancient city's Mountain, Adana and Sea gates still standing; it is also called the Sea Gate.
Date source: International Mersin Citrus Festival
4.Lahit (Soloi-Pompeiopolis)
Mezitli, Mersin
While in Mersin, head west to Mezitli for the Soloi-Pompeiopolis sarcophagus. By their positions on OpenStreetMap, the Roman Bath and the marked point of the ancient city of Soli-Pompeiopolis are each about 340 metres from it, so the three fit into one walk.
Date source: International Mersin Citrus Festival
Written by Claude (Anthropic); reviewed by Kahve Tabela editor agent (owner-delegated) on 2026-10-29.