Top rated Side Alanya attractions and vacation tips and tricks: If you’re looking for a mix of beach time and history, the resort town of Side is one of the best places to visit on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. Side may be all about soaking up the sun on the sand but for those who fancy a slice of culture with their sunbathing, the wealth of Greco-Roman ruins right in town are major tourist attractions. By 1000 BC Side, had its first settlement but it was in the 7th or 6th centuries BC, when Greek settlers established a colony and built a harbor here, that the town began to prosper. During the Roman era, this town became an important commercial center, and it was only when the harbor began to silt up in the 7th century that the town was eventually abandoned. At the tip of Side’s peninsula are the remains of the ancient town’s two principal temples, dedicated to Athena and Apollo. Although they are in no way complete, they have a dramatic location looking out over the Mediterranean and are especially atmospheric in the evening, when the ruins are lit up. Side harbor is a great place for a sunset promenade, with plenty of cafés dotting the shoreline near the ruins.
Experience the ancient, traditional Turkish baths done for 1,000 years in the Anatolian region with the Side Turkish Bath program. The Turkish bath is an excellent experience to relax after a long journey. The Side Turkish bath program is one of the best ways to relax. It has been popular among Turks for centuries. We will pick you up with our free shuttle from your hotel found in the Side region and bring you to the Turkish bath. The Side Turkish bath program will last approximately 2 hours. The sauna, Jacuzzi, bath glove, foam and aroma therapy massages are included in the standard program. At the end of the program, you will have a face mask.
Lonely Travel is an expert licensed travel agency in Alanya & Side. We organize travel services since 1997. We let our customers to save their time and money also providing them a high quality service. In our Travel Agency employees highly trained specialists that are licensed by the Ministry of Tourism of Turkey. We work 7 days a week to provide the best service to our guests. We organize more than 50 tours around Alanya and Side, each and every single excursion of ours is fully insured and maintained by our professional tour guides. Discover more info at Side Hamam & Turkish Bath.
The Alanya Seljuk Shipyard stands south of the Red Tower. You can easily reach it on foot by following the 300 meter path. The Alanya Seljuk Shipyard was built by the Seljuks in 13th century. If you are into maritime history and medieval buildings, make time to visit the only remaining shipyard in Turkey from the Seljuk Period. The Alanya Seljuk Shipyard (Tersane) has been used for trade and protection purposes throughout history. Today, it stands upright back to back with Red Tower. The Alanya shipyard is the only shipyard that remains from the Seljuk reign, built in the first half of 13th century.
To those in the know, the best panorama in Alanya can be had from this belvedere in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains. By car or cab you can get up to the Seyir Terasi in under 15 minutes, and once you’re there you may not want to leave. From this leafy vantage point you’ve got the best view of the castle’s peninsula, the tessellated white blocks of modern Alanya, as well as the harbour and the aqua-blue expanse of the Mediterranean. There’s a telescope on the terrace and a cafe-restaurant above, and in the evening families will come to the park to light barbecues. Of the many views to cherish in Alanya, some of the very best are from the water. On a cruise departing the old harbour, you’ll see the castle, shipyard, Kızılkule and the Taurus Mountains through the eyes of a Medieval sailor. The coastline in the Antalya Province is also fabulous, and there are three sets of caves within a short sail Alanya. Occasionally on this six-hour voyage the boat will drop anchor and you can lie back on deck or plunge into the cool turquoise sea. Cold drinks are provided and there’s also a barbecued lunch on board.
The city’s steep peninsula, protected on three sides by the Mediterranean, is topped by a 13th-century castle with 6.5 kilometres of fortified walls. This rocky mass is a natural defence, and today’s castle was built on earlier Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine enclosures. In all there are 83 towers and 140 towers in the walls, and many of the 1,200 original cisterns continue to fulfil their original role. Alanya Castle is one massive archaeological site that warrants hours of exploration. The starting point has to be the citadel or Kale on the southwest side, where you’ll come to the Byzantine Church of St George, later adapted as a mosque. The north side of the promontory is the scene of the Seljuk Ehmedek Fortress, built on Hellenistic vestiges and holding a military garrison, arsenal and Sultan’s treasury for hundreds of years. Here you’ll discover countless ruins, together with historic 19th-century houses that went up after the castle had lost its defensive purpose.
For the travelers who overnight and have time to explore other sites around Ephesus, we recommend to visit the following sites. They are all nearby Ephesus. Some can be added to private Ephesus tour, some can be visited in a day trip from Kusadasi, Selcuk, Sirince or Izmir. All the below sites, are recommended for travelers who have been to Ephesus already. Ephesus is the main highlight of the area. Some of the sites can be combined with Private Ephesus Tours. For tour enquiries and/or questions please do not hesitate to contact us. For the travelers who will be staying in Kusadasi, Sirince or Selcuk, we offer 3 days tour of western Turkey tours.
Silk Worm Cocoon in the Culture House in Alanya in Turkey: This structure serves as Alanya Municipality Culture and Social Affairs Department and the Alanya Castle Site Management Office. It’s also known as Hamamlı Ev (Bath House) due to the historical bath on the ground floor. This traditional Alanya house was built with quarry stone and a lathing wood system. It used grog and haired plaster, specific to the region in the early 20th century. It was restored according to its original form after it was assigned to the Alanya Municipality by its owners.
Terrace Houses have gone down in history as a neighborhood located in the heart of Ephesus and appealing to the elite part of the city. Although there are no civilian residential areas in the center of ancient cities, Terrace Houses in Ephesus were an exception. The foundation of the Terrace Houses was laid in the 3rd century BC. After Ephesus became the capital of Asia, the neighborhood started to experience its brightest days (between the 1st and 3rd centuries AC). The most elite part of the city lived in the houses, so each residence was 400-950 square meters in size. The floors of the houses were decorated with mosaics and frescoes on the walls. Discover additional info at https://www.sideexcursion.com/.
When the Seljuk’s took control of this region in the 13th century, they built on the foundations of previous rulers. Much of the remaining building works still standing today in the castle area date from this period, when Alanya became a commercial hub. The lower castle area, nearest to the entrance gate, is known as the Ehmedek neighborhood. Wander the alleyways of red-roofed Ottoman-era houses and historical buildings here, then follow the winding lanes up to the Iç Kale (the castle’s inner fortress) for older Seljuk and Byzantine ruins plus views that soar across the sea, the coastal plateau, and the peaks of the Taurus Mountains beyond.
Cleopatra Beach: For many visitors, a vacation in Alanya will always be about the beach. The sandy shores, rimmed by resorts, trail the stretch of coastline between Side and Alanya. In Alanya itself, the main strip of sand is Cleopatra Beach, which sits on the western side of town, separated from downtown Alanya by the rocky, forested slope of the castle promontory. This stretch of white sand offers easygoing days of swimming and sunbathing with excellent facilities on hand for a full day at the beach. In the July and August peak season, the beach can get packed. Come in late spring or early fall, though, when the weather here is still sunny and warm, and you’ll find this strip of sand surprisingly uncrowded.