Alanya

Alanya is a large resort in Pamphylia on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, with a population of 364,180 in 2022. It's a modern town but dominated by its ancient citadel, with a long beach strip either side. == Understand == Much of Turkey's coastline is rugged, with only small coves for harbours and inland access, but from Antalya to Alanya and further east is the low coastal plain of Pamphylia. It's narrow, hemmed in by the Taurus Mountains, but has attracted settlers from prehistoric times to the modern era of Airbuses and Boeings. "Pamphylia" means land of many peoples, and each of them has occupied the defensible crag here and given it a different name. The Luwians called it Korakassa or "protruding city" for the way the crag divides the long sweep of beach, and then it was Coracesium then Kalonoros. When the Seljuks captured it in the 13th century under Sultan Alaeddin Kayqubad I, some savvy courtier renamed it Alaiye after him, so it only remained for Atatürk to enjoy an overnight stay in 1935 and tweak the name to Alanya. Modern tour operators call it "Antalya Region Alanya" from the airport you fly into: this entity stretches for over 20 km either side of town. == Get in == Antalya Airport (AYT IATA) 125 km west is the usual arrival point for international visitors. Those on package holidays are bussed straight to their hotels. Otherwise take tram 1A (every 15min) from Terminal 1 to the tram stop Cırnık, cross the bridge and take a bus (every 30min) from the bus stop called "Serik Cd-1" to Alanya. Gazipaşa–Alanya Airport (GZP IATA) is 30 km southeast of town and has flights from Istanbul (IST and SAW) and Ankara, plus a few budget carriers. The Havaş shuttle from the airport to Alanya is available for every arriving flight. The fare is 165 TL (Feb 2024). For the way back there are about 5 departures per day. Buses from Istanbul run every hour or so and take 13 hours to Alanya; they may run via Afyon or via Bolu and Konya. In 2023 an adult single is about 800 TL. From Ankara they take 9 hours via Konya, from Izmir 8 hours via Denizli (for Pamukkale), and from Adana 9 hours via Mersin and Antalya. From Nevşehir (for Cappadocia) they take 9 hours via Konya, where you may have to change. Operators on these routes include Metro Turizm, Pamukkale and Flixbus. Another route from Istanbul or Ankara is to take the YHT fast train to Konya, which connects with buses to Antalya and Alanya, taking 6 hours. Buses from Antalya run every 30 min and take two hours, for a fare of 150 TL (Feb 2024). Operators include Alanyalilar and Güney Akdeniz, the long-distance bus lines don't offer tickets for this short hop. From Side or Manavgat take a dolmuş. 1 Alanya Otogar is 2 km west of town centre. It has ticket offices and toilets, and is reasonably clean and efficient. From Kyrenia ("Girne") in Northern Cyprus, there's sometimes a fast-cat foot-passenger ferry, but it's not sailing in 2023. Travel instead via Taşucu on the summer fast-cat or year-round car ferry. With your own boat, Alanya is not a Port of Entry into Turkey, so if you arrive from Cyprus or other foreign waters, you need to clear immigration and customs at Taşucu to the east or Antalya to the west. == Get around == Walking is the best option in the town centre. Dolmuşes ply all the main streets, flag them down anywhere, or join others attempting to do so. Alanya Teleferik is a gondola cable car from Sultan Alaadin Cd (Damlataş station) by the beach to Ehdemek (Kale station) at the top of the citadel. It runs continuously daily from 09:30 to 23:00, and the ride takes five minutes. A round trip is 500 TL (updated Jul 2023) == See == The Citadel (Kale) occupies the headland between the port and beaches. Most of the area is free to stroll, and you only pay for İç Kale the inner castle. This obvious defensive position has been occupied since prehistory and was fortified in Roman and Byzantine times, but what you see now is a Seljuk bastion built from 1220 AD. Houses, shops and other buildings have sprung up within the citadel walls. Kale Cd the road up from town is a 3 km zigzag, and the taxis waiting near the foot are betting you can't walk it - see above for the cable-car. Near the top of the street is the Ottoman bedestan or covered market, Süleymaniye Mosque, and Ehmedek gatehouse. 1 Inner Castle (İç Kale), ☏ +90 242 513 1228. Daily 08:00-22:00. This area commands great views and contains a Byzantine church, cisterns and storerooms. Adult 12 Euro. (updated Jul 2023) 2 Dil Varna Burnu is the precipitous promontory south of the castle. It has monastery ruins but nowadays there's no access on foot. You see it from below on boat trips, where the sport is to dive in, swim to the caves, and scramble through to the other side of the promontory where you leap in to rejoin your boat. Keep a close watch on the boatman's boy, as he's the one who knows how to shin up into the correct cave to get through. 3 Red Tower (Kızıl Kule), Iskele Cd 102. Daily 08:30-17:30. Redbrick hexagonal tower 33 m high, completed in 1226 by Ebu Ali Reha of Aleppo. There's a small museum display within, and you can climb the 78 steep stairs for harbour views. Adult 100 TL. (updated Jul 2023) 4 Old Shipyard (Tersane), Tersane Sk 9. Daily 08:00-23:00. South of the beach below the Red Tower, these are five vaulted drydocks built in 1221. Adult 15 TL. (updated Jul 2023) 5 Alanya Archaeological Museum, İsmet Hilmi Balcı Cd 2, ☏ +90 242 315 1228. Daily 08:30-20:00. Small museum of local prehistory, history and crafts. Adult 100 TL. (updated Jul 2023) 6 Damlataş Cave, Damlataş Cd 81 (by foot of cable car), ☏ +90 242 513 0508. Daily 09:00-19:30. Richly decorated dripstone cave, discovered in 1948 during works on the harbour. The air within is very humid and laden with CO₂, which they implausibly tout as a remedy for asthma. Adult 150 TL. (updated Jul 2023) Other caves line the sea-cliffs around town, seen on boat-trips. Some are submerged and can be entered by scuba-divers - not snorkelers, as the air within them is bad. 7 Atatürk House Museum, Anzaklar Sk. Closed. Atatürk spent the night of 18 Feb 1935 here and it's been preserved as a museum, which remains closed. (updated Jul 2023) Hüseyin Azakoğlu House, Gazi Abdurrahman Doğuş Sk (100 m east of Atatürk House). M-Sa 09:00-12:00, 13:30-17:00. Traditional Ottoman mansion open as a museum. (updated Jul 2023) === Further out === 8 Kızılcaşehir Castle is a hill-top citadel or acropolis similar to Alanya's, but unmaintained so it's a ramshackle overgrown site. You mostly come for the views, which include the football stadium below. 9 Dim Cave, Dim Mağarası İşletmesi, ☏ +90 242 518 2275. Daily 09:00-17:00. Extensive show-cave, a better experience than Damlataş as it's less crowded or humid. Adult 60 TL. (updated Jul 2023) 10 Dim Çayı is a river gorge, now flooded behind a dam. Lots of picnic spots, the water is very cold. 11 Sapadere Canyon is a scenic walk to a waterfall. You pay 30 TL for access. 12 Alara Castle 37 km west of town was Byzantine, but rebuilt by the Seljuks in 1232. It teeters atop a crag, the path is clear and safe enough but unsuitable for children or those with impaired mobility. == Do == Beaches are sandy, stretching several km either side of the headland. Boat trips sail round the headland and sea caves. There's half a dozen operators along the harbour. Scuba diving: the caves are memorable, outside is typically Med, just rocks, eel-grass and few fish. Scuba shacks are Dolphin, Magic Dive and Alanya Diving Centre. Jeep safaris are based at Zambak Sk next to Alaiye Kleopatra Hotel. Paragliding: half a dozen outfits offer this. Football: Alanyaspor play soccer in Süper Lig, the top tier. Their home ground is Kırbıyık Holding Stadium (capacity 10,800) ten km northeast of town towards Kızılcaşehir. == Buy == Money: lots of ATMs and several banks with currency exchange in town centre. Many shops accept euros and Nordic currencies, but may have a cute idea of the exchange rate. Supermarkets: lots of small stores open daily, Migros are the main chain here. Tourist-trappy shops line the beachfront, selling fake everything, not worth what you haggle them down to. == Eat == Budget places cluster around Damlataş Cave and the nearby beach. Rami Restoran, Köseoğlu Sk (next to museum). Reliable friendly place for trad food. (updated Jul 2023) Sushi Co, İsmet Hilmi Balcı Cd 11 (north side of museum), ☏ +90 444 7844. Daily 11:30-23:00. Chinese and Japanese, since you need a break from Turkish. (updated Jul 2023) Sherlock Holmes Restaurant, Damlataş Cd (next to museum), ☏ +90 532 544 8536. Daily 08:00-00:00. Welcoming cafe at all hours. (updated Jul 2023) 1 Mystery Steakhouse, Damlataş Cd 71, ☏ +90 242 513 5164. Daily 09:00-01:00. No mystery, just good steaks and grills. (updated Jul 2023) 2 Willi's Kneipe, Güzelyalı Cd 26/D, ☏ +90 242 512 2579. Daily 09:00-00:00. Mixed reviews for quality and service. (updated Jul 2023) 3 Mezze Grill, Atatürk Blv 84, ☏ +90 242 512 8900. Daily 09:00-00:00. Lively place, the mixed grill is great value. (updated Jul 2023) 4 Şehzade Restaurant, Kale Arkası Sk 14/A, ☏ +90 242 512 4535. M-Sa 10:00-00:00, Su 11:00-00:00. Good food in town centre, wide menu choice.. (updated Jul 2023) Gül Pide Restoran, Gemicioğlu Sk 14/A (opposite Şehzade), ☏ +90 533 383 0544. Speedy filling pide. (updated Jul 2023) == Drink == A dozen pubs cluster near the harbour. == Sleep == Prices quoted are for individual travellers. But as elsewhere along this coast, many visitors are on packages, in effect paying the same room rate but getting a free return flight from North Europe. 1 Sunpark Garden, Sugözü Cd 34, ☏ +90 242 519 1545. Comfy place 1 km inland from beach, good activities for children. B&B double 2000 TL. (updated Jul 2023) 2 Mayflower Hotel, Sugözü Cd 2A, ☏ +90 242 512 5035. Simple cheerful place in town. B&B double 1000 TL. (updated Jul 2023) 3 Cook's Club, Atatürk Blv 155, ☏ +90 242 512 2270. Resort hotel on main drag a block from the beach. Mixed reviews for comfort and service. B&B double 3500 TL. (updated Jul 2023) Alaiye Kleopatra Hotel, Atatürk Blv 150 (50 m east of Cook's Club), ☏ +90 242 513 4018. Value for money simple hotel just back from the beach. B&B double 1000 TL. (updated Jul 2023) Elysee Beach, Atatürk Blv 145 (100 m east of Cook's Club), ☏ +90 242 745 0536. Well-run place right on the beach, great value. B&B double 1000 TL. (updated Jul 2023) 4 Grand Okan, Atatürk Blv, ☏ +90 242 519 1637. Near beach, okay for what you pay. Staff attitude, communication and late night noise were problems for some visitors. B&B double 2000 TL. (updated Jul 2023) 5 Hotel Riviera Zen, Kum Sk 2 (between Güzelyalı Cd and Atatürk Blv), ☏ +90 444 7516. Great reviews for this smart hotel near beach. B&B double 5000 TL. (updated Jul 2023) Numa Port Hotel, Iskele Cd 82 (next to Red Tower), ☏ +90 242 513 6487. Small friendly place by the harbour, some noise from street and other rooms. B&B double 1000 TL. (updated Jul 2023) 6 Avena Resort Hotel, Fatih Cd 20, ☏ +90 242 514 0304. Efficient welcoming hotel 200 m from beach. B&B double 2500 TL. (updated Jul 2023) 7 Sunprime C-Lounge Hotel, Ahmet Tokuş Blv, Tosmur, ☏ +90 242 514 2000. Adults-only hotel east end of beach strip. B&B double 5000 TL. (updated Jul 2023) 8 Labranda Alantur Resort, Sahil Cd 2, Kestel, ☏ +90 242 518 1681. Family-friendly hotel 10 km east of centre, good kiddy entertainments. B&B double 4000 TL. (updated Jul 2023) == Connect == Alanya and the coastal strip have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of July 2023, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey. == Go next == West, Side is a beach resort with Roman ruins. Manavgat just inland has attractive waterfalls. Antalya is a bustling modern city but with many antiquities. Northeast is the strange landscape of Cappadocia. The main base for exploring it is Göreme. East are rugged hills. The road hairpins through crags and forests before returning to the lowlands at Anamur.