Alanya is perhaps one of the most atmospheric places in the Mediterranean Sea where tourists with very different needs and wishes will be comfortable.
If you’re looking for a lively vacation experience, you’ll love the clubbing hotels and the innumerable daily, bustling parties from dusk till dawn on the city center’s seafront.
If you prefer silence and serenity, you will enjoy the picturesque sunsets and sunrises on the Mediterranean coast, hotels far from the life of the party, with direct access to the city’s Cleopatra beach, which was ranked second in the ranking of beaches all over Turkey.
If you stay in a hotel only for the night and leave at dawn to find new and interesting things to see, there are many interesting places to explore, from the cave in the city line on Damlatas beach with the descent under the ground, to the ascent to the ancient fortress with a beautiful bird’s-eye view of the whole of Alanya.
The Red Tower or Kizil-Kule Tower is the main sight and symbol of the city. Here, in the heart of the town you will find a Byzantine fortress on top of a hill and many residential villas, which were built much later in the 19th century, the Tersane Shipyard is one of the most popular and recognizable places in all of Turkey. This shipyard was built by Sultan Alladin Keykubat in 1228, and here old ships were repaired and new ones were built for more than 150 years, so that the Sultan felt like a rightful master of the sea in this area and the fleet had no need of anything. You can also visit the Ethnographic and Archaeological Museum and the Mustafa Kemal Ataturk Museum where Ataturk’s personal belongings, historical documents and telegrams addressed to the people of Alanya are kept.
For cave lovers, the Cave of Lovers and the Phosphorus Cave with an interesting lighting effect on the walls and vaults due to the high phosphorus content will be of interest. There is even a real Pirate’s Cove, which can only be reached by boat from the sea. Alanya’s pirate past continues to bring visitors to the city, because curious tourists are eager to go on fascinating and unforgettable excursions to the historic sites of Alanya, which once served as a refuge for pirates. Still in Alanya there is a Damlataş cave, which was discovered recently, in 1948 and its feature is that in this cave all year round air temperature and humidity does not change almost 100%, it is believed that staying in this cave is beneficiall for people with respiratory problems. There are prudently placed benches where anyone can spend some time breathing in the health-giving air.
Restaurants in Alanya are very diverse and offer European, Japanese, Italian, Georgian and even Russian cuisine for those who missed it during the flight. But we recommend you to taste the traditional cuisine of the country you are visiting, because it is always a new and interesting experience and Mediterranean cuisine is one of the most diverse and colorful. And of course do not forget to drink refreshing Turkish coffee, which is very effectively served in beautiful bowls with oriental sweets in traditional coffee houses.
Also Alanya has a lot to offer for shoppers. On the main shopping street, Ataturk Boulevard, there are hundreds of different stores, boutiques and shopping centers. Very popular is the Oriental bazaar, which attracts shopaholics. In the small stores it is customary to haggle; the initial price includes a bargain of 2-3 prices, which you can discount depending on your ability to haggle. But even without bargaining, prices here are cheaper than in Russia. In large stores, boutiques and shopping centers, the prices are fixed and immediately indicated on the price tags, so if you do not like to participate in haggling, then feel free to go to the malls, where you will buy goods at actual prices, there are also locals who buy things for themselves.
The beaches of Alanya are what the locals are proud of and are visited by thousands of tourists every year. The water here is transparent and the beaches themselves are considered some of the best in Turkey. The infrastructure is very well developed – there are bars, cafes and restaurants within walking distance, leaving the beach you immediately get into town, so do not forget to wear something to wear, because in bathing suits you will most likely not be allowed into the store or bar and the locals may make a comment. The whole coastal area is carefully monitored and you can feel safe here at any time of day. There are free showers and changing rooms almost all along the coast. You can also rent a deck chair and umbrella, but if you stay at a hotel in the coastal zone, umbrellas and sun loungers for you will be free from the hotel – clarify this point when checking in. On all coast there are beach bars and cafes, where you can order food and drinks, the prices are one and a half to two times higher than in the city. The most beautiful and popular beach in Alanya is Cleopatra Beach, which stretches from Damlatas Cave to the western outskirts of the city for 2 kilometers, the beach is sandy and the water is clear, there are beach bars, sports fields and the city administration established free Wi-Fi connection points and terminals for charging phones along the beach Cleopatra. It won’t take you long to connect either, just select the “Alanya Municipality Wi-Fi” network and connect to it. After that, you will open a secure access page for connecting your device to the Internet, where you must enter your phone number (in international format), then you will receive an SMS with your one-time password to enter. Enter your password into the corresponding field on the registration page and you will get free access to internet services.
Alanya is well adapted for holidays with children, many restaurants and hotels are equipped with playgrounds and playrooms. There are playgrounds for children with a variety of swings, slides and other attractions for children in every area of the city. Along the entire coastal area of Alanya stretches a beautiful alley with green areas, benches, good night lighting, where you can stroll at any time of year, enjoying the beautiful scenery around, the sound of the waves of the Mediterranean Sea and the fresh air.
