Things to do in Alanya
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Alanya
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Winter: worst for a beach trip, best for cheap long stays. Highs 14 to 17C, the year's rain, cold sea and strip hotels closed, but town open and local.
Early spring walker's season: highs 16 to 21C, green hills, waterfalls strongest and sea cold until late April.
Best months, joint: highs 22 to 29C, sea swimmable then perfect, everything open and crowds sane in May.
Peak: highs 30 to 32C and humid, sea bath warm, everything full and at double shoulder prices.
Best month outright: highs 27 to 30C, sea warmest, crowds draining and prices softening.
Connoisseur's month: highs 23 to 26C, sea swimmable into early November, harvest season and shoulder prices from mid month.
Fading month: highs around 20C and falling, first real rains and beach services packing up, but cheap and pleasant for walking and eating.
What's on
- International Christmas Market mid-Dec
Charming expat and local event at the harbour.
- International Tourism and Art Festival late May / early June
Parades and concerts around the harbour and Red Tower; confirm dates with the municipality.
- Alanya International Jazz Festival Usually mid to late September
Free concerts at Kızılkule Square and the castle. Book centre hotels early.
- Tropical Fruit Festival 3 days in Oct, 10-12 Oct for the 2025 edition
Celebrates local avocado, mango and dragon fruit with chefs and tastings.
Best things to do in Alanya
Alanya Castle
Seljuk fortress above the peninsula with walls, cisterns and the best views over both beaches.
Kleopatra Plajı
Two kilometres of pale sand and clear, quickly deepening water under the castle headland.
Kızılkule
Octagonal Seljuk tower from 1226, climbed for the harbour view rather than its thin displays.
Alanya Shipyard
Five arched Seljuk shipyard bays from 1221 still standing at the water edge by the Red Tower.
Damlataş Cave
Small stalactite cave by Cleopatra Beach, warm and humid, done easily in under half an hour.
Alanya Lighthouse
End of a free dusk walk along the harbour promenade as the castle floodlights come on.
Alanya harbour boat trip
Coastal cruise past the castle walls and sea caves with swim stops, usually ending in a foam party.
Private yacht charter Alanya
Private boat from the harbour to see the peninsula and caves at your own pace and terms.
Where to stay in Alanya
Cleopatra Beach / Damlataş
first trip, all-round base
Walk to the sand, cave, cable car and museum, with the harbour about 20 minutes away and good lokantas behind the beach.
Harbour / Old Town peninsula (Çarşı / Tophane)
character and couples
Boutique hotels in stone houses with terraces over the port and dinner on the doorstep, at the cost of hills and steps.
Oba / Tosmur
quieter polished resort stay near town
Newer, greener and more residential, with a shallower more local beach and a short dolmuş ride into the centre.
City centre / Atatürk Boulevard inland streets
best value in town
Apart hotels and small hotels a few streets back from the beaches at half the seafront price, still walkable to everything.
Kestel / Mahmutlar
long stays and apartment living only
Modern apartment complexes and local prices far east of town, fine for a month but wrong for a short first trip.
Konaklı / Türkler / İncekum-Avsallar resort strip
all-inclusive resort holidays only
Big five star compounds with aquaparks and private beaches 12 to 25 km west, where town becomes a taxi expedition.
Think twice about
- Bar Street / harbour club strip (İskele Caddesi lanes, Çarşı)
Not dangerous but exhausting: touts, music until 3am in season and drink price scams. Sleep three or more streets away and walk in.
- Mahmutlar / far-east apartment sprawl as a first-trip base
A holiday quality problem, not safety: stony beach, construction dotted streets and 12 plus km between you and everything you came for.
- Far-west resort strips if you want a town
Isolation, not danger. The compounds are secure and self contained, but Alanya itself effectively does not exist for you.
- Unlit rural roads around Dim / Sapadere at night
No pavement, no lighting and fast local driving on the castle descent lanes and country roads late at night. Take a taxi back.
Best restaurants in Alanya
Yöresel Alanya Ev Mutfağı
Home cooking kitchen devoted to Alanya regional dishes like Güllük soup and taratorlu kızartma.
Lale Lokantası
Classic tradesmen's lokanta near the bazaar with daily trays of stews, casseroles, rice and soups.
Mezze Grill Restaurant Ocakbasi
Polished charcoal grill house for meze, mixed grills and steaks, used by locals for celebrations.
Eski Ev
Family run traditional restaurant in a restored old Alanya house with an unhurried garden pace.
Mahperi Restaurant
Harbour dinner of kebabs and meze overlooking the port and floodlit castle, often with live music.
Alanya Balık Evi
Harbour fish house for grilled sea bass, red mullet and calamari, with the fish shown before cooking.
Kaptan Balık Evi
One of the town's best seafood bets, a harbour fish house for simply grilled fish.
Vintage Brasserie & Wine House
Wine led brasserie and date night splurge with Turkish wines, seafood pasta, steaks and homemade ice cream.
Outdoor things to do in Alanya
Sapadere Canyon
Wooden walkway through a narrow gorge with waterfalls and icy plunge pools you can swim in.
Dim Cave
One of Turkey's largest show caves, high above the Dim valley with a terrace view to the sea.
Dimçayı
Cold river escape with platform restaurants, low tables in the water, trout and swimming.
Köprülü Canyon National Park
Fourteen kilometres of beginner friendly Class II to III rafting through a national park canyon.
Tandem paragliding over Cleopatra Beach
Tandem flight from high above town, floating over the peninsula and landing on Cleopatra Beach.
Taurus Mountains jeep safari
Open jeep day on Taurus tracks with village stops and lunch and swimming at Dim River.
Scuba diving in Alanya
Calm clear water and rocky reefs around the peninsula make this a good place for a first dive.
Side Ancient City
Roman city on its own peninsula with a theatre, agora and the Temple of Apollo by the harbour.
Best hotels in Alanya
En Vie Beach Boutique Hotel
Small seafront boutique on Cleopatra Beach, the luxury form here rather than a grand hotel.
Villa Sonata
Boutique pick with a garden, beach area and suite views over the coast by Cleopatra Beach.
Alin Hotel
Reliable Kleopatra area hotel within minutes of the sand, with pool and breakfast.
Kleopatra Miray Hotel
Kleopatra staple close to the beach with pool and breakfast, a dependable mid tier default.
Kleopatra İkiz Hotel
Mid tier Kleopatra hotel a short walk from the sand, typical of the area's 3 and 4 star stock.
Caligo Apart Hotel
Self catering apart with pool and kitchenette, about 100 metres from Cleopatra Beach.
Cleopatra King Apart
Budget self catering apart near Cleopatra Beach, the format locals recommend for a week plus.
Twin Apart Hotel
Cheap apart hotel with pool, kitchenette and balcony within walking distance of the beach.
Is Alanya expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | TRY 2,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | TRY 4,500 a person |
| Splurge | TRY 11,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Private yacht charter Alanya: a few days ahead
- Tandem paragliding over Cleopatra Beach: a few days ahead
- Sunprime C-Lounge - Adults Only: a few days ahead
- Mezze Grill Restaurant Ocakbasi: a few days ahead
- Mahperi Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Vintage Brasserie & Wine House: a few days ahead
- Panorama Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Soul Of Kitchen Restaurant: a few days ahead
- July, August and Turkish public holidays sell out good mid tier hotels and spike prices; the September Jazz Festival and October Tropical Fruit Festival also fill the centre.
- Paragliding, private boats, Sunprime C-Lounge class hotels and Mezze Grill and Vintage tables in season should be booked days ahead.
- Excursions generally need only 1 to 2 days ahead, booked via a platform with free cancellation or a reviewed local agency.
- For the castle, buy cable car tickets early in the day in peak season or go late afternoon to avoid midday queues.
Is Alanya safe?
- Cleopatra Beach deepens fast, so obey flags and take small children to shallower Keykubat or İncekum instead.
- Midday sightseeing in July and August genuinely makes people ill; sightsee early or late and drink bottled water.
- Roads are the real risk, especially unlit rural roads; use transfers and skip scooters in flip flops.
- Drink only sealed bottles in reputable venues, as counterfeit spirits elsewhere in Turkey have been lethal.
Alanya travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Bar Street drink bills: check the printed menu price, pay as you go, never open a tab and leave if a free drink arrives unordered.
- Big pirate ship boats are floating discos with foam parties and short swims, whatever touts promise; read the last 20 reviews of the specific boat.
- Shop by invitation tea visits that become carpet, leather or jewellery hard sells: a firm no thank you and walking away ends it.
- Hamam, massage and photo package upsells: agree the total price, in writing if possible, before the activity starts.
- Grand Bazaar souvenir sprawl is fun to wander but poor value; assume leather, antiques and branded goods are otherwise until proven.
Getting around Alanya: public transport and more
- Gazipaşa Alanya Airport is 30 to 40 km east; Antalya Airport is about 120 km west and 2 to 2.5 hours away, so check which airport before booking.
- Dolmuş minibuses run constantly along the main boulevards and out to Mahmutlar, Konaklı, Dim and the otogar for small fares.
- Taxis are plentiful and metered in town; agree a price in advance for Dim, Syedra and airport runs.
- Rent a car only for DIY Sapadere, Dim, Syedra and Side days; centre parking in August is miserable.
- Cash still rules in pazars, dolmuş, caves and small lokantas; use bank ATMs attached to branches and decline conversion.
Who Alanya suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Alanya your trip
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