Alanya
Alanya is a city in Pamphylia, Turkey, situated on the south coast.
Understand
Alanya is a tourist destination and becoming a popular alternative to the overrun Antalya.
Get in
By bus
By plane
Alanya is a 2-hr drive from Antalya international airport (AYT IATA). Most holidaymakers land there and are delivered to their hotels in Alanya.
There is also the small airport of Gazipaşa, closer but it seldom has international flights.
By train
The nearest station is Konya, with high-speed YHT trains from Istanbul, Pendik and Ankara. These are met by connecting buses for Antalya and Alanya, taking about 6 hr.
By boat
In summer, a fast-cat ferry operated by Akgunlerdenizcilik runs between Alanya and Kyrenia ("Girne") in North Cyprus. It runs from Alanya Th & Su 12:00, and from Kyrenia W & Sa 10:00. This is a catamaran deniz otobüsü for foot passengers taking about 2½ hr.
Get around
Walking is best option in the busy town centre.
For anything beyond a reasonable walk (distance, luggage, heat), there's sure to be a dolmuş going your way. Wait at a bus stop, or flag them down anywhere. The word "dolmuş" literally means "stuffed" and they aim to live up to this. Expect to pay around 2 TL per person for a ride in town.
Also you can rent an electric scooter or bicycle.
See
- 1 The Citadel (Kale). occupies a hilly peninsula surrounded by the sea on three sides, and by the modern parts of the city on the other. Although the signs showing way to ‘Castle’ (Kale) points to the highest parts of the walls, the walls can be followed starting right at the sea level. Particularly interesting in (or next to) the citadel is the tip of the peninsula formed by a high and narrow extension of rocks, jutting long into the sea. This formation is named Adam Atacağı in Turkish (pronounced aa-daam aa-taa-jaa-a), literally “man thrower”, as here was where people condemned to death were pushed into the sea.
- 2 The Red Tower (Kızıl Kule). The hexagonal tower of the citadel which is nearest to sea.
- 3 Old Shipyard (Tersane). Built by the Seljuqs, this structure dates back to 1228. Located very near the Red Tower.
- 4 Alanya Archaeological Museum.
- 5 Damlataş Cave (near Kleopatra Beach).
- Caves around the town, accessible by boat trips.
- 6 Dim Çayı.
- 7 Sapadere Kanyonu.
Do
There is a lot to do in Alanya and there are plenty of tour companies whole heartedly willing to help you.
- Boat trip (try to haggle down to €5 for 1 hr), should include visits to caves (if the weather permits it) and lunch as well as animation with Eurodance music
- Scuba diving (more fish during the high season)
- Jeep safari tours
- Quad bike tours
- Donkey riding
- Paragliding
- Trip to historic amphitheatre in Aspendos
- Trip to Dim Çayı
Buy
Money
The city offers only bad exchange rates, because obviously all exchange kiosks agreed on the same rate. However, you might be lucky in one of the banks that also exchange major currencies. Otherwise, rely on your credit card—there are more than enough ATMs around (including the free Halkbank and Sekerbank), or card accepting restaurants and hotels.
Shopping
Catering for all the European tourists, almost everyone in Alanya accepts euros and US dollars. You may not even have to exchange your euros at all. When taking money from an ATM, make sure they can give you euros as well as lira. It is also very easy to exchange all Scandinavian crowns (krona, krone, possibly except Icelandic króna) in many exchange offices of the town—something not very usual in the rest of Turkey, as many holiday-makers in Alanya are Scandinavians.
Alanya is full to the brim of shops, which become very repetitive since they all sell pretty much exactly the same wares. The shops shamelessly sell fake brands and goods, where the expiry date has been long exceeded. A list of the most common items:
- Clothing – Shoes and T-shirts from Puma, etc.—fake of course!
- Watches – Everything from Seiko to DKNY—fake of course!
- Sunglasses
- Bags and wallets
- Turkish tea sets
- Water pipes and tobacco
Be prepared to haggle, the shop owners expect it. This means you need to know the approximate value for the items you would like to buy. You can check the value either by research online in advance or by asking any friendly local. When you haggle, they will offer you an absurdly high price. This means that you can offer a couple of Euros and try to meet somewhere at the price you have decided to be your maximum.
Obviously, you ca not haggle in a supermarket, petrol station, etc. Trying to haggle for groceries is generally frowned upon. You will have to haggle in the cocktail bars that are lined up along the beach promenade, if you do not want to pay more for a meal and drinks than in Europe. Many restaurants/bars/etc do not even have prices on their menu—ask beforehand or you will be surprised big time.
Eat
Turkish food in general is really tasty. Try the following:
- Lahmacun – These will cost you around 5 TL and are more like a snack than a meal.
- Cig Köfte – Often vegetarian, spicy dürüm made of bulgur, salad, tomatoes, pomegranate sauce, and lemon juice.
- Baklava – Turkish sweet. The cost depends on the weight, 30-80 TL/kg.
Drink
- Turkish coffee
- The prices of drinks in the night clubs may be insanely high. Expect a beer to cost €3-6.
Sleep
Many cheap holiday packages, usually originating in Germany or Scandinavia, include "all inclusive" hotels situated on the beach as part of the deal. For example, an "all inclusive" 4-star hotel in Alanya including a flight to Antalya from Germany costs around €400.
- Villa Casara, Konakli, Alanya. Beautiful new (as of 2015) Turkish villa, which sleeps 8 comfortably, is bright, spacious and comfortable with all modern conveniences. It is set in lovely palm-lined gardens and the 3 balconies enjoy views of the mountains, a swimming pool and a direct view of the sea.
- Yasmin Hotel, Şekerhane Mh. Şekerhane, ☏ +90 242 511 29 63. A small 3-star hotel in the center of Alanya. €50/night.
Go next
- West – The rest of Pamphylia offers many interesting destinations, and beyond the popular Pamukkale.
- Northeast – Head for Göreme with the famous Cappadocia and the underground cities of Kaymakli and Derinkuyu.
- East – Anamur, Silifke, and the rest of eastern Mediterranean coast (the Cilician coast: Cilician Mountains, Cilician Plains, and Hatay) awaits with its somewhat thinly populated and thinly touristed hilly landscape.
- Cyprus, lying to the southeast, is also another option. During the high season (May to September), you can go to Kyrenia in Northern Cyprus by boat. It takes about 3½ hours and costs US$30/person one-way or US$50/person return. Outside the high season, the international port is closed.
| Routes through Alanya |
| Antalya ← Manavgat ← | W  E |
→ Anamur → Mersin |