Top Side Turkey travel attractions and holiday guides: Not to be confused with Side’s agora area that neighbors the Roman theater, this imposing complex on the road to Side’s East Beach functioned as the State Agora. On its east side, an originally two-story building is thought to have been used as a library, while in a columned niche, you can still see a figure of Nemesis, the goddess of fate. If you carry on from the agora, heading towards the eastern old town walls, you’ll come to the extensive ruins of the Byzantine bishop’s palace, principal, and baptistery. These early Christian buildings date from between the 5th and 10th centuries AD. The fine remains of the town of Seleucia (also known as Seleukia) were part of ancient Pamphylia. The ruins lie one kilometer above the village of Bucak Seyler, about 15 kilometers north of Side (reached from Side via the Manavgat Waterfalls). The rambling ruins are enclosed within a pine forest, which gives the site a charming lost-in-time ambience. Little is known of this town’s history, and archaeologists still debate its exact identity-some suggest that it is not Seleucia at all but rather the town of Lyrba. Excavations here during the 1970s unearthed a large baths complex; a well-preserved agora with surviving storerooms, colonnades, and shop rows; a Byzantine era church; and an odeon with a mosaic of Orpheus.
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 a professional licensed travel agency in Alanya & Side. We organize travel tours 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 even more info on Side boat trip.
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.
In ancient times, the surrounding region known as Pamphylia had a cluster of cities, many of which are compelling archaeological sites today. So while you’re on the Turkish Riviera a visit to an archaeological museum will always be worthwhile. Alanya’s is famed for a bronze statue of Hercules, dating from the 2nd century CE and just over half a metre tall. Also on show are intact amphorae from the 2nd century BCE, coins going back as far as 700 BCE, an inscribed Phoenician tablet from 625 BCE and a 46-line letter by the Roman emperor Septimus Severus. The museum also has an ethnographic section detailing local ways of life down the years, as well as an outdoor space showing ancient agriculture techniques, and funeral customs from ancient times through the Islamic era.
Alanya’s emblem is a 13th-century Seljuk defensive tower, getting its name from the red brick that makes up the structure’s upper storey and parapet. The Red Tower has an octagonal footprint and climbs to 33 metres with marble blocks on its lower walls. This rare piece of Medieval defensive architecture was constructed to protect Alanya’s harbour and shipyard, and greeted people’s arrival to the city for many centuries. There’s a cistern inside, still able to collect rainwater, and you can make out the historic siege-repelling murder holes, through which boiling water and pitch would be dropped on helpless invaders. On the first floor is a small ethnographic museum with tools and handicrafts reflecting the Turkmen culture in the Taurus Mountains.
Camlik village takes 20 minutes drive from Kusadasi. A visit to the Village can be added to the “Ephesus and Kirazli Village” Tour Program. This is an outdoor museum was opened in 1991. It has one of the largest steam engines collection in Europe, most them joining the museum shortly after being retired from service. The museum is perfectly located, a few minutes away from Turkey most famous historical site: Ephesus. It sits on the premises of the former Çamlık station. A visit to Camlik steam engine museum is recommended for travellers wo are interested in steam engines and railways. Tire is 60 kilometers away from Kusadasi. Every Tuesday there is a farmers market held in downtown Tire. This is the largest farmers market in Turkey. You see farmers from several villages nearby selling their products.
Dim Cave is 145 km from Antalya and 11 km from Alanya, in the town of Kestel. Dim Cave stands out as a karst formation and creates a mysterious atmosphere. It’s one of the countless natural beauties around Alanya. This place attracts a lot of attention from tourists who want to discover beauties around Alanya. The cave is located in the perfect place for nature walks, in the upper part of Dim valley. You can hike the valley, absorbing the fresh smell of pine trees and marvelous scenery on your way to Dim Cave. Dim Cave is one of the most beautiful caves in Turkey. Its total length is 410 meters and a 360 meter section is open to visitors. The lightning system inside makes the stalactites and stalagmites very delightful all along the way. The colorful lighting creates a fabulous atmosphere inside the cave.
Temple of Artemis, is also known as the Temple of Diana. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Artemis was completed in Ephesus around 550 BC. The temple was built entirely from marble. Even if the temple has been used for more than 800, it was never really completed. The architect of the temple, known as Artemisium in Latin, is known as Chersiphron from Greece. When the temple was first built, it was visited by many people from kings to artists, traders, and travelers, and was used as a religious building where they offered their blessings and beliefs to the goddess. There is no entrance fee for the Temple of Artemis. Visiting hours of the temple have been announced from 9 A.M to 7 P.M but as there are any guards in the neighborhood, the hours might be flexible too. See additional details on https://www.sideexcursion.com/.
Harbor-side, both the Red Tower (Kızılkule) and Seljuk Shipyard (Tersane) are extensions of Alanya castle fortifications, built in the 13th century. The octagonal, 30-meter-high Red Tower served as the harbor’s defense tower in the Seljuk era. Inside, there are exhibits on the Red Tower’s and Alanya’s history, but you’re really here to climb up to the roof for great views across the harbor front. From the tower, a pretty walkway runs along the harbor’s original fortification walls to Turkey’s only remaining example of a Seljuk-era shipyard. The arched halls here, built into the shorefront, are open to the sea, so that waves constantly pummel the stone. The walkway continues from here for a short length along the coastline to a small Seljuk-era watchtower building.
Oluk Bridge, Köprülü Canyon: Köprülü Canyon National Park is about 120 kilometers to the north of Alanya. It’s primarily known as one of the best places to visit in the region for rafting trips, which take place on the icy-blue river that winds through the canyon, but for more things to do, the area is also home to Roman ruins and plenty of hiking opportunities. Selge is the main Roman archaeological site in the area. The remnants of this once thriving city of 20,000 sit amid the lonely village of Altınkaya, 11 kilometers northwest of the canyon itself. The large Roman Theater, cut into the hillside and looming over the modern village houses, is well worth a visit here, despite the theater being partially destroyed. In the canyon itself, several tour companies run rafting trips along the Köprü River. The trips traverse the most scenic section of the river, heading under the Roman-built Oluk Bridge, which dates back to the 2nd century. The canyon is 14 kilometers long, with its walls soaring up to 400 meters high in places.