Alanya
About Alanya
Alanya occupies one of the most dramatic settings on the Turkish Riviera, built around a rocky peninsula that juts into the Mediterranean and is crowned by a Seljuk castle visible from almost everywhere in the city. The castle, the red tower at the harbour entrance and the network of medieval walls that still encircle the peninsula make Alanya one of the most visually striking coastal cities in Türkiye, a place where history is not hidden in a museum but built into the landscape itself. Below the castle, two of the finest beaches on the coast stretch in opposite directions from the peninsula, Cleopatra Beach to the west and Keykubat Beach to the east, both long, wide and backed by the kind of clear turquoise water that has made this coastline one of the most popular summer destinations in the entire Mediterranean. Beyond the sand and the castle, a series of sea caves cut into the base of the peninsula by thousands of years of wave action (Damlataş, Phosphorus Cave and Pirates Cave among them) add a dimension to the coastline that most beach destinations simply cannot match.
Overview
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Region
Antalya, Turkish Riviera
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Population
~ 350.000
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Elevation
Sea Level to 250m (Alanya Castle)
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Climate
Mediterranean
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Best Time to Visit
April to November
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Nearest Airport
Gazipaşa Alanya Airport (25 km)
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Known For
Alanya Castle, Cleopatra Beach, Sea Caves, Red Tower
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Distance to Antalya City Centre
130 km
Location
Things To Do in Alanya;
1 The Castle That Has Watched Over the City for Eight Centuries
Alanya Castle was built by the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad in the 13th century on a rocky peninsula rising 250 metres directly above the sea, and it remains one of the best preserved medieval fortifications in Türkiye. The walls stretch for over six kilometres around the entire perimeter of the peninsula, enclosing a Byzantine church, a cistern, a mosque and the remains of an entire medieval settlement within their circuit. The walk up through the old quarter to the summit takes around 45 minutes and rewards the effort with a panoramic view over both beaches, the harbour, the Red Tower below and the Taurus Mountains rising behind the city. On a clear day the coastline is visible in both directions for as far as the eye can reach.
2 The Coastline Beneath the Cliffs
The base of the Alanya peninsula has been sculpted by thousands of years of wave action into a series of sea caves that are accessible only by boat and are unlike anything else on the Turkish Riviera. Damlataş Cave, famous for its stalactites and its humidity levels which have historically drawn visitors with respiratory conditions, opens directly onto the beach. Phosphorus Cave glows with a blue-green luminescence when sunlight enters at the right angle. Pirates Cave, reputedly used by corsairs to shelter stolen cargo, cuts deep into the cliff face with chambers large enough to navigate by boat. A short boat trip from the harbour visits all of them in a single morning.
3 Two Beaches, One City
Most coastal cities are defined by a single beach. Alanya has two that face in entirely different directions, separated by the peninsula and its castle. Cleopatra Beach to the west is the longer and more famous of the two, a broad sweep of fine sand backed by the city and named after the Egyptian queen who, according to local legend, swam here during her visit with Mark Antony in 41 BC. Keykubat Beach to the east is quieter, slightly narrower and preferred by those looking for a more relaxed stretch of coastline away from the main resort activity. Between them, the peninsula rises dramatically from the water, the castle walls visible above and the Red Tower standing guard at the harbour entrance below. It is a setting that is difficult to find anywhere else in the Mediterranean.
