Set against the dramatic Taurus Mountains on the north, Alanya is a beautiful resort town located about 150km east of Antalya with some great Alanya hotels. This popular beach resort stands on a rocky peninsula extending into the sea and is flanked by some of Turkey's most beautiful beaches on its east and west. The old town with its mosques, towers, hotels, old houses and even a tidy harbour can charm anyone and visitors can have all the drinks and Turkish and international cuisine they want in the numerous cafes, tea houses, restaurants and vibrant bars by the bay.
A perfect blend of historical monuments, natural beauty and the pleasant Mediterranean climate has helped in Alanya fast becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination.
Alanya accounts for 9% of Turkey's tourism, and this has helped in Alanya's commercial development and has led to more and more people settling here. The first hotel in Alanya came up in 1958 and since then there has been a building spree to cater to the increasing tribe of visitors, boasting of 157,000 hotel beds in 2007. Therefore there is no shortage of places to stay in Alanya, with most offering excellent value.
There is a lot to see and do in Alanya, and the grand Alanya Castle from the Seljuk era that was built around 1226 stands proudly on the hill behind Alanya. Most of the important historical sites in the city can be seen within and around this castle's premises. Within the castle walls you can soothe yourself with sights of old country houses, the caravanserai and Süleymaniye Mosque constructed by Suleiman the Magnificent and even a church from the Byzantine era beautifully decorated with fine frescoes. Narrow lanes lined with small shops and stalls selling carpets, jewellery, copper, and cheese-cloth dresses lazily twist around the old town. The walls of the old city enclose most of the eastern peninsula region and you can easily walk around this entire area.
Beautiful sea caverns are situated below the castle. While you need to go by boat to some of the caves, the most popular Damlatas cave or ‘Cape of Dripping Stones' can be easily walked up to. The warm humid air inside this cave is said to be beneficial to people suffering from asthma, while the stalagmites and stalactites hanging inside can warm the heart of the coldest of visitors!
Another really famous landmark in Alanya is the 108 ft high brick-built Red Tower. The municipal ethnographic museum is housed in this tower which stands below the Alanya Castle by the town's harbour. The Red Tower is octagonal shaped and is the last of the 83 towers of Alanya Castle. The tower was specifically built to protect the arsenal or Tersane and it remains one of the best instances of military architecture from medieval times. A great way to explore the Red Tower and other sights is on a tour in Alanya.
Alanya is divided into two parts by the Atatürk Bulvari, which is the main road running parallel to the sea. It divides the northern, rustic part of Alanya that stretches northwards towards the mountains from the southern, touristy part that contains most of the important sites that visitors throng to. Another important road in Alanya is the Çevre Yolu Caddesi, which surrounds the town on the north side.
While Atatürk may have spent only a short time in Alanya in 1935 (specifically February 18th), both his museum and house are still maintained in their original state, complete with articles from the 1930s. The house's interiors are a fine example of what a typical Ottoman villa is like.
Not only is Alanya rich in history and culture, it also offers a vibrant beach life and dramatic sceneries to boot! The resort has the pretty, sandy Cleopatra Beach on its west and the fine sands of Alanya Beach extend endlessly on its east. These beaches offer options of various water sporting activities too. Around 15 km east is situated the pretty Dim Cay valley. You can spend a few good hours picnicking and resting in the cool shade of this vast valley, and even visit or take an Alanya tour of the Dim cave while there.
A cool and relaxed night life awaits you in Alanya with a large number of restaurants, night clubs and bars located at the town's edge. Some bars and discos remain open till the wee hours in the morning. You can even select your hotel in Alanya based on its location with our Alanya map, so that you can stay near the action!
Alanya has been coveted and conquered by many empires because of its strategic placing on a peninsula jutting into the Mediterranean Sea right below the Taurus Mountains. The Byzantine, Ottoman, Ptolemaic and Roman Empires have all ruled over Alanya at some point in history. But the city really shone in the middle ages when Alaeddin Kayqubad I ruled over the city under the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm. It is he who started a building spree in Alanya and is responsible for constructing most of its landmarks like the Alanya Castle, the Tersane or arsenal and the Red Tower or the Kizil Kule. The city is even named after him!
The town is sandwiched between the Taurus Mountains on the north and the Mediterranean Sea on the south. It is situated on the Anatolian coastal planar region of Pamphylia by the Gulf of Antalya. It is just a small section of the Turkish Riviera and stretches over approximately 70 kilometres (43.5 miles) of coast.
Always lesser crowded than Side, Alanya is very close to many interesting destinations. You can see some of Turkey's prettiest coastline to the east of Alanya towards Gazipasa. If you go further towards Aytap, you find the remnants of a historical Roman city by the beach.
Alanya is a wonderful holiday destination with high quality Alanya hotels, some great Alanya tours, exquisite seafood restaurants, and bars and cafes to suit all kinds of pockets and a variety of shopping options for the keen shopper. In spite of the phenomenal boom, it has still retained its essential Turkish character, and does not feel stuffed even in the height of the summer season.
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