Places we'd send our own family
Short on purpose. Every place here is one I'd send my own family to, with the reason and the catch. Places may thank us with a small fee when you shop. It never changes your price.
Businesses I'd send my own family to. A place gets a solid card only after I've been this season, with my own money.
Shopping · Türkler
Bags, watches, sunglasses and small gifts at three quality levels, with the price told to you straight. No pressure, no 'special price for you'.
Not for: Anyone looking for a 2 € souvenir; this is a proper shop.
Sipahioğlu Çarşısı, 5–10 minutes on foot from most Türkler hotels
This is Adnan's family shop since 1996. Said plainly so you can judge the recommendation.
Beach club · restaurant · Alanya, Güller Pınarı · draft
Beach club and seaside restaurant in one: sunbeds by day, sushi and seafood by night, open from breakfast until late. The one for a long, slow day that turns into dinner without moving.
Not for: Tight budgets; families wanting a quiet children's beach.
Ahmet Tokuş Bulvarı, Güller Pınarı side of Alanya; dolmuş or taxi from Türkler and Konaklı
Draft from public listings (open daily 08:00–02:00; Japanese, European and Asian menu). Adnan's own line to be added.
Beach club · Alanya · draft
Upscale beach club: sunbeds, cocktails, house and lounge music, direct beach access. Daytime for lying in the sun, evening for a drink with music.
Not for: Toddlers; anyone who wants silence after 15:00.
Alanya shoreline; taxi from the hotel areas
Draft from public listings. Prices and sunbed rules to be confirmed by Adnan.
Dashed cards are drafts: the place is mine, the words aren't final yet. Nothing goes live until I've been there this season. Still to be written: Sundays, Smack, Origin Restaurant, Nabucco.
The castle, the beaches, the river, the markets, the practical bits. Not businesses; the place itself, and how to do it without a tour.
Pins are placed by hand and are approximate (within a few hundred metres). Use them to see what is near what; use your phone's map for the last turn.
Entrance fees below are the Ministry's 2026 euro tariff where I found it, with the source and the date. All prices on one page →
Sight · Alanya
Seljuk walls on the rock above town, 6 km of them. Go up for the view, the small Byzantine church and the sea on three sides. The city tour includes it; on your own, take the cable car up and walk down.
Not for: Wheelchairs and pushchairs; the paths are steep and cobbled. Midday in July.
Cable car from Kleopatra beach side, or taxi to the top gate
Entrance: 12 €. Under 18 and over 65 free with ID. MüzeKart is for Turkish residents. (Antalya Gezi Rehberi (DÖSİM 2026 tariff), 11 Aug 2026)
Sight · Alanya harbour
The octagonal brick tower by the harbour, built 1226. Climb the five floors for the harbour view; the small museum inside is quick.
Not for: Anyone who dislikes narrow stairs.
Harbour, 2 minutes from the boats
Entrance: to be confirmed. Ministry site; to be confirmed.
Sight · Alanya harbour
Five stone arches opening onto the sea, next to the Red Tower. Ten minutes, and one of the best photos in town.
Not for: Nobody; it is flat and short.
Along the sea wall from the Red Tower
Sight · Alanya
Small cave at the foot of the castle rock, stalactites, constant 22 °C and humid air (locals swear by it for asthma). Fifteen minutes inside is enough.
Not for: Claustrophobic guests; it is small and can be crowded.
Next to Kleopatra beach, by the cable car
Entrance: 30 TL. Run by the municipality, not the Ministry: MüzeKart not valid. Over 65 free. (Gezipass, 24 Apr 2026)
Sight · Alanya
Six minutes from Damlataş up to the castle walls. Buy a one-way ticket and walk down through the old houses if your knees allow.
Not for: Fear of heights; it swings a little in wind.
Lower station by Damlataş
Entrance: to be confirmed. Runs daily about 09:30–23:00 in season, to about 19:00 in winter. Ticket price: confirmed on the day, ask me.
Sight · Alanya
Small, quiet, air-conditioned. The bronze Heracles is the piece to see. Good for a very hot or rainy hour.
Not for: Children under about 8 unless they like old stones.
Near Damlataş, 5 minutes on foot
Entrance: 4 €. Under 18 and over 65 free with ID. (Antalya Gezi Rehberi (DÖSİM 2026 tariff), 11 Aug 2026)
Sight · Seki / Demirtaş
Hilltop Roman town above the coast road, mosaics, cisterns and almost nobody there. The sunset view is the reason to go.
Not for: Anyone expecting Ephesus; it is small and unrestored.
Coast road east, then a steep side road; taxi or car
Entrance: 7 € (Antalya Gezi Rehberi (DÖSİM 2026 tariff), 11 Aug 2026)
Sight · Alara
Seljuk caravanserai by the river, and a castle on the crag above it if you have the legs. Quiet, cheap, often empty.
Not for: Hot afternoons; no shade on the castle climb.
West, inland from Okurcalar
Sight · Alanya harbour
From the Red Tower along the harbour to the fishermen's cafés, then up into the old streets below the castle. Best at 18:00 when the heat goes.
Not for: Nobody; wear comfortable shoes.
Start at the Red Tower
Alanya flew 79 Blue Flags in 2026: 6 public beaches, 68 hotel beaches, 4 boats and the marina. Which public beaches hold one this year I'm checking on the official list before I write it on a card. (Yeni Birlik (FEE 2026 list), 2 Jun 2026)
Beach · Alanya
Sand, not pebbles, and shallow for a long way out. The town beach, with the castle behind you. Municipal sunbeds and showers.
Not for: Anyone wanting quiet in July and August.
West side of the castle rock; dolmuş from Türkler and Konaklı
Beach · Avsallar
Fine sand and pine trees right down to the water; shallow, calm, the beach for families on the west side.
Not for: Anyone wanting water sports and noise.
Avsallar, on foot from most hotels there
Beach · Türkler
Four kilometres of coarse sand in front of the big hotels. Deeper quickly than Incekum; fine for adults, watch small children.
Not for: Toddlers without armbands.
In front of the hotels
Beach · Konaklı
Mixed sand and pebble, long promenade behind it, cafés at the back. Easy evening walk to the centre.
Not for: Bare feet; bring sandals for the pebbly stretches.
Along the promenade
Nature · Dim valley
Ice-cold river coming out of the mountains, with wooden platforms over the water where you eat trout and dangle your feet. Lunch on the city tour; on your own, go in the afternoon.
Not for: Small children near the water without an adult holding them; the current is real.
15 km east of Alanya; taxi or the city tour
Nature · Dim valley
A proper show cave, 360 m of walkway and a small lake at the end. Cool inside, good on a hot day. Often combined with the river.
Not for: Guests who struggle with stairs; there are many.
Above the Dim valley road
Entrance: to be confirmed. Private show cave; price to be confirmed.
Nature · Sapadere
Wooden walkway through a narrow gorge to a cold pool. Shaded, green, slow. Village lunch on the way back.
Not for: Pushchairs; wet wooden steps.
45 km east; by tour or taxi
Market days as published this spring: Türkler Sunday · Konaklı Wednesday · Avsallar Wednesday · Alanya Friday · Alanya Tuesday. Days do move; the card says where.
Market · Türkler
Fruit, olives, spices, cheap clothes and the usual fakes. Go before 11 for the real market.
Not for: Pushchairs on a busy day; people who hate bargaining.
Akdam Yolu, opposite the Jasmin Hotel, Sundays
Market · Konaklı
Weekly market with produce and clothes; smaller and calmer than Türkler. Wednesdays, next to Konaklı Medikal in the centre.
Not for: Nobody.
Centre of Konaklı, Wednesdays
Market · Alanya
The big one: a whole district of stalls, mostly for locals. Go for food, spices and the atmosphere, not souvenirs.
Not for: Anyone who wants it done in 20 minutes.
Şekerhane, Alanya centre, Fridays
Market · Avsallar
The west-side market: produce, olives, clothes. Same day as Konaklı, so pick the one nearer your hotel.
Not for: Nobody.
Karaçaltı Caddesi, next to the Belediye, Wednesdays
Practical · Coast
The white minibuses run along the main road every few minutes between Avsallar, Türkler, Konaklı and Alanya. Wave to stop one; pay the driver. Cheapest way into town.
Not for: Late nights; they thin out after midnight.
Main road, any stop
Practical · Coast
Every centre has several; one in each district is on duty at night (nöbetçi eczane). Ask me or any hotel reception for tonight's.
Not for: Nobody in particular.
Türkler, Konaklı, Avsallar centres
Practical · Coast
ATMs in every centre; use bank ones, not the standalone boxes in shops. Prices in shops and tours are usually in euro; small change in lira helps for dolmuş and market.
Not for: Nobody in particular.
Any centre