Must-see attractions in Alanya

  • Alanya Castle walls and coastline

    Alanya Castle

    Alanya

    Surmounting Alanya's rocky peninsula is its awesome, Seljuk-era castle, girdled by 6km of walls and awaiting Unesco World Heritage listing. Climb to it…

  • Ehmedek

    Alanya

    As you walk up to Alanya Castle, the road passes a turn-off for the village of Ehmedek, which was the Turkish quarter during Ottoman and Seljuk times…

  • Alanya Archaeological Museum

    Alanya

    Refurbished in 2012, Alanya's small but excellently curated museum is worth a visit to see artefacts, including tools, jugs, jewellery, letters and coins,…

  • Tersane

    Alanya

    A wooden walkway runs south along the old harbour's east wall from the Red Tower to the Tersane, the only Seljuk-built shipyard remaining in Turkey…

  • Red Tower

    Alanya

    This striking five-storey octagonal defence tower, measuring nearly 30m in diameter, more than 30m in height and with a central cistern within for water…

  • Ömürlü Kemal Atli Cultural Centre

    Alanya

    This carefully prepared ethnographic museum displays life as it would have been for Ottoman Turks in Alanya in the 19th century, over two floors…

  • Damlataş Cave

    Alanya

    Close to Cleopatra's Beach and the cable car to the castle, this stalactite-studded cave has humidity levels of 98% and is said to produce a certain kind…

  • Cleopatra's Beach

    Alanya

    Sandy and quite secluded in low season, and with fine views of the fortress, Cleopatra's Beach is the city's best. Alanya's main beaches are also decent…

  • Armoury

    Alanya

    This large tower would have served as a coastal watchtower and arsenal during the Seljuk era. If you're game you can follow the walls from here towards…

  • Phosphorus Cave

    Alanya

    The area near this cave is often used for a swimming stop by many of the excursion boats setting out from Alanya harbour. Despite its name, the glittering…

  • İç Kale

    Alanya

    The İç Kale, or inner fortress, contains the remnants of a Byzantine church and the scattered ruins of cisterns. It's right at the top of the fortified…

  • Pirates' Cave

    Alanya

    According to local tradition, a secret tunnel once connected this cave with Alanya Castle, allowing pirates to secretly spirit their treasures away. Many…

  • Ehmedek Castle

    Alanya

    Built in 1227 to protect the Inner Fortress, this is the northern part of Alanya Castle and consist of three towers in two distinct parts.

  • Kuyularönü Camii

    Alanya

    Kuyularönü Camii, renovated in 2005, is a an island of spirituality amid the bland knock-off designer-T-shirt shops and plastic-fantastic souvenir stores…

  • Akşebe Türbesi

    Alanya

    The Akşebe Türbesi is a distinctive mausoleum thought to have been built in about 1230 for a Seljuk commander of the castle, though this has not been…

  • Lovers' Cave

    Alanya

    Reputed to be an old pirates' lair, Lovers' Cave is often visited by local boat excursions, with braver boat passengers opting to dive from its 8m-high…

  • Castle Viewpoint

    Alanya

    Enjoy this wonderful viewpoint looking across the city and Cilician mountains while walking up to the castle through the steep streets of the Tophane…

  • Bedesten

    Alanya

    This bedesten (vaulted covered market) with a rectangular courtyard in the centre dates from the Ottoman era. For many years it functioned as a hotel.

  • Atatürk Statue

    Alanya

    Every city in Turkey has its Atatürk statue, and Alanya's presides over the main street on the eastern edge of the central city.

  • Süleymaniye Camii

    Alanya

    This fine 16th-century mosque, which replaced a Seljuk structure dating to the 13th century, is the oldest in Alanya.

  • Yeni Cami

    Alanya

    The Yeni Cami (New Mosque) sits across the road from a shady park on Hükümet Caddesi.

  • Mosque

    Alanya

    This stately mosque sits within the huddle of stalls in Alanya's Grand Bazaar.

  • Belediye

    Alanya

    Alanya's belediye (municipality) building.