Alanya is located on the Turkish south coast. It is much smaller than Antalya. Despite that, it has everything you expect from a modern place. Alanya is extremely popular as a holiday destination. It’s a mix of great weather, beautiful beaches and authenticity.
History Alanya
Alanya has a long history. In any case, the place already occurs in history in the first century of our era. The western beach of Alanya was then gifted by the Roman Mark Antony to his beloved Cleopatra VII. Legend says that Cleopatra would have bathed here daily at the time. The beach is still known today as Cleopatra Beach.
Findings have also been made in the vicinity of Alanya, which show that it was already inhabited in prehistoric times. Findings have also been made that show that there would have been permanent settlements at this location in the Bronze Age.
Characteristic of Alanya is the high rock that seems to split the city in two. This rock is the basis of medieval Alanya. The Selçuks built a castle here in the thirteenth century AD, which is still present on the hill today. After a long walk up (or much smarter: a taxi ride up) you can visit the castle and see for yourself how well you could see the pirates coming from this viewpoint. In this period Alanya was increasingly a logistically important place. Alanya was one of the trading places on the important sea routes between the Middle East and Europe.
When the Europeans developed new trade routes around Africa in the sixteenth century, the importance of Alanya as a trading city declined rapidly. The development of tourism in the second half of the last century has given Alanya a new economic impulse. It has been important for the development of tourism that the city has a fairly rich history and several old sights available.
Beaches
Alanya has two large beaches. The aforementioned Cleopatra Beach is located on the western side of Alanya. This elongated and fairly wide sandy beach is located on clear blue water and is a so-called “Blue Flag Beach”. This means, among other things, that the beach meets the strictest environmental requirements. On the beach you will find the possibility to rent sunbeds with umbrellas, you can buy some refreshments at the kiosks and there are various options for water sports. Cleopatra Beach is by far the most popular beach in Alanya.
East of the Alanya peninsula is the east beach, also known as Keykubat Beach. The sand is slightly less beautiful in color, it is less crowded here than at Cleopatra beach and the beach is considerably longer. Because the sea here gets deeper very gradually, the east beach is popular among families with younger children.
In the town there is another small and quiet pebble beach on the east side of the peninsula. This beach is not so crowded in the early and late season and offers a beautiful view of Alanya and the harbor. It is busy here in the summer months.
There are also two smaller beaches near Alanya. First, there is the approximately one kilometer long Incekum beach. This beach is an ideal family beach because the sea only starts to get deeper from about five meters from the surf. Beach beds and umbrellas can be used for a fee. Ulas beach is located about five kilometers from the center. This sandy beach is seen as one of the nicer beaches in the region.
Shop
It is good shopping in Alanya. The center of Alanya actually resembles a large bazaar where a large number of shops seem to largely define the face of the center. These shops specialize mainly in three types of products: counterfeit products from major fashion brands, souvenirs and Turkish specialties such as Turkish delight, tea and other delicacies. It is mainly the fake pants, T-shirts, sunglasses, perfumes and other fashion items that do well. For a fraction of the price of genuine brand items, you can buy counterfeit items from major brands such as Armani, Louis Vuitton, Adidas and Tommy Hilfiger.
Food and drink
There is a wide range of nice restaurants and bars. This clearly distinguishes Alanya from a number of other seaside resorts along the Turkish coast. Alanya has more than four hundred restaurants where you can mainly go for international and of course also for Turkish cuisine. Enjoy fresh fish, the deliciously spiced Adana kebab or a good piece of lamb.
If you want to eat something different for once, you can go to Mexican, Scandinavian, Spanish, Italian and even Indian or Argentinian.
Nightlife
The nightlife of Alanya is very nice and there is a lot to do. It is therefore highly recommended to dive into this nightlife. Various nightclubs can be found near the seaside resort’s port. This area is also seen as the entertainment paradise of the city. Admission at most discos is free.
Most nightclubs in Alanya are open until about 03:00 am, but if you want to stay longer you can always do so. In the open-air disco Auditorium you can party until 06:00.
Most nightclubs in Alanya are open until about 03:00 am, but if you want to stay longer you can always do so. In the open-air disco Auditorium you can party until 06:00.
Visit
Alanya is approximately 25 minutes driving from Villa Carlijn