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Alanya

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Turkey, Alanya, Kizil kule, Red Tower,

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Overview

A former seaside bastion for a succession of Mediterranean powers, Alanya has boomed in recent decades and is a densely populated tourist haven for predominantly Dutch and Scandinavian sunseekers. At night, the downtown area can resemble 'Vegas by the Sea' – aside from taking a boat cruise or a stroll along the waterfront, many visitors only shuffle between their hotel's pool and all-inclusive buffet restaurant, perhaps dropping into a raucous nightclub after dark.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • 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

    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 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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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…

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