The Turkish Riviera is the southern coastal strip of Turkey and one of the most popular summer holiday destinations. The region is particularly popular among all-inclusive vacationers. Between sun, sea and beach, the region between Antalya and Alanya also has numerous ancient sights and natural spectacles to offer.
While the Turkish Riviera is flat and has long sandy beaches, the Aegean coast is characterized by mountainous landscapes and romantic bays.
The city of Antalya also has a beautiful old town to offer - this is called Kaleiçi. The clock tower is located on the edge of the old town, which is why we started our exploration tour from there. Near the clock tower is another attraction, the Yivli Minare - a mosque, which the locals often refer to as the city's landmark. The best views of this impressive structure are from nearby Republic Square. Other sights in the city include Hadrian's Gate, the marina and the Archaeological Museum.
If you are looking for peace and relaxation, Belek is ideal for it, it is also wonderful to hike in the pine forests around Belek. If you want to experience something more than Side has a lot more to offer.
Antalya, on the other hand, is known for its historical and cultural wealth, its magnificent beaches and its luxurious resorts.
Alanya is the epitome of a relaxed and carefree tourist attraction. The choice between Side and Alanya ultimately depends on your personal preferences. If you are interested in history and archaeology, Side might be a better choice. On the other hand, if you prefer a livelier holiday with beautiful beaches, Alanya might suit you better.
In Side, which is characterized by tourism, there are numerous restaurants and cafés as well as many colourful shops and souvenir shops that invite you to stroll around. In particular, the pretty old town and its ancient ruins, along with the picturesque beaches, are among the city's best-known and most popular sights.
In different, international travelogues of users of the Lycian trail and backpackers we have repeatedly heard about the "tree houses" at Olympos, which are made of simple, nailed boards lodgings offering cheap accomodation.
From Kas, our journey was leading along the coast road D400 in direction to Kumluca and nearly into the center of Finike, when we turned right to the national road 635 towards Elmalı.
If you believe or not, there has been a real Saint Nicholas, to whom we owe so much pre-Christmas entertainment today.
Myra, located in the south-west of Turkey, in the magical landscape of Lycia, was the city where St. Nicholas had worked as a bishop in the fourth century.
In the past weeks we have already reported about the mount Tahtali, near Olympos with its beautiful sandy beach as part of our reports on XC Turkey.
Coming from Xanthos, when we crossed highway 400, which connects Fethiye and Kas. It is just a few kilometers away from the road to the imposing fields of ruins with the holy grave of the goddess Leto, whose official religious burial place is said to be in Letoon, the oracle and “the” festival site of the Lycian Federation is placed.
Skiing in the Taurus Mountains? And ski resorts in Turkey? Nearly nobody who travels to Turkey to spend their summer vacation on the beach will suspect that there are large ski areas not far from Antalya.
Adada was an ancient Roman city in Pisidia, about 40 km southeast of Egirdir and 80 km northeast of Antalya, near the present-day village of Sagrak in the Sütçuler district of the Turkish province of Isparta, which is probably just known to hikers on St. Paul's Way.
We have heard of the ancient city of Trebenna several times, but so far without any concrete information about the historical background or even the exact location of the city near Antalya.
Adana, situated in the middle of the Cukurova Plain, is the fourth largest city of Turkey and the centre of a thriving agricultural area. The city is also known for its textile industry.
We leave Adana on road 815 in the direction of Kazan, as our acquaintances in Tarsus told us about some historical buildings and interesting castle complexes on site.
We are on the way from Sanliurfa in the direction of Konya when we have to leave the highway D 21 coming from the direction of Adana at Pozanti in order to follow the course of the road 750 in the direction of Nigde / Karapinar.