Alanya

Alanya's defining landmark is really two linked monuments from the town's Seljuk golden age. High on the peninsula sits Alanya Castle, a vast fortress that Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I rebuilt after taking the city in 1221; its walls run for roughly six kilometres around the headland, enclosing an inner citadel, a small Ottoman mosque, a covered bazaar, cisterns and cliff-edge terraces with staggering views over both bays. Down at the harbour stands its companion, the Kızıl Kule or Red Tower, a striking octagonal tower of red brick finished in 1226 to guard the port and the shipyard below; five floors climb to a rooftop lookout, and it appears on the town's own emblem. You can drive or take the cable car up toward the castle quarter and walk the old lanes back down. Come late in the day when the heat eases and the sunset lights the walls, carry water, as shade is scarce up top, and wear proper shoes for the cobbles.

The most famous stretch of sand on this coast runs west from the foot of the castle peninsula, a long curve of soft, pale-gold sand lapped by clear, gently shelving water and flying the Blue Flag for cleanliness. Local legend ties it to Cleopatra, who is said to have swum here when Mark Antony gave her the region, and to have had the fine sand shipped in from Egypt, a charming story rather than history, but one that has stuck. What is real is the setting: the castle-topped rock rising at one end, the Taurus Mountains behind, and warm, calm water that makes it a genuinely good family beach. Sunbeds, umbrellas, watersports and cafes line the promenade, with quieter, rockier stretches toward the western end. The season runs May into October, with the sea warm well past summer. Arrive in the morning in July and August to claim a spot, bring sun protection, and keep younger children in the shallow inner water.

Just behind Cleopatra Beach hides one of Alanya's quirkiest attractions, a small stalactite cave discovered by accident in 1948 when workers were quarrying stone for the harbour breakwater. A short passage opens into a chamber dense with dramatically lit stalactites and stalagmites that have taken an estimated fifteen thousand years to form. Its real fame, though, is the air: warm, extremely humid and unusually high in carbon dioxide, holding a temperature that stays around a steady twenty-two degrees all year. For decades asthma and respiratory patients have come to sit inside for morning sessions, believing the atmosphere eases their breathing, and you will often see them on the benches deep in the cave. For most visitors it is a quick, cool ten-minute wonder rather than a long excursion. Pair it with the beach and the adjacent Alanya Museum, go in the morning when the air is stillest, and note that the heavy, damp warmth can feel intense.

The palm-lined harbour below the Red Tower is the launch point for Alanya's classic day out: a boat trip around the castle peninsula to its string of sea caves. Wooden gulets and larger pirate-style boats set off through the morning to circle the headland, dropping anchor for swimming stops in coves of clear water and nosing into a series of grottoes, the Pirates' Cave (Korsanlar Mağarası), said to have hidden buccaneers and their loot, the eerie blue-lit Phosphorus Cave, and the Lovers' and Girls' caves in the cliffs. Full-day trips usually include lunch and several swim breaks, while shorter sunset cruises run in the evening. Back on land, the harbour and marina are a pleasant place to stroll, with cafes, fish restaurants and the Red Tower and Seljuk shipyard right alongside. Choose a smaller boat over the big party vessels for a calmer family trip, bring towels and sun cover, and haggle a little on the quay.

A short drive inland from Alanya, the Dim valley pairs two of the area's best warm-weather escapes. Dim Cave (Dim Mağarası), set high on a mountainside, is one of the largest show caves in Turkey, with a lit walkway running several hundred metres past forests of stalactites and stalagmites to a small underground pool; the temperature holds at a steady eighteen degrees or so, a blessed relief on a scorching summer day. Below it flows the Dim River (Dim Çayı), an icy, fast, snowmelt-fed stream where a long line of restaurants have built wooden platforms right over and beside the water. Here you sit on cushions with your feet in the cold current, eating grilled trout, gözleme and mezes, a hugely popular local ritual in the summer heat. The two combine perfectly into a half-day trip out of town. Bring a light layer for the cool cave, wear shoes with grip for the damp paths, and settle in for lunch by the river afterwards.

Below the castle on the harbour side, the Tophane quarter preserves the older, quieter face of Alanya, a slope of narrow lanes and restored Ottoman-era timber houses climbing between the sea and the fortress walls, dotted with small guesthouses, tea gardens and viewpoints out over the bay. Following the shore walk from the Red Tower brings you to the town's most unusual monument, the Tersane, a Seljuk shipyard built in 1228 and the only one of its kind to survive. Its five vaulted stone bays open directly onto the sea, and it was here, protected by the tower above, that the sultan's galleys were built and repaired, a rare glimpse of medieval naval power. The neighbouring Tophane bastion rounds off the walk. It is an easy, atmospheric hour or two away from the beach crowds. Reach the shipyard on foot along the sea wall or by boat from the harbour, and go late in the day for the light and cooler air.