There are many interesting places near Alanya. But not all of them can be reached by public transport. An example is the Alarakhan mountain fortress or the ancient city of Leartis Learti. You can get there either by car or by hitchhiking. That’s why they kind of exist, but it doesn’t do much good.
In short… To make this article as useful as possible, I will roughly divide it into three parts.
- The first one will include those places that can be reached by buses or minibuses.
- In the second one, those locations where it is better to go with an excursion or by car.
- And in the third – the sights of the “far arc”. You can get here, but the journey itself will take you a day, two or even more.
Is this sorted out? Then let’s get started. The article will be great. But very useful.
Where to go from Alanya without a car?
Here I got the following four:
- Manavgat,
- Antalya,
- Side
- and the mountains by the Dim Chai River.
Antalya is the longest drive. But all other places can be reached in an hour and a half (or even less). Below, I will talk in detail about each of these places, as well as share tips on how best to plan such a trip.
Side
Travel time: 1.5 hours.
How to get there? Bus Alanya – Manavgat + minibus Manavgat – Side. The transfer is very simple. The flights depart one after the other. You can read more about all the travel options in the article at the link below.
What is it worth going for? For the sake of ancient ruins, cozy seaside neighborhoods and nice beaches. In my opinion, Side is one of the most “postcard” and “instagram” resorts on the entire coast. The concentration of beauty here is simply overwhelming.
Manavgat
Travel time: 1 hour.
How to get there? By direct bus or minibus. Read more about it here.
What is it worth going for? For the Turkish flavor, waterfalls, rivers, good shopping and cheap restaurants. Unlike neighboring Alanya, there are not many tourists here. Therefore, the prices are lower. The exchange rate in the exchangers is better. And the city itself seems somehow more real.
Apart from Side (which “grows” into Manavgat and is actually its continuation), there are only two attractions in this city – this is the waterfall and the large Nova Mall shopping center. Not much, I agree. But personally, this city bribed me rather with its atmosphere.
There are many parks, bridges and pleasant restaurants. If you are traveling for the whole day, then a trip to Manavgat can easily be combined with a visit to Side.
Dim Chai River
Travel time: 30-40 minutes.
How to get there? By bus number 10 from the site called Cuma Pazari (Friday Market Square).
What is it worth going for? For the sake of the river restaurants, as well as the beautiful mountains, the artificial lake by the dam and the Dim cave.
If at some point you get tired of beaches, ancient cities and old minarets, then a trip to the Dim Chai River will be a real salvation for you.
You get on a bus, drive through ordinary city neighborhoods, and then suddenly you find yourself among mountains, rivers, and thundering waterfalls. When I came here for the first time, it seemed to me that I had entered some other world. These places reminded me of China, Georgia, or Forks from the Twilight movie. Even the air here is different, colder and more humid. And the number of beautiful views around is simply overwhelming.
To feel the atmosphere, read my great article about the Dim Chai River. You should definitely visit this place.
Antalya
Travel time: about 2.5 hours.
How to get there? By buses operated by Alanyalillar and Akdeniz companies. You can also take a minibus to Manavgat, and then take a bus to Antalya. Buy tickets and watchThe schedule is available on the website Obilet.com.
What is it worth going for? For the sake of the dynamics of the big city, the stunning sea panoramas and the picturesque streets of the Kaleici district.
Antalya has hipster restaurants and boats by the water; secluded beaches and bustling shopping malls. This city knows how to be different. Therefore, it is definitely worth a trip here. And maybe even repeatedly.
You can read more about the most interesting places in Antalya in the article at the link below.
About other places in brief
Injecum (Injecum)
Of course, the list of interesting places to go from Alanya is not limited to these four. I just recommend visiting them first. And if you have time left, then you can also include in your itinerary:
- Incekum Beach;
- The ancient city of Nahla, lost among the banana fields of Mahmutlar.
- And also in ancient Aspendos, which I wrote about recently. There is a huge Roman amphitheater, a well-preserved aqueduct, the Seljuk bridge over the Kepruchai River, and an almost real ghost town in the neighborhood.
You can get here by public transport. But the road to Aspendos (to put it mildly) will not be easy. That’s why I didn’t know for a long time which category to put it in. Formally, flights to Aspendos are on the schedule of many bus companies. But in fact, they will drop you off right on the highway, about 4 kilometers from the famous Roman arena.
Is it worth testing your body for strength? You’re already watching for yourself. I’ll say this for myself: Aspendos is a great place. But it’s much more logical to go here with an excursion or by rented car.
One of these excursions to Aspendos can be found on this page.
Three places you can’t get to by public transport
There are a number of stunning natural locations near Alanya. There are beautiful gorges, breathtaking canyons, mountain rivers with waterfalls, and almost mystical destinations (like sunken cities or “Devil’s Stones”). The most popular of all are:
- Koepryulu and Taza Canyons;
- Sapadere Waterfall (read more about it here);
- Kekova Island, which preserves the remains of several ancient settlements under the water column;
- And also The Green Canyon, which is a large artificial reservoir with the Oymapynar dam. There are steep cliffs on both sides and small ships taking tourists for a ride.
Believe me, the beauty there is simply cosmic. But, as I said, there are only two ways to get to them.:
- In a rented car;
- Or by bus as part of an organized tour group.
I recommend renting cars in Alanya on this website.
Here are the best prices I’ve found. And I also liked that there are no conditions written in small print. I was really burned by it once in Spain.
As for the excursions, I have collected the most interesting ones in the windows below. Scroll through it. I think you’ll have plenty to choose from.
The sights of the “far arc”
At the end of the post, I wanted to say a few words about Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Salda salt lake. They are noticeably further away from Alanya, but they still remain very popular destinations for excursions.
I have not been to Pamukkale or Lake Salda. Therefore, here I can only share with you links to the relevant excursions.
UPD. Some time after writing this text, I finally got to Pamukkale. You can read more about it in this article.
But I’ve already written a dozen texts about Cappadocia. This is one of my favorite places in Turkey.
Yes, you’ve probably seen photos of balloons soaring into the sky at dawn many times on social media, read stories about cave hotels and rocks of unreal shades and shapes. Therefore, I will not repeat myself. Instead, I’ll just share with you a link to my article about this region. If one day you want to visit there too, it will be very useful to you.
Also below you can see the cost of excursions from Alanya to Cappadocia.
Well, for now, I just have to say goodbye. Write a comment under the post if this article was useful to you. This way Google and Yandex will understand that the material is good, and more people will see it. Thank you for reading this article to the end. Have a good trip. Let your vacation in Turkey be exactly what you dream of!
