Planning Your Trip

When the coast gets too hot, locals head for the mountains — and Sapadere Canyon is where they go. About an hour east of Alanya, this cool green gorge cuts deep into the Taurus Mountains, with a wooden walkway threading past waterfalls and crystal-clear pools where you can swim in icy spring water. It’s the

A boat trip is the one thing you really shouldn’t skip in Alanya. The coast here is made for it — dramatic sea caves, a castle-topped peninsula, and warm turquoise bays perfect for swimming. Most boats are pirate-themed party cruises, but there’s more choice than the harbour touts let on, from quiet family boats to

Alanya is one of the best bases on the Turkish Riviera for day trips — you’ve got the sea on one side and the Taurus Mountains rising right behind town, so you can be on a pirate boat in the morning or rafting a mountain canyon by lunchtime. But the strip is crowded with agencies