Our Alanya city tour from Side is a trip to the neighbouring resort town, where a medieval fortress rises on a rock above the sea. We stop at the banana gardens, visit Cleopatra Beach, have lunch by the Dimcay mountain river and then head out to sea on a yacht, past the Red Tower and the fortress walls. Instead of relaxing on the beach, you can take the cable car up to the fortress or visit Damlatas Cave for an extra fee.
We pick up guests from hotels in Gündoğdu, Çolaklı, Evrenseki, Kumköy, Side, Sorgun, Titreyengöl, Kızılot and Kızılağaç.
Book your seat online with no prepayment — you pay on the bus on the day of the tour.
Alanya city tour from Side at a glance
- Hotel pickup: 08:30–09:30
- Back at your hotel: 17:30–18:30
- Itinerary: banana plantations, Cleopatra Beach, Damlatas Cave and the cable car if you wish, lunch by the Dimcay River, about 1 hour in central Alanya and a yacht trip of about 1 hour
- Damlatas Cave and the cable car: $4 and $14, optional; paid separately or included in the All-Inclusive Package
- Payment: cash on the bus ($, €, ₺)
Tour programme
- 08:30–09:30 | Hotel pickup
We pick up guests at the hotel gate, by the security post, just past the barrier. We’ll put the exact pickup time for your hotel on your e-ticket once your booking is confirmed.
- Banana plantations
First stop in Alanya: photos among the banana trees.
- Cleopatra Beach, Damlatas Cave and the cable car
1 hour 15 minutes of free time: the beach, or the cave and the cable car if you wish.
- Lunch by the Dimcay River
A restaurant with gazebos over the water; lunch is included, drinks are extra.
- Free time in central Alanya
About 1 hour for the seafront, souvenir shops and cafés.
- Yacht trip
About 1 hour past the Red Tower, the Tersane shipyard and the castle walls.
- 17:30–18:30 | Back to your hotel
The exact time depends on where your hotel is.
The guide may change the order of stops, but the programme as a whole stays the same.
Entrance to Damlatas Cave ($4) and the cable car ($14) are optional and paid separately. You can include both in your booking in advance with the All-Inclusive Package, which covers these two tickets only — see the
What is not included section for details.
How does the Alanya city tour from Side work?
The drive from Side to Alanya
We pick up guests at the hotel gate, by the security post, just past the barrier, between about 08:30 and 09:30. We’ll put the exact pickup time for your hotel on your e-ticket once your booking is confirmed.
From there we drive to Alanya, which is about 47–78 km from hotels in and around Side, depending on the area.
Alanya’s banana plantations
Once in Alanya, we stop at the banana plantations: you can see how bananas grow and take photos among the plants.
Cleopatra Beach, or Damlatas Cave and the cable car
Next we drive into the centre of Alanya. Cleopatra Beach, Damlatas Cave and the cable car are close together, and we have 1 hour 15 minutes at this stop. That is usually enough for either the beach or the cave and the cable car, so it’s worth deciding beforehand which matters more to you.
Cleopatra Beach has golden sand with the odd pebble, and behind it rise the Taurus Mountains, covered in conifer forest; you can swim here. Inside Damlatas Cave, stalactites hang from the ceiling and stalagmites rise from the floor, and the air stays at 22–23 °C. The cable car takes you up to the medieval castle, with a view over the town, the coast and the sea.
Lunch by the Dimcay River
Then we drive into the Dimcay River valley. Lunch is at a restaurant right by the water, set among greenery, with gazebos built out over the river. The menu is Turkish.
An hour on the seafront and in Alanya’s shops
After lunch you have about 1 hour of free time in the centre of Alanya: walk along the seafront, browse the souvenir shops, buy some local sweets or sit in a café.
If you’d like a dip during that hour, the guide will point you to the nearest beach.
The Red Tower and the castle from the deck of a yacht
The programme ends with a yacht trip. From the water you get a good view of the Red Tower (Kizil Kule), the vaulted docks of the old Tersane shipyard and the walls of the medieval castle on its rocky peninsula.
Back to your hotel in Side
After the yacht trip we board the bus and head back to Side, reaching the hotels at about 17:30–18:30.
In one day you stop at Cleopatra Beach, have lunch by a mountain river and see the Red Tower and the castle from the sea.
Book your seat online with no prepayment. You pay for the tour on the bus on the day.
Tour video
See what the day looks like
Press Play twice to start the video.
What is included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Lunch by the Dimcay River
- Yacht trip
- Insurance
- Guide
What is not included
- Entrance to Damlatas Cave — $4, optional
- Cable car — $14, optional
- Drinks during the tour
- Personal expenses: photos, souvenirs and other purchases
All-Inclusive Package. If you’d rather not buy tickets on the spot, choose the All-Inclusive Package: it covers only entrance to Damlatas Cave and the cable car ride, so drinks are still paid separately. To order it, write “All-Inclusive Package” in the “Special Requests” field when you book. You’ll find the package price in the
FAQ, under “How much does the Alanya city tour from Side cost?”.
What to bring
- Swimsuit or swim shorts
- Towel
- Comfortable trainers
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Drinking water
- Phone or camera
- Cash for the cave and the cable car ($4 + $14, unless you’ve booked the All-Inclusive Package), drinks and personal expenses
Distance to Alanya
- Kızılot to Alanya: 47 km, about 50 minutes
- Kızılağaç to Alanya: 52 km, about 55 minutes
- Titreyengöl to Alanya: 65 km, about 1 hour 5 minutes
- Sorgun to Alanya: 65 km, about 1 hour 5 minutes
- Side to Alanya: 65 km, about 1 hour 5 minutes
- Kumköy to Alanya: 70 km, about 1 hour 10 minutes
- Evrenseki to Alanya: 72 km, about 1 hour 10 minutes
- Çolaklı to Alanya: 72 km, about 1 hour 10 minutes
- Gündoğdu to Alanya: 78 km, about 1 hour 15 minutes
Distances and travel times are based on Google Maps and are intended as a guide. The actual journey time depends on traffic and on how long it takes to pick up guests from other hotels.
Discounts
- Book at least 7 days in advance — 4% off
- Book at least 30 days in advance — 5% off
- $1 off for each person in your booking who follows our Instagram (@goldwaytravel)
- Discounts can’t be combined: choose either the early booking discount or the follower discount, whichever saves you more
FAQ about the Alanya city tour from Side
How much does the Alanya city tour from Side cost?
Adults $30, children 3–9 $20, children 0–2 free; All-Inclusive $45 / $35. The price includes lunch, a yacht trip, a guide and transfer.
How do I book the Alanya city tour from Side?
Choose the date and the number of adults and children in the “Online Booking” form; the total is worked out automatically. In the form that opens, enter your full name, hotel, WhatsApp number and email, then send it. No prepayment: you pay on the bus on the day of the tour. Once your booking is confirmed, we send you an e-ticket with the exact pickup time via WhatsApp or Telegram. For step-by-step instructions with pictures, see
“How to book and pay on the bus”.
What time will we be picked up from the hotel?
We meet guests at the hotel gate, by the security post, just past the barrier, between about 08:30 and 09:30. We’ll put the exact pickup time for your hotel on your e-ticket once your booking is confirmed.
What time will we be back at the hotel?
Usually between 17:30 and 18:30. The exact time depends on where your hotel is and on traffic.
Are Damlatas Cave and the cable car included in the price?
No, both are optional and paid separately: entrance to Damlatas Cave is $4 and the cable car is $14. To have the cave and the cable car included, write “All-Inclusive Package” in the “Special Requests” field when you book. The package covers only these two; drinks are paid separately.
Is lunch included in the price?
Yes, lunch at the restaurant on the Dimcay River is included in the price. Drinks are extra.
How long is the yacht trip?
About 1 hour. The yacht trip is the last part of the programme; afterwards the group heads back to Side.
Can we go for a swim?
Yes, at Cleopatra Beach. But if you visit Damlatas Cave or take the cable car, there usually isn’t time left for a swim. After lunch, during the free time in the centre, the guide can point you to the nearest beach. If you’d like a swim, bring swimwear and a towel.
Do I need to pay for a child under 3?
No, children aged 0–2 travel free. They don’t get their own seat on the bus and sit on an adult’s lap.
What should we bring?
Please bring swimwear, a towel, comfortable trainers, sunscreen, sunglasses and water, plus cash for the cave, the cable car, drinks and personal expenses.
What will we see on the tour?
History of Alanya
Legend has it that travellers looking for a site for a new city were told by the gods to follow a rook. The bird led them to the hill above the peninsula, and here they founded Korakesion, the “city of rooks”.
A Greek settlement of that name really did stand here in the 4th century BC. Later the town was taken over by Cilician pirates, and in the 1st century BC it came under Roman rule. In Byzantine times it was called Kalonoros, “beautiful mountain”. In the 13th century, after the Seljuks arrived, the town was renamed Alaiye after Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I and became one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean. It has had its present name since 1935.
Red Tower (Kizil Kule)
The Red Tower is the symbol of Alanya. It was built in 1226 under the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I, with an architect from Aleppo in charge of the work. The tower strengthened the castle walls and guarded the Tersane shipyard.
It is an octagonal, five-storey red-brick building, 33 metres high and 29 metres in diameter. Since 1979 it has housed the Alanya Ethnographic Museum.
Tersane shipyard
The Tersane shipyard is part of the medieval castle and was built in the 13th century. Until 1361, ships were built, repaired and laid up for the winter here. The shipyard is 56 metres long and 44 metres wide, with five vaulted docks up to 7.7 metres high. Today it houses a museum about shipbuilding in that period.
Alanya Castle
The medieval castle stands on a rocky peninsula, about 250 metres above the sea. In the 13th century it was rebuilt and strengthened under Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I. A wall about 6 km long runs around the hill. Inside it, the buildings of the old town survive: about 10 hectares that are now an open-air museum.
At the top stands the inner citadel, Ic Kale: during sieges the townspeople took refuge there and stored their food, water and ammunition inside.
Cleopatra Beach
Cleopatra Beach stretches for about 2.5 km below the Taurus Mountains and their conifer forest. The sand is golden, with the occasional pebble. The beach has received the Blue Flag every year since 2004, and cafés, restaurants and souvenir shops line the seafront.
Legend has it that Cleopatra, on a sea voyage, ordered her ship to stop in this bay, and it became her favourite place to relax.
Damlatas Cave
Damlatas Cave lies at the western foot of the peninsula. It was discovered by chance in 1948: stone was being quarried to build the harbour, and a blast opened up an entrance with stalactites and stalagmites behind it.
The cave has two levels and is set up for visitors. Inside, the air stays at 22–23 °C and the humidity is over 90%.
