Southern Turkey travel guide
Rugged landscapes, antique cities, castles and classical theatres contrast with the sun-kissed beaches and a gentle sea in this picture-postcard holiday region. The Turks call the Mediterranean ‘Akdeniz’, or white sea. Others prefer to call this land of spectacular vistas the ‘Turquoise Coast’, in honour of its translucent waters – it is indeed this colour imprint that will stay in your mind’s eye.
Once a neglected area where a trip from Antalya to Kas was a four-day journey by donkey, the quaint fishing-village appeal of much of the Mediterranean region has largely faded. But many towns retain evidence of their Greek origins with a central village square, whitewashed houses and wooden shutters. Many have typical Byzantine churches with a minaret attached that turns it into a mosque. Many foreigners love the area and lifestyle so much when on holiday that they return to buy houses and live or retire here permanently.
The coast can be conveniently divided into four sections, based roughly on the ancient kingdoms. Lycia, in the west, is undoubtedly the most scenically beautiful, with the wild Taurus Mountains plummeting to a coastline of cliffs and coves. Resorts are in every budget category from backpackers roughing it in tree houses at Olympos to the all-inclusive glittering resorts around Kemer.
Pamphylia is bounded by cities, stretching from sophisticated Antalya in the west to Alanya in the east. In between is fertile agricultural land that inclines to golden beaches trimming the coasts. Fabulous archaeological sites such as Perge, Aspendos and Side balance the ancient and the contemporary.
Western Cilicia (roughly Alanya to Adana) has spectacular crags and cliffs and a hair-raising road to navigate. Alanya is the banana capital of Turkey, and the many medieval castles and battlements are evidence of a more bellicose past.
Turn south into the Hatay and the region is quite distinct from the rest of Turkey, with a more diverse and Arabic-influenced cultural mixture.
Places to visit in Southern Turkey
ölüdeniz
Splashed on the front cover of many tourist brochures, ölüdeniz was the most beautiful beach on the Mediterranean, a turquoise and cobalt lagoon encircled by platinum sand, with pine trees inclining over the water. Development has deprived it of pristine beauty but not of its popularity as a bathing paradise. Above the beach, Mt Babadag provides liftoff for paragliders.
Patara
Patara was a powerful Lycian city that prospered from commercial sea trade. Today it is known for its 18km (11 mile) white-sand beach, the longest and widest in Turkey. There is little shade and only one café, so go prepared. The ruins and nearby beach are open daily.
This giant sandpit is protected for the breeding loggerhead turtle, so no hotels front onto the beach. The area behind the dunes is a stunning archaeological site. The town was also the birthplace of St Nicholas in the 4th century AD. Today’s ruins are scattered over a wide area among the fields and dunes.
Olympos
The view from the mountain road above Olympos is enthralling enough to make you believe all the legends of the Greek divinities. The ancient city of Olympos (open access) is down a steep roller-coaster road of narrow hairpin bends. Once there, the visitor can see the remains of a monumental gateway, an acropolis, a river port, a small theatre and two sets of baths. The area is inhabited mostly by water birds that nest in the reeds.
Antalya
Antalya is the jewel of Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, naturally endowed with stunning beauty and a temperate climate for almost the entire year. The usual succession of Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuks and then Ottomans have left their various signatures on the town and these are the main antique attractions. Your first port of call, or if time is short, is the Archaeological Museum, one of Turkey’s most beautifully laid-out showcases.
The heart of the city and inner citadel is known as Kaleiçi. The quayside and the citadel walls above are lined with outdoor seafood restaurants and cafés, but boats bob in the harbour and fishermen still mend their nets. The area is the oldest part of Antalya and has narrow, winding streets that ooze with atmosphere. Restoration has been spectacular in some blocks but improbable in others. But the atmosphere is musty and historic. You will never know quite where you are; so don’t be afraid of getting lost.
Antakya
Antakya is a city that will charm and entertain. The material remains of Antakya’s (on the site of ancient Antioch) remarkable past have left the city with a potent cosmopolitain atmosphere embedded in and around the narrow alleys, clustered dwellings and the boisterous bazaar. The delicacy to sample while here is a deliriously rich pastry baked with cheese, called künefe.
Antakya is divided neatly in two by the Orontes River; to the left are the wide boulevards and Art Deco style of the French colonial era, 1918–38. To the right is the narrow, noisy Arabic old town.
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