Side is a beautiful coastal resort on the Mediterranean. It is approximately 15kms east of Antalya (one of Turkey's largest cities) and is located on a small peninsula only 800m in length. In this pretty town, modern architecture, chic shops and late night bars stand in juxtaposition with the ruins of an ancient city.
Description
Side is located on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey about 45 minutes from the Antalya International airport. Side (Pronounced Sea-Day): The ancient Roman walled city of Side stands on a peninsular flanked by glorious beaches of golden sand. It was the one time trysting place of Anthony and Cleopatra and the ruins of ancient Hellenistic port survive. Holiday in Side and relax on the vast sandy beaches and gently soak in the warm, clear sea. There's no shortage of places to shop, eat and drink. Colourful shops friendly bars and wide choices of restaurants are located in the colonnaded main streets and narrow alleyways of the resort centre.
Who holidays in Side?
All in all, Side is a great all-year-round resort with something to suit all tastes, which is why it is popular with couples and families of all ages.
Destination Profile
The main area of the town is pedestrianised and it's a wonderful place to visit in the early evening to window shop, buy some bargains, have a drink or grab a bite to eat. It has a great atmosphere but it can get busy in the height of the season.
Side is a well established holiday resort and has a wide selection of shopping opportunities, bars and restaurants to suit the very cosmopolitan collection of holidaymakers who visit the area.
The beach is, of course, one of Side' main attractions, and it is hard to rival the quality of the sand or the length of the beach, with plenty of space to sunbathe even in high season.
Weather
Climate for Turkey - Antalya
Antalya enjoys a four seasons climate. The average temperature is 30 degrees Celsius. Approximately 300 days of the year is sunny.
| Max Temp F | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct |
| Turkey | 69 | 75 | 85 | 89 | 89 | 82 | 78 |
| London | 56 | 61 | 68 | 71 | 70 | 66 | 56 |
| Sunshine Hours | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct |
| Turkey | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 8 |
| London | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
Things To Do
- The Olympos - Bay Mountains National Park in the province of Antalya in the Mediterranean region, for example, contains a wealth of flora and fauna, which are either endemic or relic distributions, in addition to important archaeological ruins.
- Golf in Belek - In recent years, since the golf facilities with international quality enter into service respectively, Turkey has become an elite golf center where golf players all around the world meet in an environment of delicacy, quality and prestige.
- Waterfalls - An excursion to Kursunlu waterfalls makes a refreshing change from the heat of the beach, and the Manavgat waterfalls and river are close by and well worth a visit.
- Diving - Various points of Antalya's coastline provide opportunities for diving.
Great Excursions
Side
Visit Side, an ancient harbour whose name meant pomegranate, a pretty peninsula with several ruins.
Aspendos
See the theatre of Aspendos, one of the best preserved of the ancient world, and still used for performances.
Things To See
- Antalya Museum
Founded in 1922 by Süleyman Fikri Erten and housed first in the Aladdin Mosque in the old city and then in the Yivli Minaret, the museum was later moved to its current location. The museum consists of 12 exhibit rooms and its gardens and open galleries. In these halls the history of Antalya is given in a chronological and instructive fashion starting with the first humans and continuing without interruption to the modern era. - Side
The ancient city, 48 kms east of Antalya, is most famous for its theatre, probably the best preserved in Asia Minor. It is still in use today, and stages the annual Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival every summer. It was the scene of a huge bloody battle between the Persians and the Greeks in 469 BC, and then ruled by the Spartans 120 years later. The city became part of the Seleucid kingdom after the death of Alexander the Great, and then became part of the Roman province of Asia in 133 BC. - The City Walls
What remains today are a few bastions inside the city as well as Hadrian's Gate and its towers, the large tower facing the harbour and a few pieces of the harbour walls. One of the walls surrounds the yacht harbour and the other the city, almost like horseshoe. One of the remaining towers in the Castle Gate Square is now used as a clock tower. There are four gates in the city walls, which form entrances to the city.