On the Turkish Riviera: Alanya and Antalya

This cruise included two stops in Turkey.  I have never been to Turkey before so I was keen to experience even a small part of this interesting country.  The two ports of call, Alanya and Antalya, are on what is known as the Turkish Riviera.  Also known as the Turquoise Coast, this 220 km long south coast of Türkiye stretches from Kemer to Cape Anamur.  The azure blue water is flanked by miles of sandy or gravel beaches and lonely bays.  In the area around Antalya, according to a tour guide I had, much of the citrus orchards and agricultural land has been converted to resorts and holiday villages.

Our first stop was Alanya. It was favoured as a seaside resort by the Seljuk Turks 800 years ago, just as it is for the thousands of British and European visitors today.  For the Seljuks, the attration was the mild climate, the good harbour, and its relative closeness to Konya, the Seljuk capital.  For today's visitors, it is the long stretches of sandy beaches, the warm waters of the Mediterranean and the history of the town.  The town has grown during the past decade and it now boasts a population of more than 300,000 which doesn't include the thousands of tourists in the summer tourist season.  Its wide beaches are lined with hotels include Cleopatra Beach where the Egyptian queen reputedly swam.  Alanya Castle, a giant Seljuk-era fort turned open-air museum stands on a rocky bluff above the beachfront, alongside red tile-roofed Ottoman villas and the octagonal Red Tower, a symbol of the city dating to 1226.

While I had booked and paid for a tour, I decided I'd had enough of 7 hour days involving bus rides, buffet lunches, and touristy experiences. So, I was a "no show" for the excursion. Instead, I wandered into the town - an easy walk from the dock - with a couple I've met from Ottawa.  It was lovely to be able to do something on our own schedule and not be herded around. We walked along the seafront and were hounded by taxi drivers, boat skippers, and others trying their best to get us to buy tickets for one thing or another.  The town itself seemed quite charming and on the hillside above we could see the medieval fortress.  

The Red Tower is on the right in the photo and the fortress at the top of the hill.

I realized the tour I had skipped, while in a different location, was going to be on one of the wooden boats indigenous to this region which look like everyone's image of a pirate ship. Good call on skipping that tour!   Many of the ones moored along the seafront were "party boats" and even as we walked into the town at 10:30 am, there was one blasting rock music across the bay.

That evening, our ship sailed from Alanya to Antalya further along the coast.  It is another resort city.  Remnants remain from Antalya's time as a major Roman port.  These include Hadrian's Gate, build to honour the Roman Emperor's visit in 130 AD and 2nd century Hidirlik with harbour views.  I did not go into the town; instead, I had booked an excursion called Olympos by Cable Car and Phaselis Ruins which just as easily could have been called "From Sky to Sea".  We drove along the coastline, which is still part of the so-called Turkish Riviera, by resort hotels and holiday villages.  Then, we headed inland through pine forests to a cable car station where we boarded a cable car for the 15 minute ride to the summit of Mount Tahtali – the highest mountain on the Turkish Riviera.  It took us up to 7,757 feet above sea level.  From the top, there were stunning views of the mountains and the sea although it was a bit hazy so we couldn’t quite see all the way to Antalya.  Still, the rock formations and other views were lovely.

After spending about ¾ hour there, we boarded to bus to head down to sea level to visit the ruined ancient Lycian town of Phaselis, located between the Bey Mountains and the forests of Olympos National Park.  This ancient city was founded around 700 BC.  There was an impressive Roman aqueduct and also a theatre there that could accommodate up to 1,500 people.  I didn’t visit it, however, as it involved a lot of wooden rather rickety looking stairs.  It is estimated that, in its time, about 10,000 people lived in this town.

With that, we finished our visit to Turkey.  We will now spend two days at sea - for some of recovering from this very challenging schedule - before we reach Sicily on Thursday.  The time is flying by and soon this cruise will be over and I will be moving on to the last leg of this amazing vacation.