Holiday In Beach

Side was once idyllic, a traditional Turkish Mediterranean village amid marble Roman ruins on 2 km (1.2 miles) of unspoiled beach just an hour (65 km, 40 miles) east of Antalya or west of Alanya .

Tourism arrived with a vengeance in the 1980s, however, and although Side is still nice, it is now crowded in warm weather.

Both Turks and foreigners come for the perfect white sand beaches, the seaside restaurants and bars, the variety of lodgings (from cheap little pensions to luxury hotels), and the impressive Hellenistic and Roman ruins.

The best times to enjoy Side are late April, May, early June and October. If you must come in high summer, avoid weekends, when half of Ankara roars down to Side for a swim.

Car, bus and minibus are the ways to get here. Buses and minibuses come from Antalya and Alanya. The nearest airport is Antalya’s, 55 km (34 miles) west of Side.

Distances & Travel Times

Alanya: 63 km (39 miles) E, 1 hour

Anamur: 198 km (123 miles) SE, 3.75 hours

Ankara: 615 km (382 miles) NE, 9 hours

Antalya: 65 km (40 miles) W, 1 hour

Aspendos: 37 km (23 miles) NW, 40 minutes

Istanbul: 790 km (491 miles) NW, 13 hours

Konya: 300 km (186 miles) NE, 5 hours

Olimpos: 145 km (90 miles) SW, 3 hours

Perge: 58 km (36 miles) W, 1 hour

Selge (Altinkaya): 83 km (52 miles) N, 2 hours

The neighboring hamlets of Olimpos and Çirali, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast southwest of Antaly, are known for a pristine little beach, a pine forest full of tumbledown marble temples, tree house-hotels, and the Chimera, natural flames springing from the rock that have burned ceaselessly for millennia.

Located 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Antalya on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast not far from Phaselis , Olimpos and Çirali are set 7 km (4 miles) off the highway among pines, citrus orchards and farmers’ fields. A little stream flows through a rocky gorge and reaches the Mediterranean at a beautiful beach.

The hamlets of Olimpos and Çirali are side by side behind Olimpos Beach, and you can walk along the beach from one to the other in 15 minutes, but the narrow roads that reach them from the highway are entirely different.

“Discovered” by backpackers on a budget, Olimpos became popular early on for its tree-house camps and pensions, the most famous of which is the renowned Kadir’s Tree House (but Bayram’s is also well-regarded).

Tree houses offer a variety of comfort levels, and where else can you live in a tree with an Internet connection? But be advised, there are no banks or ATMs in Olimpos. Bring cash to cover your expenses here.

Now there are plenty of other accommodations in Çirali as well, from the very comfortable, modrately-priced Hotel Canada to the exclusive Olimpos Lodge.

The Chimera (Yanartas), a number of natural eternal flames springing from the rock, is located on the north side of Çirali village, on a mountainside about a 7-km (4.3-mile) hike from Olimpos village.