Antalya, Alanya & Turquoise Coast: The Complete 8-Day Guide

Türkiye's Mediterranean coast — the Turquoise Coast — is where ancient history and natural beauty compete for your attention at every turn. Roman theatres sit above turquoise bays. Byzantine castles overlook beaches. Limestone sinkholes drop into underground lakes. Over eight days, this tour moves from Antalya to the eastern edge of Mersin province, covering a coastline that rewards curiosity at every stop. Our Antalya, Alanya & Turquoise Coast Tour takes in the best of it — two boat tours, four UNESCO-listed sites and some of the most dramatic scenery in the Mediterranean.

Day 1–2: Antalya & Kemer — Gateway to the Coast

Antalya is the natural starting point for any exploration of the Turkish Mediterranean. Its old city — Kaleiçi — is a maze of Ottoman houses, Roman walls and Byzantine towers built on a cliff above a harbour that has been in continuous use since 200 BC. The second day heads west to Kemer, a resort town backed by the Bey Mountains, where a boat tour along the coast reveals caves, coves and the ruins of Olympos — a Lycian city that was abandoned in the Byzantine era and swallowed by the forest, visible today through the trees.

Day 3: Düden Waterfall, Aspendos & Side

This is the day of ancient theatres. Aspendos contains the best-preserved Roman theatre in the world — built in 155 AD and still used for opera performances today, its stage wall standing to full height with its original timber roof timbers. The acoustic engineering is so precise that a whisper from the stage carries to the back row. The drive to reach it passes the Düden Waterfall, which drops directly into the Mediterranean from a cliff above the sea.

Köprülü Canyon comes next — a gorge carved by the Köprüçay River, crossed by a 2nd-century Roman bridge that is still the only crossing point for miles. Side follows: a peninsula city where the Temple of Apollo stands at the water's edge, its columns reflected in the sea at sunset. The Side Museum, housed in a Roman bath building, displays finds from excavations that have been ongoing since the 1940s.

Day 4: Alanya — Red Tower, Castle & Cleopatra Beach

Alanya's silhouette — a rocky peninsula crowned by a Seljuk castle, the Red Tower at its base — is one of the most dramatic on the Turkish coast. The Red Tower (Kızıl Kule), built in 1226, was designed to protect the harbour and the ancient shipyard beneath it, still the only surviving Seljuk shipyard in the world. The castle above covers the entire peninsula — 6.5 kilometres of walls enclosing a city within a city, with water cisterns, a Byzantine church and the Ehmedek inner fortress at the summit.

The cable car provides the easiest ascent, with views across both bays. Below, Damlataş Cave opens into a chamber of stalactites, and Cleopatra Beach — named for the Egyptian queen who is said to have swum here — stretches west from the peninsula in a long arc of fine sand.

Day 5: Sapadere Canyon & the Dim River

The day steps back from the coast into the mountains behind Alanya. Sapadere Canyon is a narrow gorge in the Taurus range, reached via a walking path that winds between walls of rock with a cold stream running at its base. The Dim River, lower in the valley, is cold enough to swim in even in August — fed by springs from the limestone above, it runs clear through an oak forest to the sea.

Day 6: Mamure Castle, Gilindere Cave & the Sinkholes of Heaven and Hell

This is the geological day. The coast east of Alanya becomes increasingly dramatic as the Taurus Mountains meet the sea. Mamure Castle, near Anamur, is the largest and best-preserved medieval castle on the Turkish coast — a full fortified city on the water's edge, with 39 towers still standing. Gilindere Cave (Adamkayalar) contains stalactite formations and an underground lake reached by a wooden walkway above the water.

The Sinkholes of Heaven and Hell (Cennet ve Cehennem) are collapsed limestone caverns — Heaven a vast garden sinkhole with a Byzantine church at its base, Hell a vertical shaft too deep to see the bottom. Nearby Narlıkuyu has Roman mosaics in a small museum beside the sea. The night is spent at the Maiden's Castle (Kızkalesi), an offshore Byzantine castle reached by boat, which gives its name to the entire area.

Day 7: Boat Tour from Maiden's Castle

The final full day is a boat tour along the coastline around Kızkalesi — a stretch of turquoise water with the castle visible from every angle, surrounded by cliffs, coves and ancient harbour ruins. It is a good day to do nothing in particular, which is exactly what this coast is best for.

What's Included

The tour covers 8 days and 7 nights with accommodation in quality hotels across Antalya, Alanya and Kızkalesi (Maiden's Castle). Included: private vehicle throughout, 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches or dinners, all museum and site entrance fees, 2 boat tours, professional guides, mandatory travel insurance and tour souvenirs. Not included: international flights and personal expenses.

Dates & Pricing

The next departure is 20 June 2026 with 21 spots available. Pricing starts from €1,199 per person in a double or twin room.

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