Alanya Travel Guide

Many miles of sandy beach and warm waters

When you discover the delights of an Alanya holiday in Turkey, you're taking a well-worn path which dates back at least 800 years. That's because this was a favoured resort of the Seljuk Turks all that time ago, thanks to its mild but not overpoweringly hot weather, good harbour and relative proximity to the natives' capital city of Konya.

In an age of global travel, Alanya receives visits from tourists of many nationalities, on the back of which it has developed into a thriving city of more than 250,000 inhabitants. People come to enjoy the many miles of sandy beach and the warm waters which wash its shores, but also to experience some of the history which has kept the native population coming back time after time.

The resort is easily reached from Antalya airport, and offers a good choice of modern hotels, purpose-built to serve the resort's package holiday trade. The city's landmarks include the Seljuk Turkish fortress which keeps watch above the town from its lofty promontory and the octagonal Kizil Kule or Red Tower, which is a fine example of medieval military architecture and the best preserved Seljuk building in the city. Both sites are well worth a visit.

When you've enjoyed some sightseeing and are ready for something a little more relaxing, then head down to the resort's beaches which are made up of two main areas separated by a 250-metre high promontory. Although a good number of individual areas on these beaches are owned or controlled by local hotels or landowners, there is unrestricted access and it is cheap to hire sunbeds and work on your tan.