10 Top Things to Do in Side, Turkey

Five tall Corinthian columns supporting a re-erected pediment fragment make the Temple of Apollo the most photographed ruin in Side. The temple was built around 150 AD on the western tip of the headland, dedicated jointly to Apollo and Athena, and stripped of its roof in a 4th-century earthquake. The five columns visible today were re-erected in the 1980s using anastylosis, the same technique used at the Acropolis. The site sits at the harbour edge with no fence, so you can walk among the marble blocks and read the carvings up close. There is no entry fee. Sunset between 19:00 and 20:30 in summer 2026 paints the columns deep amber against the Mediterranean. Arrive 30 minutes early to claim a flat rock; bring water as no kiosks operate on the headland after 18:00.

Pro Tip: Walk 80 metres east to the smaller adjacent Temple of Athena foundations and shoot the columns from there. The angle catches both the temple and the harbour boats in the same frame.

Side's Roman amphitheatre is the largest of any Pamphylian city, built in the 2nd century AD on artificial vaulted substructures because the flat headland had no convenient hillside. Capacity reached 15,000 spectators, and the stage facade still preserves three storeys of niches, columns, and architraves on the eastern side. The cavea split into upper and lower sections, and gladiator combat replaced classical drama from the 4th century onward, evidenced by a barrier wall built across the orchestra. Entry costs TRY 350 in 2026, opening hours run 08:00 to 19:00 in summer and 08:00 to 17:00 in winter, and a thorough visit takes about an hour. Climb to the top tier for a panoramic view across Side and the Mediterranean. Bring a sun hat; only the upper rows offer any shade.

Pro Tip: Visit at 08:00 opening for cooler stones and empty rows. Tour buses arrive from 11:00 onwards and fill the lower tiers within minutes.

Manavgat Waterfalls drop 2 metres across a 40-metre-wide basalt shelf where the Manavgat River carves through the Taurus foothills before flowing out to the Mediterranean. The cascade is wide rather than tall, and the surrounding park has shaded walkways, a small lake, and several teahouses serving traditional Turkish breakfast (TRY 250 in 2026). Entry costs TRY 50 to the riverside park, open 08:00 to 19:00. The water is too fast for swimming at the falls themselves, but families spread out along the riverbank below the cascade and float on inflatables. Restaurants on stilt platforms above the river serve grilled river trout (alabalik) at TRY 350 with rice. The site is fully wheelchair accessible from the upper car park, and a small children's playground sits beside the main viewpoint. Most travellers spend 90 minutes here.

Pro Tip: Combine the falls with a Manavgat River boat trip from Side harbour. The boats stop here for an hour before turning around, saving a separate dolmus journey.

The Side headland is car-free behind the Vespasian Gate, and the 1 km grid of original Roman streets still functions as the town's main shopping district. Whitewashed houses with bougainvillea-draped balconies sit beside fragments of the ancient agora, the Byzantine basilica, and the eastern colonnaded street. Souvenir shops sell hand-loomed cotton pestemal towels (from TRY 350) and Turkish ceramics, while restaurants like Moonlight Side offer Anatolian sea bass at TRY 700 with a sea view. The town is small enough to walk end-to-end in 12 minutes and has the densest cluster of seafront cafes in southern Turkey. After dark, the souvenir lane lights up with laser projectors and turns into a pedestrian carnival until midnight in summer 2026. Entry to the Old Town is free; you only pay for the museum and theatre at separate gates.

Pro Tip: Walk the eastern colonnaded street at 07:30 before shops open. The pillars catch low golden light, and you avoid the souvenir touts who appear at 09:30.

Aspendos preserves the most complete Roman theatre in the Mediterranean, built around 155 AD by the architect Zeno during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. The cavea seats 7,000 across 41 rows, and unlike most surviving theatres, the stage building still stands intact at 25 metres tall, including the niches that once held statues of Apollo and the Caesars. The acoustics remain so precise that a coin dropped on the orchestra is audible from the back row. The Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival uses the theatre every June (Bolshoi and Mariinsky regularly perform; tickets TRY 800 to 2,500 in 2026). Daytime entry costs TRY 350 and includes the upper-hill stadium, basilica, and the still-functioning aqueduct that carried water from 19 km away. The Wikipedia article on Aspendos explains the architectural details and acoustics in depth.

Pro Tip: Hike up to the hilltop stadium behind the theatre. Most visitors miss it; you get the same view down to the cavea that emperors had from imperial boxes.

Koprulu Canyon National Park covers 366 square kilometres of pine-clad limestone ridges cut by the Kopru River. The river drops 14 km of rapids rated class II to III, making it the most popular rafting destination in southern Turkey. Half-day rafting trips depart from base camps near Beskonak village at 09:30 and 13:30 in 2026, costing EUR 35 to 45 per person including wetsuits, helmet, and barbecue lunch. The route ends at the Roman Oluk bridge, a single-arch stone span built in the 2nd century AD that still carries pedestrian traffic. Drivers can continue 14 km uphill to ancient Selge, a Pisidian city with a Roman theatre carved into the mountainside, a stadium, and an agora set among rocky pinnacles. Park entry is TRY 100 in 2026, and the Selge ruins remain free to explore.

Pro Tip: Choose the morning rafting slot in summer 2026. Afternoon water is warmer but trip waiting times double when day-tour groups arrive from Antalya.

The Side Museum occupies a fully restored 5th-century Roman bath complex on the eastern colonnaded street, making the building itself an exhibit. The four interconnected halls (frigidarium, tepidarium, caldarium, and apodyterium) display marble statuary recovered from the surrounding Roman city, including a striking Three Graces group, a head of Hercules with the Nemean lion skin, and reliefs depicting the city's grain trade. Outside, a small garden contains additional sarcophagi and altars left in their original positions. Entry costs TRY 250 in 2026 (combined ticket with the theatre TRY 500), and opening hours run 08:30 to 19:00 in summer. Most visitors spend 45 minutes here. Photography without flash is permitted throughout. The museum offers air-conditioned shelter from midday heat, useful between 13:00 and 16:00 in July and August.

Pro Tip: Slot the museum into the 14:00 hottest hour after Side Theatre. The thick stone walls keep interior galleries below 24 degrees Celsius even in August.

The Vespasian Gate is the original Roman entry to the Side headland, built in 71 AD and dedicated to the emperor Vespasian. The triple arch frames a small plaza where the colonnaded street begins, and once formed the only opening in the city's defensive wall. Just inside the gate stands the Monumental Fountain (Nymphaeum), an elaborate three-storey water display fed by the same 19 km aqueduct that supplied Aspendos, with marble basins and niches that originally held nine bronze statues of nymphs. The combined entry ticket costs TRY 100 in 2026 and grants access to both monuments. Allow 30 minutes for a careful walk around. The site is wheelchair accessible from the parking layby on the main road, and ramps lead to the fountain platform. The structures look most impressive at dusk when the modern lighting kicks on.

Pro Tip: Photograph the gate looking back from inside the colonnaded street rather than from the road. The framing through the arches is far more dramatic and you avoid passing tourist coaches.

The Manavgat River runs 93 km from the Taurus mountains to the Mediterranean, and the lower 12 km offers calm flat-water cruising suitable for all ages. Day boats depart Side harbour at 09:30 and Manavgat town pier at 10:00 in 2026, and the standard six-hour itinerary follows the river upstream to the Manavgat Waterfalls (a 60-minute stop), then continues to a riverside grand bazaar where vendors sell Turkish delight (TRY 250 per kilo), spices, and counterfeit handbags, before lunch on the boat (included; usually grilled chicken or river trout). Tickets cost TRY 800 (around EUR 22) including pickup from Side hotels. Most boats have an open upper deck and a covered lower lounge. The water is freshwater and clean, and a 30-minute swim stop near a quiet bend is part of the standard trip.

Pro Tip: Pick a smaller boat with under 60 passengers. The two-tier giant cruisers feel cramped at the bazaar stop and the buffet lunch quality drops significantly above 80 guests.

Kumkoy beach lies 2 km west of the Side headland and stretches for 5 km of fine sand and shallow water, while Sorgun beach extends 4 km to the east of the headland through pine forest backed by larger family resorts. Both beaches earn Blue Flag status in 2026 for water quality and lifeguard cover. Loungers cost TRY 200 to 300 per pair with umbrella, and most beach clubs include free wifi. The water shelves gradually for 40 metres, perfect for children, and pedalo rental at the Kumkoy central section runs TRY 250 per hour. Watersports operations offer banana boat rides (TRY 350 per person) and parasailing (TRY 800). Sorgun has a more wooded character with a coastal cycling path through pine groves; rental bikes from the Sorgun visitor centre cost TRY 150 per day. Both beaches have public dolmus access from Side every 20 minutes for TRY 30.

Pro Tip: Cycle from Side along the Sorgun pine path at 17:00 in summer 2026. The shaded trail keeps temperatures bearable and you arrive at the eastern beaches just as crowds start thinning.