Are you looking for a bit of everything in a holiday resort? Do you like a splash of culture, a bit of old-town charm, and stylish wining and dining options for those romantic seaside dinners
Modern tourist resort meets antiquity at the mediterranean.
Are you looking for a bit of everything in a holiday resort? Do you like a splash of culture, a bit of old-town charm, and stylish wining and dining options for those romantic seaside dinners? If that sounds like your happy place, check out Side, Turkey! In this tourist resort, you’ll be walking around an ancient site entangled in the old-town, dotted with inviting restaurants and cafes surrounded by ruins and enjoying sea views. Side is unique in this way that you can go shopping while simultaneously culture hopping between its over 2.000-years-old ruins.
It was almost inevitable that Side would thrive as one of the most important cities of Pamphylia. The harbor city dates back as far as the Bronze Age when locals spoke Sidetan; a language developed from Luwian, the language spoken by the population of southwest Anatolia during the Bronze Age. The Side Museum exhibits some inscriptions dating back to that time. Side means pomegranate in Luwian, and we can well imagine that the plains that are now home to many all-inclusive resorts were pomegranate fields back in the days. Side was consecutively ruled by Persians in 540 B.C., Alexander the Great, Macedonians, Ptolemaians and Seleucids before entering into Roman rule in 67 B.C. During this period, the city bloomed, and it became the regions’ capital and a Roman Navy base. The town continued its expansion during the Early Byzantine period, with decline settling in from the 7th century A.D. onwards during the Arab raids and abandonment in the 13th century after the takeover by the Seljuks. It wasn’t until the end of the 19th century that people started settling in Side again and it slowly grew to become the tourist resort it is today.
Nowadays, Side is a popular tourist destination, and it is easy to see why. The resort combines a balanced cocktail of things to see and do, with state-of-the-art facilities for the more discerning tourists. Within the old city walls, you’ll find some well-preserved ruins from the cities’ heydays, but also some cute Greek-style houses with their unique charm, as well as plenty of shopping opportunities and entertainment options. In short, Side allows you to have a taste of everything without ever having to leave town.
Side, a small former fishing village, is ideally located, about 75km east of Antalya. Old fortification walls and sandy beaches surround the small cape on each side. The beach to the west of Side is a chain of holiday resorts and all-inclusive hotels with everything that comes with it. It stands in massive contrast with the relatively untouched eastern beach, backed by the dunes that house part of the archaeological site. It is the kind of place that effortlessly combines antiquity, a typical old-town, and stylish wining and dining. In various parts of the town, you’ll see a glass floor showing the antique remains below it.
The heart of the city is inaccessible by car, but there is ample parking space provided. Side has become extremely popular and gets very crowded over summer. So, if you have the opportunity to visit during April, May or in October, you’ll find it in its most pleasant form; with everything open, without being overrun by tourists. Side, Turkey, is easy to reach by car, but also by public transport or private transfer from Antalya airport.
