Side Things to Do

The street is near the amphitheater. The ancient columns are well preserved
here.
This place is a historical place in Side . All the ancient sites are close to
one another: the museum, the amphitheater, and the Athenian teample.

The Duden Falls are near Antalya driving towards them you are in typical Turkish suburbs follow the signs when you arrive there is a car park camels for hire and stalls selling ice cream pancakes and usual tourist tate . but have the ice cream or pancakes now they sell them inside but 2 lira extra . you pay 2 lira to enter .usual tourist stuff food places etc a interesting grave shaped like a house avoid week ends lots of Turkish families there.
At this point felt a little dispointed but walk towards the fallsand prepared to surprised the falls are superb well set out walk ways well worth the visit

Parasailing is an activity which is offered at many places along the beaches of Side. We tried it too and it was quite funny. The most impressive of it was a fine view from a birds perspective of the ruins and the amphitheatre of Side. And we saw also some very big Sea turtles in the water. The highest point you reach with the parasailing is about 100 - 120 meters above the water surface.

When I was at the sea under my previous travels "beachlife" formed mostly a rather small fraction of the trip but this trip we did in order to get much of the sun we missed in one of the most lousy Alpine summers I can remember. But while we were in Side the weather at home was also magnificent....

The beaches of Side stretch out at both sides of the peninsula of which the southernmost spot is the town with the shopping street, restaurants and the ruins around.

The beaches are all flat sand beaches, at the eastern side even with some dunes while at the western side the beach is lined by hotels and restaurants over many kilometers.

The Sea was extremely calm, only gentle waves not higher than 20 cm.

Side was a major port city during the Roman Empire. As a result, there are a number of ruins remaining from the Roman empire. These are located in and around the old town section of Side. There is even a road going right through the ruins, so you can see them without having to leave your car! The most famous ruins in Side are the ampitheater and the temple of Apollo, which we have provided separate pages. However, behind the ampitheater are located the ruins of numerous other structures which are worth walking through. These include a city gate, a nymphaeum, a couple of other temples, an agora, and the baths.

In Roman times, Side was a major port city. Now, it is a tourist resort, and its harbor is relatively small compared to other coastal cities in Turkey, with mostly yachts and boats for tourist day trips. However, it is still a pleasant place to walk if you want to get away from the crowds and noise in the old town for a few minutes.

The Temple of Apollo is one of the major Roman ruins in Side. The temple was built in the 2nd century, and was one of the two main temples of the Roman port city. Only a handful of columns are still standing, but they are enough to give you a sense of how large the temple was in its day. The temple ruins are right next to the water and are open to the public for free.

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Side has one of the best ancient ampitheaters in Turkey. What is especially interesting about it is that it was built on flat ground, and the entire structure, which is elevated above the ground, has remained intact. In contrast, most intact Roman ampitheaters in Turkey were built into the sides of hills and had no underlying superstructure, making them much more earthquake-resistant.

In the Side ampitheater, you can walk through the seating area, but you can also walk underneath the seats, in the tunnels and ramps through which the spectators would have entered in Roman times. The one part of the Side ampitheater which is not intact is the stage, only a part of which is still standing.

In Roman times, the Side ampitheater was used for plays, as well as for gladiatorial bouts. It could also be flooded for mock naval battles and dramas. Its seating capacity was about 15,000 people.

Today, the ampitheater is still used for concerts and other performances. During the day, it is open to tourists.