Side: Where a Roman Town Meets the Beach

Of all the resort areas on the Antalya coast, Side has perhaps the most character, because here the holiday is layered directly onto a genuine ancient city. About an hour east of Antalya, Side sits on a small peninsula where Roman ruins, a lively old town and long sandy beaches all occupy the same headland. You can stand among two-thousand-year-old columns in the morning and be on the beach by lunchtime. Here is what makes Side special.

Side was an important Greco-Roman port, and its monuments are still the backbone of the town. The great Roman theatre is the centrepiece, and the ruins spread across the peninsula — a colonnaded street, city gates, baths and, most famously, the Temple of Apollo, whose white columns stand right on the point where the land meets the sea. Watching the sunset behind those columns is one of the coast's iconic sights. Uniquely, the old town's shops and restaurants sit among these ruins, so history is not a separate excursion here — it is the setting.

Side's old town fills the peninsula with narrow lanes of shops, cafés and restaurants, running down to a small harbour. It is lively and walkable, made for browsing in the evening, eating by the water and watching the sun go down behind the Temple of Apollo. The mix of ancient stone and bustling holiday town gives Side an atmosphere quite unlike a purpose-built resort strip.

Side is wrapped by beaches — long sandy stretches to the east and west of the old town, backed by resorts. This combination of good beaches right beside a genuine historic town is exactly its appeal: you get the classic beach holiday and a real place to explore, without travelling between them. The nearby Manavgat river and waterfall, and the Green Canyon further inland, add easy day trips.

Side works beautifully for travellers who want more than a beach-and-pool holiday but still want the beach. Families, couples and history-curious visitors all find it rewarding: sun and sand, ancient ruins to wander, an atmospheric old town for evenings, and easy excursions nearby. It is livelier and more characterful than the purely resort-focused areas, without being a big-city break.

Side is around an hour east of Antalya Airport, so the transfer is a real part of arriving. A private transfer takes you door to door to your specific hotel — useful in Side, where resorts spread along the beaches on both sides of the old town — with no queue or navigation after your flight. Once there, the old town is walkable, and a private transfer makes the nearby waterfall, canyon or ancient sites easy day trips at your own pace.

• Time the Temple of Apollo for sunset — it is Side's signature view.
• Wear comfortable shoes for the old town's cobbles and the ruins.
• Know your hotel's side of town (east or west beach) when booking a transfer.
• Combine with Manavgat or the Green Canyon for easy day trips.
• Book a private transfer for the hour-long airport trip to your exact hotel.

Side is the Antalya coast at its most atmospheric: a genuine Roman town of theatre, columns and a seaside temple, wrapped in an old town of shops and restaurants and long sandy beaches. It is the choice for travellers who want history and holiday in the same place. Arrive with a private transfer straight to your hotel, and Side gives you sunset over ancient columns and beach days in one unforgettable setting.