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Alanya/Mahmutlar

Antalya, Alanya - typical destinations for many europeans during summer time. Prior to 2023 there were a lot of people from Russia and Ukraine. Many Turks speak russian, english, turkish. Since 2023 - things have changed drastically. Now there are a lot of europeans from richer countries - a lot of people from Germany, some people from UK, Spain, Italy.

Anyway, it is a great destination, quite affordable. Nice beaches, infrastructure, cheap food (used to be sooo cheap, but still is cheap enough).

Language​

Common, used everywhere:

  • Hello - Merhaba (mehr-hah-bah)
  • Yes - Evet (eh-vet)
  • No - Hayir (hah-yuhr)
  • Thank you - Tesekkur ederim (teh-shehk-kur eh-deh-reem) or Tesekkurler (teh-shehk-kur-ler)
  • Bye bye - Gule Gule (goo-leh goo-leh)
  • How much? - Bu ne kadar? (boo neh kah-dar?)
  • Stop! - Dur! (door!) or finish (all people understand it)
  • Sorry - Pardon
  • Check, please - Hesap lutfen - heh-sap loot-fen

Recommendation is to start with "Merhaba" all the time - it shows respect to the people. You can end the conversation with "Tesekkurler, bye bye" - people like it a lot!

Also, feel free to talk in english - but simplify it and shorten the sentences. People know english, can speak it, but they are not perfect.

Money​

You will need physical tenders for those purposes:

  • Bazaars. No way any grandma will have a payment terminal :(
  • Taxis are operated locally by government. Yet, it is quite rare to see taxis with payment terminals there

Avoid exchanging money at airport. There are ATMs - you can give it a try. Take like 200 USD (±7000 TRY) - you will spend it anyway. And it is better to have some cash anyway.

But have a sense of prices: 100 USD ± 3500 TRY. Can Taxi cost 1000 TRY? Unlikely.

Phone/SIM​

  • Not tested. You can purchase eSIM before leaving your own country - https://www.turkcell.com.tr/servisler/turkcell-e-sim . It should get activated in like an hour.
  • Purchase like 2-5 GB eSIM via Airalo or similar service. Arrive to Turkiye. Exit the airport, find the Turkcell or Vodafone authorized office (it will be branded both externally and internally! some shops are faking it), and purchase sim card cheap and fast. Beware: make sure sim card will be purchased to your name, you will need to give your passport.

Also, keep in mind, if you're going to stay in Turkey for less than 90 days, you don't need to register your IMEI. Otherwise, according to Turkish laws, foreigners staying in Turkey for more than 90 days have 90 days to 180 days before the IMEI is blocked.

Food​

Traditional. See Istanbul - pretty much the same.

Restaurants​

The only three places which are totally different and deserve additional attention:

  • Chaihana #1. Asian food. Hand-made noodles, meat, large portions, cheap/moderate cost. IT IS SO DELICIOUS! Better only in Kazakhstan.
  • Dodo pizza. Western food. Many different combos. Cheap/moderate cost. Very tasty!
  • Big Chefs. Western food, some turkish as well. Ain't cheap, but good quality. Big Chief caffess and restaurants are located in many places across Turkiye.

Aside from it, there are those places which are common, generally available, and serve food which we like:

  • McDonalds
  • Burger King
  • Arbys
  • Popeyes
  • Pizza Lavazza
  • Little Ceasar Pizza
  • Pide

Bazaar​

https://www.alanya-tours.com/en/blog/bazaar-in-alanya-turkey

We really like bazaar in Mahmutlar. All rotated bazaars are cheap, prices are written on products quite often. But be ready to pay physical money. Typically there is an exchange kiosk or center is placed nearby - they change USD or many other currencies to TRY.

Be careful tho: Bazaars are places with so many different people. Make sure your phone, wallet are safe - don't leave an opportunity for pickpockets.

Must eat​

First time there? Those are the things which you will need to try:

  • Lahmacun. Not for everyone - it is bread soaked in gravy and slices of meat.
  • Pide. Turkish pizza, yay!
  • Baklava. Sweet pastry
  • Dolma. Leaves-wrapped rice, meats
  • "Turkish delight" / lokum. Jelly, sweet cubes. Especially with rose and nar flavored!
  • FRESH FRUITS! A LOT! Don't skip a chance, it is dirt cheap there!

What to buy​

Medicine​

Beware! Pharmacies are closed on weekends - there is only 1 working per city on weekends.

Water​

Su (water in turkish) better being bought in bottles

Food​

Migros, Carrefour, Bim - great places

Transportation​

Local: Public transportation​

Locally there are some busses, mostly operating during summer time. Operating across the sea shore line only, sometimes could be quite late.

Local: Taxi​

  • Apps: Uber? No. Maybe it is supported already.
  • How to find? Seek yellow devices with a red button on trees, press on it - if red indicator blinks (although it might be quite dim), then it is cool, wait for like 5 mins - it'll get there. Dispatch-service will get this signal and will call a taxi for you from their park.
  • Working time: 06:00 - 23:00
  • Pay: 💵 Almost always cash.
warning

Can I be tricked? Yes. When sitting - check the taxometer. It should be fully seen. Don't be afraid to ask about it. During the drive - check how fast it ticks - it should be consistent. Otherwise call it out, tell to stop, pay it, call another taxi.

Taxometer shows too much already? Well, don't be a fool the next time. For now - pay what feels like a fair price, tell that you will call a police otherwise (155 or 157).

Transfer to/from airport​

Transfer24 - Driving large minivans - something like 10 seats. Assisting with luggage. Shared-booking. Could be slightly late, but they are always planning shuttles for specific flights, not randomly. So it is highly unlikely to get late to a flight. Booked quite often, never overbooked.

What to visit?​

If you are a cat-person, certainly don't forget to take some cat food with you when doing some trips. Cats there are used to humans, you can even pet them, but be careful - cat-mom's won't like that sometimes.

  • Alanya beaches - Kleopatra Beach. Really nice place, nice sand, clean and sound. Beware tho - you might need to pay a fee to "rent the sunbed and umbrella".
  • Mahmutlar beaches. Rocky here and there - be careful.
  • Alanya park. Great trope to the castle and all around it
  • Alanya Teleferik. Cable car with a great view.
  • Dimçayı. Really nice and calm place
  • Alanya Cat Park. There are so many cats, doing some stuff. It is so lovely!
  • Pirate boat trip (the link is just an example - try to book it somewhere else, probably). It is lovely. It is not great-great, but we liked this a lot, and it is still quite cheap!
  • Some nice tours are available there, but we didn't test it: https://www.alanya-tours.com/en

Scams​

Avoid stuff like:

  • Anyone handing you anything: If someone tries to hand you a flower or candy and says its free, don’t take it. Once you’re holding it, you pretty much bought it, and nothing is free
  • Beggars
  • Photographers
  • Tour Guides. Be careful
  • Wallet snatching
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