Turkey, not all-inclusive

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Turkey, not all-inclusive

Our good friend is a Turkish sailor. During one of the few stays on dry land he decided to get married. And he called us to the wedding. We could not miss this and bought tickets for mid-July to Turkey.

Itinerary:

Denizli and Pamukkale ⇨ Go to section!
Antalya ⇨ Go to section!
Getting around ⇨ Go to section!

Pamukkale

The wedding took place next to the natural complex Pamukkale. These are thermal springs. They form a cascade of terraced baths called travertines. You can plunge into them and there are really a lot of people who want to swim at a temperature of + 35° C (+ 95° F), especially in the upper areas. There are also ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis. It is listed as natural and cultural heritage of UNESCO together with the sources.

Personal experience: we went from bottom upwards, so we looked at all the travertines and on the way back we chose the least loaded one for swimming. Groups of tourists are brought upstairs, so they are much more crowded. This affects the color of the terraces as well. The ones below are whiter. The water is very salty. The whole walk took 2.5 hours. People normally walk barefoot on the territory, so we recommend wearing some easily removable shoes. A hat, enough water and sun are also necessary, because in the summer the sun shines mercilessly. If you have forgotten to bring your own, no worries you can buy all of it in the shops near the entrance. In addition, you can use a local life hack: instead of sunscreen people take muddy calcium carbonate from the bottom of the baths and spread it on their body. Firstly, it is believed that it is useful for the skin and, secondly, it efficiently protects from the sun.

Would we go back there? Yes

Antalya

After the wedding, we had a few days that we decided to spend by the sea. We chose Antalya because it covinced us with reasonable prices for tickets. Yes, and it was always interesting to see one of the most famous Medditerean tourist destinations. We wanted to live closer to the old town to immerse ourselves in the local culture and to try out a variety of national foods. For these reasons, we deliberately chose a non-all-inclusive hotel.

We had 4 full days in Antalya. During this time we managed to:

Go to cliff beach
Walk through the old town in the evening
Ride on a boat to the Lower Düden Waterfall
Go to a mountain viewpoint
Go to a sandy beach
Walk through the old town during the day
Go to the Upper Düden Waterfall
Go to the pier in the port
Visit the mall
Miss the plane
Try a lot of local food

Old town

Beaches

Waterfalls

Food

Viewpoint

Shopping

Old town

The second name of this area is Kaleiçi. Translated this means “Inside the fortress”. In addition to the vast number of restaurants and souvenir shops, there are tiny cozy hotels and some attractions. Among them we liked most:

Broken Minaret
(Kesik Minare Camii)

Originally built in the II century as an ancient temple, it was rebuilt many times. It became a Byzantine church, then a mosque until a fire in the middle of the 19th century, in which only the minaret survived.

Hadrian's Gate (Üçkapılar/Hadrian Kapısı)

Triumphal arch, erected in 130 CE in honor of the Roman emperor Hadrian. Right under it remained the road of the Roman era - the grooves that knocked out a long time ago passing carts. They are visible through the coating of organic glass.

Clock tower
(Saat Kulesi)

The clock tower is one of city's landmarks. It is located on the border of the Old City and the centre.
Near the Clock Tower on the square there are fountains. Information in the guidebook and on the internet says that there is a fountain show, but we came to the specified hour two times and nothing happened. And the locals themselves could not say when and if the fountains are supposed to work.

Hıdırlık tower
(Hıdırlık Kulesi)

Another Roman building, dating from the 2nd century CE. This massive tower is beautifully illuminated at night. It is located on the border of the Old Town Park and the Karaalioğlu Park. The park itself is very cozy, spacious, filled with statues and flowers, cafes and walking areas. It offers a panorama of the entire bay and you can descend the stairs to swim on a paid beach.

From the Old City you can and should go down to the port. This can be done on foot, but it may be more convenient to take the elevator. By the way, a beautiful panorama of the bay opens from its upper platform. During these days we visited the port twice: once we admired the sea at sunset and walked along the pier and another time we went on a boat trip to the Lower Düden waterfall. No need to book a boat trip in advance, just approach the shouting men on the boats.

Waterfalls

During our stay, we saw waterfalls three times:

• Lower Düden from the sea

• Lower Düden from the top

• Upper Düden inside

Both of these waterfalls are located on the same river at a distance of 15 km from each other.

Lower Düden Waterfall (Aşağı Düden Şelalesi)

This beautiful 40-meter waterfall sprawls on a rocky cliff above the Mediterranean Sea. You can admire it from above, walking in the park, or during a boat trip. Just like many of the sights of Antalya, this waterfall is illuminated at night.

Upper Düden Waterfall (Yukarı Düden Şelalesi)

This is a large park, the entrance to which is paid. The park is located about 12 km from the center of Antalya and can be reached by public transport. A karst cave has formed right under the waterfall. Going into it, you get the opportunity to look at the 20-meter waterfall from the inside. You only need to walk carefully, because the water drops from the cave roof, and as a result the floor is slippery.

Beaches

Mermeli and Adalar

The center of Antalya is located on a high coast, so the beaches in this area are small, steep, and paid. Mermerli is located in the centre and represents an approximately 100 meter long sandy area completely covered with sun beds. Adalar beach is about 2 km from the city center. Here, the sun beds are placed on platforms that are reinforced directly on the rocks, and you descend the stairs in the water. Adalar was more suitable for us according to our location, so we, having bathed ourselves enough and after watching the curious octopus, saw sunset there.

Lara

Another day visited the beach of Lara. This is a long gently sloping sandy beach, which is partly owned by hotels. From the center to it is a little more than 11 km. There are much more people here than on the beaches in the city center. Across the road, there is a huge area equipped with tables and stone barbecue stoves.

Personal experience

The area of Lara where we swam was rather dirty for us. There are a lot of cigarette butts. Barbecue area, too, is entirely littered with debris. I would not spread a blanket and sit there. And on Adalar we would return. There is a comfortable dressing room and shower, you can take the foam support for swimming. Plus there is a very cute cat.

Viewpoint

Tünektepe Mountain is located 15 km from the Old Town of Antalya. You can reach the top by car (entry fee) or by cable car (Tünektepe teleferik). Almost 10 minutes in an 8-seat booth and you get to the top of the 600-meter mountain. Looking around, you realize that waiting 40 minutes in the queue was absolutely worth it. On the one end - the view of the whole bay and Antalya, on the other - mountains covered with forest, periodically hiding in the oncoming clouds. Another highlight of the viewpoint - you can enjoy delicious ice cream sold on the spot!

By public transport you can reach the cable car entrance. The official work time is from 10:00 to 17:00, but it is periodically closed due to the wind. Then you can go to the Konyaaltı beach, located at the foot of the mountain.

Food

We are not one of those people who love plain and familiar food. In each visited place we try to find some food with colorful taste or form. In addition to the already beloved baklava and ayran, on this trip we tasted the local type of pizza lahmadzhun, bread with the simple name “Balon Ekmek” and kokorech.

1

Lahmacun

Lahmacun - thin crispy bread, on top of which is spread a thin layer of filling. This is usually minced meat (lamb, less often beef) with tomatoes and / or tomato sauce, pepper, onion and spices. You sprinkle with chopped parsley and enjoy. The most delicious was bought takeaway in a shop, which was located on the street somewhere in the second line from the sea. It was noticeable that local people eat there and tourists do not often come. To be honest, if we hadn’t been to Cuba before, I would also bypass this place.

2

Balon Ekmek

Balon Ekmek — also a flatbread, only in this case without filling. It looks like an inflated balloon. If you eat it from the heat - from the heat, then breaking off a piece, be careful - there is quite hot air inside.

3

Kokoreç/Kokoretsi

Kokoreç – meat street dish. The intestines of a lamb or goat are wrapped around the giblets and cooked on a spit. Then cut into small pieces and put in a pita or cake. Much tastier than it seems!

Shopping

• Shopping center
• Market

We visited the TerraCity shopping center. It is located 7 km from the city center. It was convenient for us to experience the hottest part of the day when we went for a walk to the Lower Düden Waterfall. The prices are pleasant, the choice is great, the opportunity to issue TaxFree. To choose both foreign and local brands.
The market we visited is located opposite the Old Town. It is only necessary to cross the tram tracks. Part of the shops stretched spontaneously, part occupied covered pavilions. In addition to sweets, we bought a suitcase there. While bargaining, talk with the seller. He turned out to be a student of the Faculty of Philosophy, working on a vacation. But the argument that money is just a piece of paper, and for being without meaning, I did not fall for it. Eh, what are they taught there?

Getting around the country:

Plane

The trip began with a transfer at Istanbul airport. The important point is that even shuttles get stuck in traffic jams, so when booking independently, it is better to take the next flight from the same airport. The flight was delayed, so they arrived in Denizli late. But the shuttle to the city honestly waited for our flight. Another moment - since the first flight was international, and the second - domestic inland, the luggage to Denizli was sent to another arrival hall. We had to listen carefully, understand nothing, ask the locals and go to another arrival hall with them. What is interesting - passing through the door, which was pasted on the sign "The passage is prohibited."

Denizli and Pamukkale: shuttle, car, microbus

The shuttle to Denizli took about 30 minutes. It was an ordinary comfortable bus. By Denizli we drove by car with friends. They took us to Pamukkale, where we spent the night one night. We walked all the way to the natural complex of Pamukkale. Back in Denizli we went by shuttle bus - they catch easily, you look where you stop and jump in with the locals. Minibuses stop at the bus station of the city (Otogari), from where we went to Antalya on an intercity bus.

International coaches

Carrier companies are quite a lot. We rode a Pamukkale bus. Tickets we bought at the box office at the station. Despite the fact that the trip took about 4 hours with a stop next to the store, it did not seem tedious. The bus was comfortable, air conditioning worked on board, snacks and water were included in the ticket price. A screen was mounted in the back of the seat, but the films were only in Turkish. Internet access was also available, but, unfortunately, not all sites. Since we were driving after the wedding and did not know when it would end, we did not have a housing reservation. Therefore, we wanted to find something during the trip in the bus. But the usual Booking.com and Airbnb do not work in Turkey. Alternatively, you can pre-install the VPN in the phone. We eventually booked a hotel with the help of people who are not in Turkey.

Antalya city transport

To move around Antalya, we used the Antalyakart transport map. It is convenient to replenish it in special kiosks, and you can buy it in the city transport itself. Using it, you can take a tram to the airport. But between terminals I had to catch a taxi.

To summarize, would we come to Antalya again? Yes, but only by booking a hotel in advance. Warm sea, colorful city, memorable food, impressive nature. And not all cats are still stroked.