Manavgat

Manavgat is a city in Pamphylia near the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, midway between Antalya and Alanya. It's the main city of a district with a population of 252,941 in 2022: this total includes over a hundred outlying towns and villages, such as the beach resort of Side.

Understand
Pamphylia is a long thin coastal plain, so it offers fertile ground and easy overland transport, both otherwise uncommon on the rugged Mediterranean coast of Turkey. So Manavgat is a modern market town making its living from agriculture - the more important ancient city was a few km south at Side, which has a harbour and developed into a large Roman settlement. The area was taken over by the Seljuks in 1220 and the Ottomans in 1472, none of whom saw a need for great fortifications or lavish palaces here. Not much happened for another 500 years, then Side became a tourist resort, and spread and spread along the beach far beyond its original core. Most visitors are therefore just passing through Manavgat to reach that strip. For itself the town is best known for its waterfalls, but further up in the mountains are scenic canyons.

By plane
Antalya Airport 75 km west is the usual arrival point for international visitors. It has package flights from Europe and domestic flights from Istanbul (IST and SAW), Ankara and other Turkish cities.

By bus
Buses from Istanbul run every hour or so and take 13 hours to Manavgat; they may run via Afyon or via Bolu and Konya, and they continue to Alanya. In 2023 an adult single is about 800 TL. From Ankara they take 9 hours via Konya, from Izmir 8 hours via Denizli (for Pamukkale), and from Adana 9 hours via Mersin and Antalya. Operators on these routes include Metro Turizm, Pamukkale and Flixbus.

Another route from Istanbul or Ankara is to take the YHT fast train to Konya, which connects with buses to Antalya, Manavgat and Alanya, taking 6 hours.

Buses from Antalya run every 30 min and take an hour, for a fare of 100 TL. Operators include Alanyalilar and Güney Akdeniz, the long-distance bus lines don't offer tickets for this short hop. From Side take a dolmuş.

There are two bus stations in Manavgat. is east of the town centre and final station for all domus heading from the hotels do Manavgat. All busses of the company "Manavgat Seyahat" heading to Antalya Otogar do start here about every 45 minutes. These are white coaches with the writing "Manavgat". They sell tickets in the bus for about 150 Lira. You can enter and leave the bus all along the route. It is possible to get off at a tram station close to Antalya airport (e.g. station "Yonca" or "Cirnik"). The tram services the airport and Antalya city center.

the bus station for long distance busses to Izmir, Istanbul, Konya or Denizli is just off D400 west of town centre. They do not sell tickets for the short rides to Antalya and Alanya there, eventhough the busses do stop in these towns.

By road
By road follow directions to Antalya then pick up highway D400, which hugs the Mediterranean coast.

Get around
City centre is compact enough to walk. Take a local bus or dolmuş to reach the otogar, ruins at Side, or the waterfalls - these last are signed Şelale - Sarılar.

See

 * Town centre is entirely modern, ranged along Antalya Cd the former coastal highway. Selim Hatun Mosque by the river bridge is a re-build.
 * (meaning "Dungeon") is a tumbledown stump in a riverside park.
 * City museum is on 4517th Sk, 200 m north of the castle. It's closed in 2023.
 * is an easy excursion, as the ruins start by Side bus station and extend 2 km towards the coast.
 * is an easy excursion, as the ruins start by Side bus station and extend 2 km towards the coast.
 * is an easy excursion, as the ruins start by Side bus station and extend 2 km towards the coast.
 * Little Waterfall (Küçük Şelale) is only 200 m further upriver, so you can stroll there after seeing the main falls. They have only a metre drop and there's no charge here; it's sometimes trash-strewn. Also described as "The Little Falls" are some underwhelming rapids at the north edge of the city, so if a taxi driver offers to take you to the falls for a surprisingly small fare, that's where he has in mind.
 * is a deep scenic gorge winding through the mountains, nowadays a National Park. Two Roman bridges vault across its side-canyons.
 * is the ruin of an ancient Hellenistic city, in the hills 1 km north of the village of Bucakşeyhler. (It's also referred to as Seleucia, but that was probably on the coast.) There's an agora, gate, mausoleum, Roman baths, necropolis, and temples and churches. Being remote, Lyrbe hasn't been plundered for stone so it's well-preserved. The site is free to explore 24 hours and you'll probably have it to yourself.
 * Lots more ruins in the mountains to the north, but they're difficult to access, and only a trained archaeologist could distinguish their crumbly masonry from the crumbly bedrock.
 * Lots more ruins in the mountains to the north, but they're difficult to access, and only a trained archaeologist could distinguish their crumbly masonry from the crumbly bedrock.

Do

 * River trips start from near the main bridge and go downriver to Titreyengöl ("trembling lake") in the east beach strip of Side.

Buy

 * Supermarkets: lots of small stores, especially along Güllük Cd running east-west through city centre. Şok is the main chain of stores. "Cadde Market" means "street market" but it's just a store on Güllük Cd like any other.

Eat

 * Hisar Cd is the main eating strip, coursing north-south a few blocks back from the river.

Drink

 * Güllük Cd has a handful of bars, including Cafe Bistro Lava, Waffle Bar, Chronos Nargile Cafe and Shift gastro-pub.

Sleep

 * River Hotel is opposite Sansa on 4017th Sk. Only if you're stuck.
 *  Side is better for accommodation, as it's package-tour territory and has dozens of good hotels. The strip stretches out for 20 km on either side, but several hotels are central, a short ride from Manavgat.
 *  Side is better for accommodation, as it's package-tour territory and has dozens of good hotels. The strip stretches out for 20 km on either side, but several hotels are central, a short ride from Manavgat.
 *  Side is better for accommodation, as it's package-tour territory and has dozens of good hotels. The strip stretches out for 20 km on either side, but several hotels are central, a short ride from Manavgat.

Connect
Manavgat, Side and the coastal strip have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of July 2023, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

 * Side is just a few km south, effectively the beach strip for Manavgat, but with extensive Roman ruins.
 * Alanya east also has a long beach strip, and a citadel perched on a crag.
 * Belek west pitches itself as a golf resort, like the Algarve but with better kebabs.
 * Antalya further west for most visitors is just a busy transport hub, but it has several museums and antiquities.