Turkey Guide
The Mediterranean coast and the Hatay
The Mediterranean coast of Turkey, where the Toros (Taurus) mountain range sweeps down to meet the sea, broadly divides into three parts. The stretch from Antalya to Alanya is the most accessible, with the looming presence of the Toros range separated from the sea by a fairly broad coastal strip. Once beautiful, intensive agriculture, particularly cotton growing, and package tourism have taken an enormous toll on the environment here. East of Alanya, the mountains meet the sea head-on, making for some of Turkey's most rugged stretches of coastline, where hairpin bends and mountain roads can make travel an agonizingly slow process. As a result, this is the least developed and unspoiled section of Mediterranean coastline. Further east the mountains finally recede, giving way to the flat, monotonous landscape of the Ceyhan river delta, made even more dreary by relentless urban and industrial sprawl. South and east of here, turning the corner towards Syria, the landscape becomes more interesting, as the Amanus mountain range dominates the fertile coastal plain, with citrus crops and olives the mainstay of the economy.
Highlights
1 Kaleiçi Antalya's old quarter, clustered around a charming harbour, is great for nightlife and shopping.
2 Termessos Arguably the most dramatically situated of all Turkey's ancient sites, perched on the edge of a precipitous gorge.
3 Aspendos Stunningly preserved Roman theatre, the impressive venue for an annual opera and ballet festival.
4 Köprülü canyon Spanned by a graceful Roman bridge, the Köprülü river gorge is ideal for novice white-water rafters.
5 Side Watch the sun set behind the elegant columns of the Athena temple on Side's seafront.
6 Antakya's Archeological Museum Don't miss the immaculately preserved collection of Roman mosaics.