Side is a small resort laid over a Greco-Roman port town, which keeps its entertainment within walking distance. The main street closes to cars in the evening and ends at the Temple of Apollo, where five re-erected columns stand on the point, busiest in the half hour before sunset. Behind it are the Roman theatre, the largest on this coast, the agora and the museum in the old baths. Beaches run both ways from the headland, to Kumköy and Sorgun, where clubs rent loungers by the day.

Organised evenings fill the rest. A Turkish Night dinner with folk dancing takes roughly six hours with pick-up, a dolphin show about two, running from April to November. Day trips follow the Manavgat river inland: the weekly bazaar, a wide low waterfall upstream, and six-hour boat tours on Green Canyon, the cold reservoir behind the Oymapınar dam. Anything larger leaves the district — nine hours west to Land of Legends, seven on a pirate yacht off Alanya.

Side fills up from June through September and empties either side of that; some boat and park operations pause in winter. Market days differ by town, so confirm which day the Manavgat bazaar falls on before fixing a date. Canyon and waterfall trips are cooler than the beach, and sleeves help. The bigger theme-park rides carry a minimum height, worth checking before you book. Nightlife trips towards Alanya accept adults only and get back well after midnight. Pick-up times vary by resort: Kumköy, Sorgun and Titreyengöl sit on different routes.