Alanya
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Alanya is in Pamphylia, Turkey, situated on the south coast. It is a popular tourist destination. [edit] Get inAlanya is about 2 hours drive from the nearest major international airport in Antalya and half an hour from Gazipaşa Airport. Gazipasa Airport opened for international flights in 2011, and serves a limited, but growing number of European destinations. Most holiday makers land in Antalya and are then taken to their hotel in Alanya by bus. If your hotel is a bit far from Alanya, you can stand outside the hotel on the road and wait for a Dolmuş to come by and pick you up. You can stop at dolmuş stops anywhere on the road, mostly there are bus stops, rarely at someplaces there are not bus stops, they come in each 10 and 15 minutes and are sometimes quite crowded. Expect to pay around 2 Turkish Lira per person for the ride. [edit] Get aroundIn the city center there is cheap Dolmuş to reach all around the town. Walking around the town is the best option except very hot July and August days. You can take taxis or a Dolmuş to the castle if you don't want to walk all the way up the hill. Also you can rent an electric scooter or a bike. [edit][add listing] See
[edit][add listing] DoThere is a lot to do in and there are plenty of tour companies whole heartedly willing to help you.
[edit][add listing] BuyCatering for all the European tourists, almost everyone in Alanya accepts Euros. You may not even have to exchange your Euros at all. When taking money out of the automatic teller machines, make sure they can give you Euros as well as Lira. It's also very easy to exchange all Scandinavian crowns (krona, krone, possibly except Icelandic króna) in many exchange offices of the town—something not very usual in the rest of Turkey—as many holiday-makers in Alanya are Scandinavians. Alanya is full to the brim of shops, which become very repetitive since they all sell pretty much exactly the same wares. The shops shamelessly sell fake brands and goods, where the expiry date has been long exceeded. A list of the most common items:
Be prepared to haggle, the shop owners expect it. This means you need to know the approximate value for the items you would like to buy. You can check the value either by research online in advance or by asking any friendly local. When you haggle, they will offer you an absurdly high price. This means that you can offer a couple of Euros and try to meet somewhere at the price you have decided to be your maximum. Obviously, you can't haggle in a supermarket, petrol station, etc. Trying to haggle for groceries is generally frowned upon. You will have to haggle in the cocktail bars that are lined up along the beach promenade, if you don't want to pay more for a meal and drinks than in Europe. Many restaurants/bars/etc don't even have prices on their menu. [edit][add listing] EatTurkish food in general is really tasty. Try:
If you are in an "All Inclusive" hotel (which is usually the case), all your meals are provided by the hotel. [edit][add listing] Drink
Be warned that the prices of drinks in the night clubs may be insanely high. Expect a beer to cost from €1.00 to €4.50. [edit][add listing] SleepA great deal of cheap holiday packages, usually originating in Germany or Scandinavia, include "All Inclusive" hotels situated on the beach as part of the deal. For example, an "All Inclusive" 4 Star hotel in Alanya including a flight to Antalya from Germany costs around €400. Recently, Alanya Old City has become a popular destination for many travellers looking for a romantic getaway in a unique atmosphere.
[edit] Get out
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