Side neighbourhoods: choosing where to stay on the coast
Side's coast splits into resort strips rather than old-town quarters: Çolaklı, Evrenseki, Gündoğdu and Kumköy are each built around hotels and beaches, and none of them holds a monument of its own. Every ruin and the harbour sit away from these strips, so choosing a base is really a question of how far you want to travel for the sights.
The rhythm differs by place. In Kumköy small shops, a few bars and hairdressers doing Turkish shaves line a compact strip that works as a low-key base. Evrenseki puts big resorts directly on the sand, with shops and cafés behind them. Gündoğdu is calmer still, with a pool and organised pick-ups doing the work of a town centre.
Çolaklı is the one with a regular local fixture: the Wednesday street market on Pamuk Street. Elsewhere sightseeing means booked trips or a short drive out, so plan the ruins and harbour as outings by boat or road rather than a walk from your hotel.
Time it sensibly: give Çolaklı half a day, and allow a full day when basing yourself in Gündoğdu and heading out to Side.
| Area | Best for | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Kumköy, Side | low-key resort base, families, couples | Kumköy, Manavgat district, Antalya province |
| Evrenseki, Side | families and couples wanting beach hotels | Manavgat district, Antalya province |
| Çolaklı, Side | all-inclusive families and couples | Çolaklı, Manavgat district |
| Gündoğdu, Side | families and couples wanting a calm base | Side, Manavgat, Antalya province |
Side neighbourhood guides
Kumköy, Side: What the Resort District Is Really Like
Kumköy is a compact resort strip of small shops, a few bars and hairdressers doing Turkish shaves, with no old town or monument of its own. Book it as a base and travel to Side for the ruins and harbour.
Best for low-key resort base, families, couples
Evrenseki, Side: What the Resort District Is Really Like
Evrenseki is a hotel strip rather than a town with sights of its own: big resorts back onto the sand, and the streets behind them hold little beyond shops and a few cafés. Come for the beach and an easy ride to Side's ruins.
unknown · Best for families and couples wanting beach hotels
Çolaklı, Side: The Resort Strip and How to Plan Your Stay
Big all-inclusive hotels line the coast here, so most days pass on the grounds and sightseeing means booked trips or a short drive out. The Wednesday street market on Pamuk Street is the one regular local fixture.
half a day · Best for all-inclusive families and couples
Gündoğdu, Side: A Practical Guide to the Resort District
A hotel-based resort strip on the Manavgat coast, used as a calm base with a pool and organised pick-ups rather than a place to step into old-town lanes. Plan Side's ruins and harbour as outings by boat or road.
full day · Best for families and couples wanting a calm base
Which strip suits which kind of trip
Families and couples wanting beach hotels will find Evrenseki the most straightforward, since the resorts back straight onto the sand. Those wanting all-inclusive convenience should look at Çolaklı, where most days pass on the hotel grounds and the Wednesday market on Pamuk Street is the one regular local fixture.
For a calmer base, Gündoğdu relies on a pool and organised pick-ups, with Side's ruins and harbour planned as outings by boat or road. Kumköy keeps things low-key and compact, with small shops, a few bars and Turkish shaves close by.