Things to Do in Side, Turkey: Old Town, Ruins and Boat Trips

What there is to do in Side, and how a typical day fits together

The old town and harbour form the core of any visit, and you can cover them on foot in a morning or an afternoon without a tour. The Temple of Apollo and the Roman theatre are the two set-piece ruins, while the lanes between them hold the shops, cafés and restaurants that keep a day moving at an easy pace. Start at the harbour, walk up through the streets, and finish at the theatre or back at the water for sunset.

Everything else needs wheels. Boat trips leave from the harbour area, Manavgat Waterfall is a short drive inland, and the Green Canyon sits up in the Taurus Mountains. Group those into half-days rather than trying to bolt them onto a morning in the old town, because the transfers eat into the time you have. A sensible split is one day for the old town and harbour, one for a boat trip, and one for the waterfall or canyon if you have the time.

The Temple of Apollo by the harbour, and why sunset draws a crowd

The Temple of Apollo stands right beside the harbour and is the most photographed spot in town. Its position on the water makes it the natural end point of an old town walk, and the light at the end of the day is what pulls people there. Come early in the morning if you want the stones to yourself, or accept that sunset is a shared experience with a lot of other cameras.

Pair the temple with the harbour itself, where the boat trips load and unload and where you get the clearest view back towards the old town walls. It is a short walk from the shopping lanes, so you can drift between the two without planning. If you are staying in the old town, this is the one sight you can revisit at different times of day to see how the crowd changes.

The Roman theatre of Side and the events it hosts

The ancient theatre is the other unmissable ruin, built in the Roman period and once able to hold up to 15,000 spectators. It is well preserved enough that you can read the shape of the seating and imagine the performances, and today it still hosts events and live shows in a historical setting. Check what is on during your dates if you want to see it in use rather than simply walk through it.

The theatre sits within the old town, so it slots naturally into the same walk as the temple and the shopping streets. Give it a proper stop rather than a photo from the top, because the scale is the point. If a performance is scheduled, that becomes an evening plan in itself and changes how you use the rest of the day.

Walking the old town: shops, restaurants and cafés among the ruins

The old town lanes mix modern life with ancient history in a way that makes wandering the main activity. Local shops, traditional restaurants and small cafés sit between the ruins, and the whole area is compact enough to explore without a map. This is where the shopping half of a Side visit happens, from souvenirs to everyday goods.

For food, the old town rewards a slow lunch rather than a rushed one, and the harbour side gives you the view to go with it. Our guide to the best restaurants in Side picks out places by setting and style so you can match the meal to the time of day. If you are browsing the bazaar or the market, keep an eye on what is local rather than what is stacked highest.

The old town lanes are also where most of the souvenir hunting happens, with shops and small stalls packed between the ruins. For a broader retail scene, our guide to Shopping in Side sets out what is on offer, and the Side Bazaar guide covers the bazaar side of the old town.

Boat trips from Side: what a day on the water includes

Daily boat trips from Side run along the coast, with stops to swim in the open sea and visits to nearby coves. Some trips include lunch and entertainment, which makes them an easy choice for families and groups who want the day organised for them. The trade-off is that you see the coastline from the water rather than on foot, so treat it as a separate half-day rather than a substitute for the old town.

Boat services can be seasonal, so ask at the harbour ticket desks or through your accommodation before you build a day around one. Departure points cluster around the harbour, which makes it easy to ask in person the day before. If the sea is rough or the season is quiet, the waterfall and canyon are the fallback plans that do not depend on the water.

Manavgat Waterfall and the riverside restaurants nearby

Manavgat Waterfall, or Manavgat Şelalesi, is a short trip inland from Side and works well as a refreshing break from the heat. The falls are the draw, but the restaurants nearby let you sit by the water and turn it into a leisurely lunch rather than a quick stop. It is the easiest of the out-of-town options and suits a half-day when you do not want a long transfer.

The Manavgat River runs through the same area, and the riverside setting is what makes the waterfall worth the trip rather than the height of the falls. Combine it with a market visit if your timing allows, and keep the rest of the day free for the old town in the evening. Transport is by dolmuş, taxi or tour bus depending on where you are staying.

The Green Canyon in the Taurus Mountains and its dam-lake boat trip

The Green Canyon sits within the Taurus Mountains and offers boat trips on the emerald-green water of a dam lake. It is a full change of scene from the coast, and the cooler air up there is the reason many people go in the height of summer. The trip is a peaceful one rather than an active one, so it suits a day when you want to escape the heat and the crowds.

Because the canyon is up in the mountains, the drive is part of the day and you should not expect to squeeze it into an afternoon alongside the old town. Book it as a tour or arrange transport, and check what the boat trip includes before you commit. The lake setting is the attraction, so the weather matters more here than on a town day.

Jeep safaris, quad biking and canyoning around Side

For something more active, jeep safaris, quad biking tours and canyoning trips take visitors through the rugged landscape around Side. These are organised excursions rather than things you arrange on the day, and they suit travellers who want movement rather than another ruin. The jeep safari in particular is a common pick for groups and families looking for an off-road afternoon.

Adventure seekers can also add horseback riding or exploring the nearby national parks, according to the excursion listings for the area. These activities depend on operators and season, so confirm availability and what is included before booking. Prices for tours vary by operator and change with the season, so ask for the current rate in Turkish lira or euros at the point of booking rather than relying on an old figure.

Planning the day: grouping old town, harbour and excursions

Build your Side days around clusters. The temple, the theatre and the old town shops are one cluster you can walk. The boat trips, Manavgat Waterfall and the Green Canyon are three separate half-days, each with its own transport. Jeep safaris and quad biking take another slot, so a three-day stay lets you do one of each without rushing.

If you only have one full day, spend the morning in the old town, take a boat trip or the waterfall in the afternoon, and return to the harbour for the Temple of Apollo at sunset. That gives you the ruins, the water and the town in a single loop. Save the canyon and the adventure tours for a longer stay, when the transfers are worth the time.

Beyond Side, the region offers more ancient sites and towns if you are extending the trip. Things to do in Alanya and things to do in Ankara are useful next stops if you are heading along the coast or inland. Side itself keeps the focus on the old town, so treat the wider region as a separate plan rather than an add-on to a short break.

Is the old town enough on its own?

For a short break, the old town and harbour really are enough. The Temple of Apollo, the Roman theatre and the shopping streets sit within walking distance, and you can fill a day without booking anything. Add a boat trip or Manavgat Waterfall if you have a second day, and the Green Canyon if you have a third.

Check timings and inclusions with the operator or your accommodation before you commit to an excursion, since boat services and tour schedules shift with the season. Keep the sunset temple visit flexible so you can move it to whichever evening suits your plans. That way a single day in Side still delivers the ruins and the harbour without depending on a fixed tour slot.