Side is a small resort town located 75 km east of Antalya. The holiday season there lasts from May to September, the weather during this period of time is warm and dry. Beaches in Side are sandy, with a gentle entry into the water; many of them have been given the award "Blue Flag" - a sign of quality for resorts. The main attraction of the city is a huge archaeological complex with artefacts of ancient Greek and Roman periods. Side is also interesting owing to its nightlife. At the same time, it remains a quiet town, which is especially noticeable in winter. The cost of living there is about the same as in Antalya. Real estate is represented mainly by low-rise buildings, but villas and apartments with direct views of the sea are a rarity.
Location and climate. The resort town of Side is located 75 km east of Antalya. Throughout the holiday season, from May to September, dominant is warm cloudless and windless weather without precipitation.
The sea and the beach. The gentle convenient entry into the water and fine golden sand are to the liking of many vacationers, especially with children. For the purity of the territory and water, many beaches of Side were awarded "Blue Flag" - a sign of quality for resorts.
Transport accessibility. If you are traveling by car, then the road from Antalya Airport to Side will take about one hour. It is convenient to go to Side by bus too. The city is located near federal highway D400, on which buses run regularly from Antalya with the sign Side (Manavgat).
Sights. Directly in the city, on an impressively big land plot, there is an ancient archaeological complex Side. It includes extant artefacts of ancient Greek and Roman periods: ancient tombs, pedestals, sarcophagi, statues, ruins of temples and an ancient amphitheater. In 7 km from Side, in the town of Manavgat, there is a famous waterfall, to which, for a small fee, you can get by a channel on a beautiful wooden boat. In Manavgat area there are several farms for growing trout, which can be enjoyed in many restaurants.
Safety. As in many resort towns in Turkey, safety in Side is paid special attention. They do everything there to ensure for tourists from all over the world a peaceful stay in daytime and at night.
Education. The nearby town of Manavgat has both private and public schools with teaching in the Turkish language. The nearest schools with teaching in a foreign language are in Alanya and Antalya.
Culture and traditions. The city has everything for the lovers of nightlife. Many clubs, bars and discos open their doors for the summer season. Numerous restaurants and cafes offer a wide selection of meals of the traditional Turkish cuisine, there are also specialty restaurants of the British and French cuisine.
Cost of living. In Side and Manavgat the level of prices is not higher than in Antalya. On market days you can buy fruits and vegetables for the entire week at low prices. And the level of prices for things and services is no different from that in Antalya.
Advantages of a small town. Side lives actively only in the summer season. For the winter period many of the hotels are closed, and the number of tourists and staff is drastically reduced.
Real estate. Most real estate buyers in Side are the British, Belgians and other Europeans. Focusing on foreign buyers, developers are building apartments and villas with high quality exterior and interior trim. The area is dominated by low-rise buildings: 2-3-storey residential complexes and villas. This affects the price of real estate, which is on average higher than in Antalya. Since the first line from the sea is virtually completely given to hotels and boarding houses, apartments and villas with direct sea views are very rare.
