Manavgat is a city in Pamphylia, Turkey, lying roughly at the midway between Antalya and Alanya.
Understand
A relatively big city with a population of about 75,000, Manavgat, which lies on the banks of Manavgat River a few km inland from the shore, is the hub for visiting nearby waterfalls and seaside resorts, though the city centre itself is not of much interest to tourists except for some urban services which little nearby resorts cannot offer.
Get in
- Frequent buses connect Manavgat with Antalya, the regional capital and the site of nearest airport. The easiest way is to go to Antalya's main bus station. From there there are buses every 30 minutes for about 20 TL.
- The highway D400, which traverses along all of Turkish Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Adana, skirts the city on the southern edge with the city centre lying about 1 km north of the highway. It is about 80 km from Antalya to the waterfalls.
Get around
Manavgat has a public bus and minibus fleet, though the city centre is compact enough to get along on foot.
To get to the waterfalls, take the minibuses (dolmuş) with the sign Şelale - Sarılar from the main street of the city. These frequent minibuses cost 2 TL/person and take about 15 minutes to get to entrance of waterfalls area. There is also a carpark free of charge at the entrance of the falls.
See
- 1 (Manavgat Şelalesi) (6 km north of city centre). Though the fall is only a few metres high, the riverbed is wide and the flow high enough to make the falls thundering and white all over. In the viewing area, it's possible to wet your feet immediately on the edge of the fall safely in a small fenced area. The water is refreshingly cold! This waterfall is the main attraction of the town and there are modern cafés and shops in the adjacent area where you can buy tourist kitsch and overpriced but good meals. It's illuminated so can be conveniently visited also after the night falls. The whole site has been 'upgraded', so that there are smart paved areas, new restaurant and a McDonald's. Car parking is a bit limited. 5 TL.
- Little Waterfall (Küçük Şelale) (1 km further north from the Manavgat Falls). Little Waterfall is, as its name implies, a somewhat smaller and less noisy version of the Manavgat Falls, located about 1 km upriver from it. Not much in the way of non-locals visit it so it lacks the touristical amenities the main falls have, not even an entrance gate. The area around it is visited by local youngsters in their dilapidated cars during weekend nights to have a few drinks, as the garbage mounds through the summer point out, so be careful. Free.
- Külliye Mosque (Merkez Külliye Camii), Örnek Mahallesi, 1517. Sokak (South of city centre, close to the D400 highway). Beautiful and biggest mosque in the region. Open to the public. Free.
Do
- River cruises. There are daily cruises on Manavgat River, between the city and the Titreyengöl ("trembling lake") area downriver, near where the river empties into the Mediterranean. They depart from the park between the bridge on the main street and the yellow bridge.
- Riverside park. A beautifully landscaped park with some open air cafes lies on the bank of the river, great to take a stroll.
Buy
- 1 Street market. Monday and Thursday. Large market for clothes, souvenirs, fruit and vegetables.
Eat
- Balik Marketim (near the 'yellow bridge' - the one on which some pubs are located). A fish restaurant which offers very delicious and filling fried fish sandwiches. Each sandwich also includes some fresh green salad and one of them is big enough to appease your hunger. It's possible to sit on their patio by the street or to take out. 3-4 TL per sandwich. Credit cards are accepted.
Drink
Sleep
Connect
( 90) 242 is Manavgat's telephone code.
There is an internet cafe on the parallel alley to the main street, near the fish market by the river (that ship-like white building named 'Barbaros'), which costs 1.50 TL/hour.
Go next
- Side — A few km to the south, Side is a seaside resort with some well-protected Roman ruins.
- Kumköy — Another nearby coastal resort.
| Routes through Manavgat |
| Antalya ← Belek ← | W  E | → Alanya → Mersin |