What's on in Side, Turkey through the year

Busy — Semester (winter) break in Turkey, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Out of season (15 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — Semester (winter) break in Turkey, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Ramazan Bayrami (Eid al-Fitr)

  20–22 MarRamadan & EidClosuresBook early

  Three days of public holiday after the fast, with a half day before, and often bridged into a longer break. Government offices and many family-run shops close on the first day, and intercity buses and domestic flights sell out days ahead as families travel. Source ↗

Still on: Out of season (15 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramazan Bayrami (Eid al-Fitr), Second-term mid-break in Turkey

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Ramazan Bayrami (Eid al-Fitr) (20–22 Mar), Out of season (15 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — Coach hours at the ruins, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Coach hours at the ruins

  15 Apr – 31 Oct · usuallyDay-tripper crushCrowded

  Coaches from Antalya and Alanya unload at the temple gates late morning and the pedestrian street through the old town is impassable until mid-afternoon.

Peak crowds — Coach hours at the ruins, Kurban Bayrami (Eid al-Adha)

• Holiday

  Kurban Bayrami (Eid al-Adha)

  27–30 MayRamadan & EidClosuresBook early

  The longer religious holiday, four days and frequently stretched to nine. Offices and many shops close, intercity buses and domestic flights sell out well ahead and fares climb, and holiday hotels fill with Turkish families before the foreign season peaks. Source ↗

• Nature

  Loggerhead nesting

  15 May – 30 Sep · usuallyTurtle nestingClosures

  Loggerheads come ashore on the sand either side of the promontory through the summer and the marked nests are roped off. Beach furniture and lights are restricted where they are. Source ↗

Still on: Coach hours at the ruins (15 Apr – 31 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Coach hours at the ruins, Swimming season

• Season

  Swimming season

  1 Jun – 31 Oct · usuallySea warm enoughCrowded

  The bay warms early and holds it deep into October, well past the point the package flights taper off. Late September and October are the best weeks on this coast.

• Festival

  Aspendos opera and ballet

  1 Jun – 15 Sep · usuallyMusic festivalBook early

  The Roman theatre half an hour up the road stages opera and ballet through the summer, performed in a house that seats several thousand and needs no amplification. Source ↗

Still on: Coach hours at the ruins (15 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Kurban Bayrami (Eid al-Adha) (27–30 May), Loggerhead nesting (15 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Coach hours at the ruins, Swimming season

• Season

  The August peak

  15 Jul – 31 AugSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  Turkish domestic holidays and the European charters coincide and the strip between the ruins and the harbour is at its densest. Everything costs more and the ruins are best at eight in the morning.

Still on: Coach hours at the ruins (15 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Loggerhead nesting (15 May – 30 Sep (usually)), Swimming season (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)), Aspendos opera and ballet (1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Coach hours at the ruins, Swimming season

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Coach hours at the ruins (15 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Loggerhead nesting (15 May – 30 Sep (usually)), Swimming season (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)), Aspendos opera and ballet (1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)), The August peak (15 Jul – 31 Aug)

Peak crowds — Coach hours at the ruins, Swimming season

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Coach hours at the ruins (15 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Loggerhead nesting (15 May – 30 Sep (usually)), Swimming season (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)), Aspendos opera and ballet (1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Coach hours at the ruins, Swimming season

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Coach hours at the ruins (15 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Swimming season (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — First-term mid-break in Turkey

• Season

  Out of season

  15 Nov – 31 Mar · usuallyOff-season shutdownClosures

  The hotels close, the shops board up and the ruins stand in an almost empty village. The temple of Apollo at sunset with nobody in the frame is the compensation.

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Out of season (15 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))