Gazipasa is a small coastal district on the Mediterranean shore of Turkiye's Antalya Province, roughly 45 kilometres east of Alanya and 180 kilometres east of the regional capital Antalya. The town has been used as a harbour since the Hellenistic period, when it formed part of the ancient Cilician coast known for pirates and timber trade, and its modern identity as a tourist airport gateway only took shape after Gazipasa-Alanya Airport (GZP) opened scheduled commercial services in 2010. Low-cost carriers from across Europe, especially from Germany, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and the Netherlands, now use GZP as a direct entry for the eastern Antalya coast, with taxi fares into nearby Alanya town centres running TRY 900 to TRY 1,300 for up to four guests and onward transfers to Side or Manavgat closer to TRY 2,200.
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Getting to and around Gazipasa
The second beat belongs to Gazipasa itself. The town clusters around a modest high street, a small covered bazaar (Gazipasa Carsi), the Selcuk-era Koca Cami mosque, and the Ataturk statue in Cumhuriyet Meydani. A pleasant promenade runs along the fishing harbour where wooden blue-and-white boats unload daily catches of sea bream and small tuna. Inland, banana plantations extend across the coastal plain; Gazipasa is the largest banana-producing district in Turkiye, and roadside stalls sell fresh bunches for around TRY 40 per kilogram. The combination of warm winters, shallow sea, and relatively low development makes the area popular with Turkish retirees and seasonal European residents.
The third beat is the ancient landscape. Antiochia ad Cragum, sometimes simply called Antiochia on the Crag, perches above the sea on a basalt promontory about 10 kilometres west of Gazipasa. Its restored Roman bath complex, colonnaded street, and a large well-preserved mosaic of stylised squares and circles rediscovered in the mid-2000s by an American-Turkish team are all accessible via a paved track. Entry is typically TRY 75. Selinus, now known as Gazipasa Ancient City, preserves a Roman-Byzantine civic centre, a monumental tomb sometimes attributed to the Emperor Trajan (who died nearby in AD 117), and fragments of a medieval fortress overlooking the modern harbour. Kestros Hamsa and Iotape, two lesser sites along the coast, round out the archaeology circuit.
The fourth beat is beaches. Koru Beach, Kahyalar Beach, Delice, and Kaledran each offer long sand-and-pebble strands backed by limestone cliffs and pine groves. Sea turtles (Caretta caretta) still nest on several of these beaches during May to August, with small fenced nesting enclosures protected by local environmental volunteers. Umbrella and sunbed rental at family-run beach clubs runs TRY 150 to TRY 250 per day including two loungers and service of drinks and grilled fish plates. Snorkelling along the rocky headlands near Iskele reveals underwater amphorae fragments in shallow water, though authorities prohibit removing any material.
The fifth beat covers food. Gazipasa's agricultural hinterland supports a cuisine heavy on vegetables, citrus, olives, and seafood. Sarimsakli dukus (garlic paste), tahinli ekmek, and grilled calamari with Antalya-style piyaz chickpea salad are typical lunches at harbour tavernas; a full seafood meal for two usually costs TRY 600 to TRY 1,000 including local white wine from the Toros foothills. Breakfast buffets at small coastal hotels commonly feature locally produced hellim cheese, black olives from Aydincik, acuka spread made from walnuts and red pepper, and fresh pomegranate juice during autumn. The Friday market in Gazipasa town draws producers from villages higher in the Taurus Mountains with honey, carob syrup, walnuts, and goat cheese.
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Things to see & do in Gazipasa
The sixth beat is transport. GZP Airport is the key entry point for the eastern Antalya coast and handles both scheduled airlines and seasonal charters. From GZP, the D400 coastal highway runs west to Alanya in about 45 minutes and east to Anamur in roughly 90 minutes. Intercity buses from Alanya's otogar reach Antalya Airport in three and a half hours, Konya in about six, and Istanbul in around 12 on overnight services. Rental cars are widely available at the airport from TRY 1,200 per day in peak season, and a rental is strongly recommended for travellers who plan to explore multiple ancient sites and beaches along this stretch of the coast. Dolmus minibuses link Gazipasa town with nearby villages and beaches for TRY 30 to TRY 50 each way.
A seventh beat looks at Alanya as the main tourist anchor. Alanya Castle, the red Kizil Kule tower, and the Damlatas Caves near Cleopatra Beach are all reachable from Gazipasa in under an hour and form the backbone of many visitors' day trips. Alanya has a larger hotel infrastructure, a pedestrianised seafront, and the lively Friday bazaar behind the marina. Many Gazipasa-area package tourists actually spend a significant portion of their week in Alanya for shopping, nightlife, and water parks. Dim Cave, a two-kilometre show cave inland from Alanya, is a popular afternoon escape from coastal heat and costs TRY 150 per adult to enter.
An eighth beat considers the Taurus Mountains behind the coast. A 40-kilometre drive north from Gazipasa climbs through citrus and banana plantations into yayla (summer pasture) villages at 1,200 to 1,800 metres, including Koynarc Yaylasi, Uzuncaburc, and Karaburc. Here local families move their flocks and households upslope each May to escape the coastal heat and stay until September. Goat and sheep cheeses made in the yaylas are sold at roadside dairies for around TRY 250 per kilogram. The scenery includes forested valleys, karst limestone ridges, and spring-fed waterfalls that are popular picnic spots with Turkish families on weekends. Visitors can overnight in basic guesthouses for TRY 800 to TRY 1,200 per night including home-cooked meals.
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Neighborhoods & food in Gazipasa
A ninth beat is practicalities. Peak tourist season runs May through October with daytime highs consistently around 30 to 35 degrees Celsius and sea temperatures reaching 27 degrees in August. Winter is mild with 15 to 18 degrees Celsius during the day and occasional heavy rain; some coastal hotels close from late November to early March, though GZP Airport stays operational year-round. Turkish is the dominant language, with increasing availability of German, English, and Russian in tourist hotels. The Turkish lira is the only local currency; ATMs at Is Bank and Garanti branches in Gazipasa and along the Alanya seafront are reliable. Card payments work throughout the main tourist zone but smaller villages and yaylas remain cash-only for basic purchases.
A tenth beat considers local agriculture and harvest calendars. In addition to bananas, the coastal plain around Gazipasa produces avocados (now the largest crop rotation in Turkiye), pomegranates, loquats (yeni dunya), and, in the hills, olives for both oil and table. The avocado harvest runs from November to February and supports a small export channel into Germany and the Netherlands, while pomegranates peak in October. Winter visitors often combine a morning drive through citrus plantations with a pick-your-own option at participating farms for TRY 80 per kilogram. The Gazipasa Municipality maintains a small agricultural heritage trail with bilingual interpretive panels explaining each crop and regional variety. Carob molasses (keciboynuzu pekmezi) is another local specialty often served drizzled over yoghurt at breakfast and sold in small jars at the Friday market for around TRY 150.
An eleventh beat focuses on Anamur and Mamure Castle, 80 kilometres east of Gazipasa along the D400. Mamure Castle is one of the best-preserved medieval coastal castles in Turkiye, built by the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia and later used by the Karamanids and Ottomans. Its 36 towers and 1,100 metre curtain wall stretch directly along the Mediterranean, and adult entry is TRY 90. Nearby Anemurium Ancient City offers an unusually complete necropolis, a theatre, and Byzantine churches spread across the Cape Anamur headland. Combined with lunch on Anamur's long beach, this makes a strong full-day trip from Gazipasa, best undertaken with a rental car given the limited bus service outside peak season.
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Practical info & when to visit
A twelfth beat is about hiking and the Lycian interior. Although the famous Lycian Way National Trail ends further west near Antalya, this stretch of coast has its own less-developed network of short walking paths. The 8-kilometre trail from Iskele harbour to Antiochia ad Cragum passes through pine woodland and offers striking views of the sea. Another easy walk links the ancient cities of Selinus and Kestros Hamsa along the coastal bluff. Serious walkers can push inland to the Geyik Dagi (Deer Mountain) range for multi-day trips with a local guide, usually arranged in Anamur for around TRY 800 per guided day plus accommodation costs.
Visitors who add an evening boat ride from Iskele harbour to watch the sunset across the Mediterranean usually leave with a clear sense of why this coast has drawn settlers since antiquity.
A closing frame: Gazipasa suits travellers who want a quieter Mediterranean coast than the crowded Antalya-Belek corridor, with easy access via GZP Airport, a good run of archaeology from Antiochia ad Cragum through Selinus, and proximity to the larger resort scene in Alanya. A typical stay of five to seven nights allows two full beach days, two archaeology days with an optional yayla excursion, and a shopping and nightlife evening in Alanya town. Package visitors from northern Europe arriving at GZP in April through October often pair a week on this coast with a short Istanbul city break on departure, turning the trip into a compact Turkiye sampler at moderate cost.