Side is one of the Turkish Riviera's most rewarding bases for a holiday, and it is famous for good reason: a long ribbon of golden sand, warm shallow Mediterranean water and a resort strip built for easy days in the sun. But if you only ever see the beach, you are missing the half of Side that turns a good holiday into a memorable one. Behind the sunbeds sits a Roman city, a river that pours over a wide waterfall, mountain canyons carved by cold water, and a wall of forested foothills laced with off-road tracks. This is your guide to Side beyond the beach - and to how a two-seat off-road buggy safari fits into it.
Walk through a genuine Roman city
Modern Side is wrapped around the bones of an ancient port city, and the ruins are not fenced off in a distant field - they sit among the shops, cafes and guesthouses of the old town. You wander into the site simply by walking the peninsula. The headline monument is the great theatre, one of the largest in this part of Turkey, its tiers of stone seating still rising toward the sky. Follow the colonnaded main street down to the tip of the promontory and you reach the Temple of Apollo, whose re-erected marble columns frame the sea and are the single most photographed spot in town, especially at sunset.
Take your time here. The old harbour, the agora, the Roman baths that now house a small museum of statuary - it all rewards a slow, curious wander rather than a rushed tick-list. Wear proper shoes; the ground is uneven ancient stone. Early morning and the golden hour before dusk are kindest for both the light and the heat.
Chase the water: Manavgat waterfall and the river
A short hop inland from Side, the Manavgat river spreads out and drops over a broad, low waterfall. It is not a tall dramatic cascade - it is wide and powerful, thundering across the full width of the river, with tea gardens and restaurants set on terraces above the spray. It makes an easy, shady half-day, and the cool air coming off the water is a genuine relief on a hot afternoon.
Many visitors combine the falls with a gentle river boat trip, drifting between green banks toward the point where the Manavgat meets the sea. If you want more of the water, the same river is the artery that feeds the canyons upstream - which is where the landscape starts to turn genuinely wild.
Head for the canyons and the Taurus foothills
Rise up behind the coast and the flat resort belt gives way to the Taurus Mountains. This is where Side's adventure country really lives. Köprülü Canyon, north of Manavgat, is a national park of pine forest and turquoise river, crossed by a Roman-era stone bridge and framed by steep rock walls - the classic setting for white-water rafting on the Köprüçay. Rafting here is seasonal, running roughly from spring through autumn when the water is right, and it is one of the most popular day trips out of Side for a reason.
The same foothills that make the canyons so dramatic are threaded with dirt tracks, dry river beds and forest trails. You do not need to be a mountaineer to get among them - you just need the right vehicle and a guide who knows the routes. That is exactly the gap an off-road adventure fills.
Get off the tarmac: the buggy safari
This is where Side stops being something you look at and becomes something you drive through. A two-seat off-road buggy is an open, go-kart-like machine built for rough ground: a proper roll cage over your head, seatbelts holding you in, and fat knobbly tyres made for mud rather than motorway. Two people share one buggy for a single price, which makes it a natural fit for couples, friends and families - one drives, one rides shotgun, and you can swap over. A child can ride buckled in safely beside a parent, so it is genuinely a shared experience rather than a solo stunt.
The route takes you off the coastal strip and up onto real off-road trails in the Taurus foothills - forest tracks, churned-up mud sections and shallow water crossings that throw up a satisfying spray. You do not need a driving licence or any previous experience. Before you set off you get a helmet, goggles and a safety briefing, then a practice lap to find the throttle and the brake, and a lead guide rides out front to set the pace and pick the line. Insurance is included. It is dusty, muddy, loud and grin-inducing - bring clothes and shoes you do not mind getting filthy.
Turn one day into two adventures
Because the buggy trails and Köprülü Canyon share the same stretch of foothills, the off-road ride pairs beautifully with the water. A popular way to build a big day is to combine a buggy safari with a rafting trip on the Köprüçay: churn through the forest by machine in one part of the day, then cool off on the river in the other. Rafting is seasonal (spring to autumn), so if you are visiting in the cooler months the off-road ride stands happily on its own, or slots alongside a canyon visit and the waterfall.
The practical beauty of all of this is the logistics. Free hotel pick-up and drop-off is included, so you do not have to hire a car, decode rural roads or find the trailhead yourself - a driver collects you from your hotel and brings you back afterwards.
Planning your days around Side
A relaxed way to structure a week is to alternate: a culture-and-water day (Side's ruins in the morning, the waterfall in the afternoon), then an adventure day (buggy safari, or a buggy-and-rafting combo), with pure beach time in between. Book your outdoor activities for the cooler ends of the day where you can, carry water, and always keep sun cover in mind - the coastal sun is stronger than it feels with a breeze on your face.
Frequently asked questions
Is Side worth visiting if I only want the beach?
The beach alone is excellent, but Side gives you far more for no extra travel. The Roman ruins are woven right into the old town, the Manavgat waterfall is a short trip inland, and the Taurus foothills behind the coast open up rafting and off-road adventures. Mixing beach days with a little culture and one big adventure day is what most people remember most fondly.
How does a buggy safari fit into a Side holiday?
Very naturally. The off-road trails sit in the foothills just behind the resorts, and free hotel pick-up and drop-off means you do not need a car or any local knowledge. It is a half-day burst of adventure that slots neatly between beach days, and it can be combined with seasonal rafting in Köprülü Canyon for a full day out.
Do I need experience or a licence to drive a buggy?
No. Two people share one buggy, and no driving licence or previous off-road experience is required. You get a helmet, goggles, a safety briefing and a practice lap before the trail, and a lead guide rides out front the whole way. A child can ride buckled in safely beside a parent.
How much does it cost and how do I pay?
We do not publish fixed figures here because prices change with season and group, so always check the live price when you book. The model is reserve-free and pay-on-the-day: you secure your spot without prepaying and settle up on the day itself, with free hotel pick-up and drop-off already included.