# Alanya Castle > Alanya Castle (Alanya Kalesi) is a 13th-century Seljuk fortress on a 250 m rocky peninsula: 6.5 km of walls, a lived-in quarter and the İç Kale citadel on top. The walls and Ehmedek are free; only İç Kale is ticketed (about €12 in guidebooks), open daily 8:00–18:30 (last tickets 18:00). Allow 2–3 hours; ride the cable car up from Damlataş Beach. Web page: https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/alanya-castle - City: [Alanya](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya), Turkey - YesGo score: 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 2 h 30 min - Opening hours: İç Kale: daily 8:00–18:30, ticket office until 18:00; walls and Ehmedek: always open - With kids: Fine with kids - İç Kale hours: 8:00–18:30, ticket office until 18:00 - Closed: Never — open every day - Ticket: İç Kale only, ≈ €12 per guidebooks; no official price online — confirm at the gate - Free: The walls, Ehmedek and the streets inside the walls - Museum Pass: MüzeKart is valid for Turkish citizens only; foreign visitors buy a ticket - Cable car: Damlataş Beach to the Ehmedek station, ≈ 3–5 min - Bus: Line 4 up Kale Caddesi - On foot: ≈ 3 km, about 1 hour uphill from the harbour via Kale Caddesi - Coordinates: 36.53333, 31.99333 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **13th century** — the fortress as you see it was built under the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I (source: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism (muze.gov.tr); English and Russian Wikipedia) - **6.5 km** — of walls in total (source: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism (muze.gov.tr); Turkish Culture Portal (kulturportali.gov.tr); Wikipedia) - **≈ 250 m** — high rocky peninsula, with sea on three sides (source: English, Russian and Turkish Wikipedia; Turkish Culture Portal) - **≈ 140** — bastions (burç) along the walls (source: Turkish Culture Portal (kulturportali.gov.tr); Turkish Wikipedia) - **≈ 400** — cisterns stored rainwater for the castle (source: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism (muze.gov.tr); Turkish Culture Portal; English Wikipedia) - **1226** — the completion date given by the encyclopedias (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **3rd century BC** — the earliest fortifications on the rock (source: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism (muze.gov.tr); Turkish Wikipedia (Hellenistic period)) - **Open-air museum** — the status of İç Kale, the inner citadel (source: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism (muze.gov.tr); Turkish Wikipedia) - **2009** — the castle and shipyard joined UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List (source: English Wikipedia: Alanya Castle and Alanya) - **Red Tower** — where the walls meet the harbour (source: Turkish Culture Portal; Russian Wikipedia) - **19th century** — villas built inside the walls — the neighbourhood is still lived in (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) ## Alanya Castle tickets and opening hours Most of the castle costs nothing. The walls, the Ehmedek quarter, the streets and the viewpoints on the way up are free to wander. You only pay for **İç Kale**, the inner citadel at the summit, which is an open-air museum run by the Turkish Ministry of Culture. It opens **daily 8:00–18:30**, and the ticket office shuts at 18:00. Buy your ticket at the İç Kale gate or as an e-ticket on the ministry’s official museum website. The site only shows the price once you start an order. English-language guides agree on **about €12** for İç Kale — treat it as a guide, not an official figure, and confirm at the gate. Don’t mix it up with the cable car: some tour listings also quote “€12”, but for the cable car. The MüzeKart museum pass is only valid for Turkish citizens here. Opening hours vary between sources. The ministry page lists a single schedule, 8:00–18:30, while some English guides give seasonal hours that close earlier in winter. If you visit between October and April, check the ministry page before you go. The cable car and the bus are paid separately from the citadel ticket. ## How to get to Alanya Castle 1. Cable car (Teleferik): the lower station is by Damlataş Beach on Sultan Alaaddin Caddesi, next to [Damlataş Cave](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/damlatas-cave). The ride takes 3–5 minutes and drops you at Ehmedek, below the summit. In peak summer the queue can take up to half an hour. 2. From the Ehmedek station, walk on uphill through the neighbourhood inside the walls to İç Kale. 3. City bus line 4: leaves from the dolmuş station by the Friday market in the centre and climbs Kale Caddesi to near the İç Kale gate — the cheapest way up. Check the number on the bus and press the stop button in good time. 4. Walking: from the harbour and the Red Tower, the zigzag road up Kale Caddesi is about 3 km and takes about an hour to İç Kale. Better done downhill. 5. Taxi: drops you at the İç Kale gate — the easy choice with small children or in midsummer heat. 6. Staying in Mahmutlar or further along the coast? Take a bus or dolmuş into central Alanya, then the cable car from Damlataş or the bus up. > **It’s a steep climb with little shade** The road up is a long zigzag on hot stone. In summer go before 10:00 or after 16:00, carry water and wear proper shoes. The easy way: ride up, walk down through the old town. ## Is Alanya Castle worth visiting? Yes — it is the town’s headline sight and the best view on this stretch of coast. From the top you see both beaches, [Cleopatra Beach](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/alanya-cleopatra-beach) to the west and the eastern beach and harbour, with the Taurus Mountains behind. If the heat or time is against you, skip İç Kale and just ride the cable car to Ehmedek: the free views from the walls are nearly as good. What you miss in the citadel are the palace ruins, the Byzantine church and the cliff edge itself. ## What to see at Alanya Castle - **İç Kale** — the summit citadel: Seljuk palace remains, cisterns, a Byzantine church and the widest view of the town. - **Adam Atacağı** — the cliff on the citadel’s western edge; the name means “the place where a man is thrown”. The most dramatic drop to the sea. - **Süleymaniye Mosque** — Ottoman, rebuilt under Suleiman the Magnificent. - **The Bedesten** — the old covered market beside the mosque. - **Akşebe Sultan Mosque and Tomb** — named after one of the castle’s first commanders. - **Ehmedek** — the fortified middle ring of walls with its gate. - **Cisterns** — stone rainwater tanks dotted all over the hill. - An old lighthouse on the point, and the 19th-century houses with tiled roofs. ## Can you walk up to Alanya Castle? You can, but think twice in summer. The road up Kale Caddesi climbs from the harbour in a long zigzag of about 3 km, and the walk to İç Kale takes around an hour. There are a few cafés and juice stalls on the way, and plenty of viewpoints for a breather. Most visitors do it the other way round: cable car or bus up, then a relaxed walk down past the walls, through the [old town](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/alanya-old-town) to the [Red Tower](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/alanya-red-tower) and the [Shipyard](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/alanya-shipyard) on the waterfront. ## A short history People fortified this rock long before the Seljuks — from the Hellenistic and Roman periods through Byzantine times. In the 1220s Sultan **Alaeddin Keykubad I** took the town, renamed it Alaiye after himself and turned it into the Seljuks’ main naval base on the Mediterranean. He built the castle, the Red Tower and the Shipyard in one campaign; the encyclopedias give 1226 for the castle’s completion. The Ottomans followed, and Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilt the mosque that now bears his name. Once the walls were no longer needed for defence, villas went up inside them in the 19th century — which is why the climb takes you past gardens, washing lines and cafés rather than just ruins. In 2009 the castle and shipyard were placed on UNESCO’s Tentative List, a step before any World Heritage listing. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] I’ll reach the İç Kale ticket office before 18:00 - [ ] Water and a hat — there’s little shade - [ ] Proper shoes: worn stone and steep steps - [ ] Decided how to go up: cable car, bus or taxi - [ ] Allowed 2–3 hours for the hill - [ ] Cash or a card for the cable car and cafés ## Castle, Red Tower or Shipyard | | Castle (İç Kale) | Red Tower | Shipyard | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Hilltop citadel and walls | Octagonal tower on the harbour | Seljuk shipyard cut into the shore | | Where | Top of the peninsula | Harbour | Seafront beyond the Red Tower | | Climb | Steep — take the cable car | None | None | | Time needed | 2–3 h | ≈ 30–45 min | ≈ 30 min | | Best for | The view over the whole town | Alanya’s symbol, museum inside | The only surviving Seljuk shipyard | With one day, go up the castle and pick up the tower and shipyard on the way down — they are all part of the same wall circuit. ## Alanya’s historic sights compared Every historic sight in Alanya rated by YesGo. - [Alanya Old Town (Tophane)](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/alanya-old-town) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Alanya Shipyard](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/alanya-shipyard) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Price being verified - [Red Tower](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/alanya-red-tower) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Paid, price being verified - [Alanya Castle](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/alanya-castle) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Walls free, İç Kale ≈ €12 - [Syedra](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/syedra) — YesGo score 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · €7 for foreigners, under-8s free ## The castle, top to bottom, in a day The cave and the cable car in the morning, the citadel at the top, then down on foot through the old town to the Red Tower and the Shipyard. 1. [Damlataş Cave](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/damlatas-cave) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ≈ 225 TL, children less 2. [Alanya Castle](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/alanya-castle) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Walls free, İç Kale ≈ €12 3. [Alanya Old Town (Tophane)](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/alanya-old-town) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free 4. [Red Tower](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/alanya-red-tower) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Paid, price being verified 5. [Alanya Shipyard](https://yesgo.io/turkey/alanya/alanya-shipyard) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Price being verified ## Good to know Alanya Castle is not Alara Castle, a separate ruin west of town, and not the castle at Gazipaşa. Hotels with “Kale” or “Castle” in the name are just hotels. Cafés on the hill charge more than in town — you are paying for the view. ## Tips - Ride up, walk down: you get the walls, the neighbourhood and the old town without the hard climb. - Short on time or budget? The free views from the walls near Ehmedek are almost as good as from İç Kale. - Come an hour before sunset, when Cleopatra Beach and the bay turn gold. - Pushchairs struggle on the cobbles and steps — with small kids, take a taxi to the İç Kale gate. - Leave 20–30 minutes for Damlataş Cave next to the lower cable car station. ## Questions ### How much is the Alanya Castle ticket? The walls, Ehmedek and the streets inside are free. Only the İç Kale citadel is ticketed: about €12 according to guidebooks. The official site shows no price until you order, so confirm at the gate. ### What are Alanya Castle opening hours? İç Kale opens daily 8:00–18:30, with the ticket office closing at 18:00. The walls and Ehmedek are open at all times. ### How do I get to Alanya Castle? Take the cable car from Damlataş Beach (3–5 minutes), city bus line 4 up Kale Caddesi, a taxi, or walk about 3 km uphill from the harbour in around an hour. ### Where does the Alanya cable car go? From Damlataş Beach on Sultan Alaaddin Caddesi up to Ehmedek, partway up the castle hill. İç Kale is a further walk uphill from there. ### Can you walk up to Alanya Castle? Yes — about an hour uphill on the Kale Caddesi zigzag from the harbour. It is hot and shadeless in summer, so most people ride up and walk down. ### How long do you need at Alanya Castle? 2–3 hours for the climb, İç Kale and the walk down. Add the Red Tower and the Shipyard and it’s half a day. ### Is Alanya Castle worth it? Yes — it’s Alanya’s main sight and has the best view of both beaches. Even a cable car ride to Ehmedek without the citadel is worthwhile. ### Who built Alanya Castle? The Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I in the 13th century, on top of older Byzantine and Roman fortifications. ### Is Alanya Castle good for kids? Older kids love the walls and views. With toddlers or a pushchair, take a taxi to the İç Kale gate — the cobbles and steps are hard going. ## How we checked İç Kale hours and closures come from the official Turkish Ministry of Culture museum page, checked the same day. Some English guides give different, seasonal hours (8:30–19:00 in summer, 8:30–17:30 in winter) and an older museum brochure lists separate winter hours; we show the official schedule and advise checking in winter. The ministry site does not show the ticket price until you start an order; two independent guides (an online Alanya guide and Wikivoyage) give about €12, so we show it as a guide and mark it “verifying”. Some tour listings quote €12 for the cable car — not the same thing. Bus line 4 is from Russian Wikipedia and the online guide; the cable car ride is 3 minutes per the online guide and 5 per Wikivoyage, so we give a range. The walk of about 3 km and an hour is from Wikivoyage, Wikipedia and The Turkey Traveler. Other facts are checked against at least two sources. Tower counts differ: the Culture Portal and Turkish Wikipedia give about 140 bastions, Turkish Wikipedia also 83 towers, and Russian Wikipedia has a typo of 14 — we say about 140 bastions. About 400 cisterns per the ministry and the Culture Portal; Turkish Wikipedia gives about 1,200 for the whole medieval town. The cafés on the hill and free access to the walls and Ehmedek come from guidebooks without official confirmation and are marked “verifying”. Sources name the İç Kale church differently, so we leave it unnamed. ## Sources - Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, museums site (muze.gov.tr): Alanya Kalesi and Alanya Castle (Citadel) — hours, closures, description, 30.10.2026 - Turkish Culture Portal (kulturportali.gov.tr): Alanya Kalesi - English, Russian and Turkish Wikipedia: Alanya Castle; English Wikipedia: Alanya; Wikidata Q81593 - Wikivoyage: Alanya — cable car, the free part of the castle, İç Kale price - English-language online Alanya guide (Alanya Castle article, March 2026) — İç Kale price, bus line 4, cable car - The Turkey Traveler: walking up to the castle --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.