Quick answer
A practical seven-day plan for Side, Turkey, with a boat day slotted in among the beach, Side old town and Manavgat. We run the boats ourselves and explain how to pace a week — from a warm-sea pirate trip to a cold-water Green Canyon cruise — plus a sample day-by-day table and honest booking notes.
A good week in Side runs on a simple rhythm: arrival and beach, Side old town, one full boat day at sea or on Green Canyon lake, a slow recovery day, a Manavgat morning, then an easy finish before you fly. We run the boats ourselves, so we build the week around a single well-placed boat day. Browse the boat trips in Side to start.
Why one boat day should anchor the week
A boat day is the one fixed point everything else bends around. It needs a morning start, decent energy and a bit of planning, so we drop it into the middle of the week — usually day three or four — once you've found your feet and before the tail-end tiredness sets in. Put it too early and you're still shaking off the flight; too late and you're packing. Slot it mid-week and the beach days, town evenings and the Manavgat morning arrange themselves around it.
The other reason to pick your boat day first: our hotel transfer is arranged for you. Guests are picked up from their hotel in the morning; the exact time is confirmed the day before and varies from hotel to hotel. Once that day is locked, you know which morning is committed and can plan the rest without clashes.
The one big decision: cold lake or warm sea
Before you build the week, choose the kind of water you want, because it changes the whole feel of the day. We run two very different boat experiences from this coast.
Green Canyon — cold freshwater lake
Green Canyon is a reservoir cruise inland from Manavgat. The water is cold freshwater and the scenery is steep green hillsides and still water rather than open coast. It's calmer, cooler and better for people who find open sea a bit much. See the Green Canyon boat tour for what the day involves and the live price.
Sea trips — warmer salt water
The classic Side sea day is our pirate boat trip — warmer salt water, swim stops and a livelier deck. If you'd rather have a quieter afternoon with a swim near a waterfall, the Side relax boat trip with waterfall is the gentler sea option. For a bigger day out to a standout island, guests based further west look at our Suluada island trip from the Antalya side.
Whichever you choose, bring swimwear, a towel, sun cream, a hat and a little cash. Drinks are usually pay-on-board, so a few euros or lira in your pocket keeps the day simple.
The seven-day shape
Here's the frame we'd build for a first week in Side. It assumes one boat day, one Manavgat morning, and enough beach time that nobody feels rushed. Treat the boat day as the immovable one and shuffle the rest to suit your hotel and the weather.
| Day | Focus | What it looks like | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive & settle | Check in, find your beach, short walk, early night | Low |
| 2 | Side old town | Roman ruins, harbour, dinner by the water | Medium |
| 3 | Boat day | Morning hotel pickup, full day on the water, swim stops | High |
| 4 | Beach & recover | Slow start, pool or sea, no fixed plans | Low |
| 5 | Manavgat | Waterfall in the morning, riverside market, back for the beach | Medium |
| 6 | Optional 2nd water day | Second boat day, or a spare beach/town day | Your call |
| 7 | Wind down & fly | Last swim, souvenirs, easy travel to the airport | Low |
This is a sample rhythm, not a timetable — swap days freely. The only rule we'd hold to is not stacking two big excursions back to back.
Day by day, the reasoning
Days 1–2: settle, then Side old town
Day one is deliberately empty beyond finding your beach and eating well. Day two is for Side old town on foot — the ancient theatre, the temple ruins by the harbour and dinner as the light drops. It's flat, walkable and doesn't need an early alarm, which is exactly what you want before a boat day.
Day 3: the boat day
This is the day the week is built around. You're rested, the town's out of your system, and you've got the energy for a full day on the water. Pickup is in the morning from your hotel, so the evening before is a good time to lay out swimwear, towel and sun cream and get an early night.
Day 4: do nothing on purpose
A boat day earns you a slow one. Sun, salt and a full day out add up, so day four has no plan beyond the beach or pool. It also gives you a weather buffer — if the boat day gets moved, this is the day it moves into.
Day 5: Manavgat
Manavgat waterfall works best as a morning trip while it's cooler, followed by the riverside market. It pairs naturally with a boat day because the water theme carries through, and you're back at your hotel with the afternoon free.
Days 6–7: your choice, then home
Day six is the flexible one — either a second, different water day, or a spare day for whatever you've missed. Day seven stays gentle: a final swim, a few souvenirs and an unhurried run to the airport.
Where you're staying changes which boat
Not everyone reading this is inside Side itself. We run shared and private trips across the whole coast, so start from your base rather than forcing a long transfer.
- Based in or near Side or Manavgat: our Side sea trips and Green Canyon are your natural picks — browse tours from Side.
- Staying towards Antalya: the Suluada island day and Antalya-side departures make more sense — see tours from Antalya.
- Belek or the golf-belt hotels: tours from Belek keep the pickup short.
- Alanya end of the coast: check tours from Alanya for the nearest departures.
Tell us your hotel when you enquire and we'll point you to the trip with the most sensible transfer. Ready to lock in a morning? Pick your date on the tour page and we'll handle the pickup.
Rough budget for the boat day
Prices move, so treat these as starting bands and always take the live figure from the tour page. These are approximate 2026 per-person starting prices.
| Trip type | Approx. from (per person) | Water | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea trip (pirate / relax) | EUR 20–25 | Warm salt | Swimming, lively or gentle deck day |
| Green Canyon lake cruise | EUR 28–54 | Cold fresh | Calmer, cooler, scenic inland day |
| Suluada island day | EUR 42–68 | Warm salt | A bigger day out to a standout island |
| Private yacht / gulet | On request | Your choice | Families and groups who want the boat to themselves |
You book online and pay on the tour day, which keeps the week flexible — you're not committing cash weeks ahead for a day the weather might move.
Food, diets and the practical bits
If you have dietary needs — vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free or any allergy — tell us when you book and we pass it to the specific boat running your trip. We won't promise you a fixed menu or a particular dish from here, because it varies by boat; confirm the details on the tour page or with us directly and we'll sort it with the crew.
Beyond that, the practical kit is short: swimwear, towel, sun cream, a hat and a little cash for pay-on-board drinks. Everything else — the transfer, the crew, the route — is our job.
Frequently asked questions
How many boat days should I do in a week in Side?
One is plenty for most people, and it should anchor the week. If you love the water, add a second, different trip on day six — for example a warm-sea day earlier in the week and the cold-water Green Canyon lake later, so the two feel distinct rather than repetitive.
What time is the hotel pickup?
Guests are picked up from their hotel in the morning; the exact time is confirmed the day before and varies from hotel to hotel. We arrange the transfer as part of the booking, so you don't need to organise your own way to the boat.
Green Canyon or a sea trip — which suits a first-timer?
It comes down to the water. Green Canyon is cold freshwater, calmer and cooler, and good if open sea isn't your thing. A sea trip like our pirate or relax boat is warmer salt water with a livelier feel. Neither is harder to book — pick the one that matches the day you want.
Do I need to pay in full when I book?
No. You book online and pay on the tour day. Drinks on board are usually pay-on-board too, so bring a little cash. This keeps your week flexible if plans or the weather shift.
Can you handle dietary requirements on board?
Tell us when you book — vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free or allergies — and we pass it to the boat running your trip. We don't publish set menus here because it varies by boat, so confirm the specifics on the tour page or with us and we'll arrange it with the crew.
Build your week around the water
Pick the boat day first, protect it with a slow day after, and let Side old town and Manavgat fill the gaps. Do that and a week here feels paced rather than crammed. When you're ready to set the date, choose your trip from our boat trips in Side and we'll confirm your pickup the day before you sail.