Is it safe to travel to Side, Turkey?
A lively city cradling many historical and architectural wonders between the expanses of Temple of Athena and the 2nd-century amphitheatre, Side is as safe as you can think about it. In fact, it is safer than most of the top tourist destinations in the world because the province it is situated in has a safety index of 74.5%.
Despite this, certain tourists still worry to bask in the sunny days of the resort city. However, worry not because we’ve got reasons to keep your worries at bay.
1. It’s far away from the Syrian border
The major hype that has been created is about the proximity of Antalya to the Syrian border. While that might be true in a literal sense, if we look at the distance of Side from the border, it takes well over 10 hours for anyone to reach it. This totally eradicates the likelihood of any (God forbid) terrorist invasion from the Syrian border, because keeping a place that far away safe from the hell broken loose in Syria is a breeze.
2. There’s no conflict in Side
You can quote a few terrorist attacks here and there, but the fact remains that there’s no on-going conflict in Antalya, let alone Side. Yes, the roads can be rushy sometimes due to the traffic, safety-wise (the kind of safety we’re talking about), they can be trusted. It’s not like terrorists brandishing their weapons are going to stop you in mid-way. That is far from being possible at all.
3. The security forces are doing their bit
Just like we said above, Turkish security forces know how to keep a teeming tourist resort city safe and sound. They have the capabilities to eradicate or combat any kind of threat to the safety fabric of Side. Thanks to them, tourists from around the world are seen taking boat trips in remote canyons and jeep safaris in the countryside without any problems pertaining to security.
Besides, no place is “safe” completely. Even the major cities around the world have had a hard time keeping a perfect peace and safety. London and Manchester are a few examples of this as the recent killings in the former and the terrorism in the latter have jolted the world awake. Despite these mishaps, the cities are still among the top destinations for tourists, because people going there know that a few mishaps can not over-shadow the glorious, peaceful everyday routine of a city.
If you’re still not convinced, we recommend you keep a stern eye on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website for any official alarms.
Covid 19 Measures in Side, Turkey – What are the latest restrictions?
Life in Turkey is slowly resuming its course since 1st of March 2021. The restaurants and cafes are now open and restrictions are relaxed due to the falling cases. So, what are the restrictions and measures at the moment? Here are the latest news from Side, Turkey:
The restaurants, cafeterias, bars and all other shops in Side area are open from 7 am to 7 pm on weekdays and on Saturdays. On Sundays, only food and beverage supplying shops such as markets, groceries, butchers etc. can be open between 10.00 to 17.00.
A curfew from Monday to Saturday from 21.00 to 05.00 is under effect at the moment. Additionally, a lockdown on Sundays also remains. However, there is no restriction for foreign tourists. These are valid only for Turkish citizens.
Restaurants, bars, cafeterias and public transports in Side must work with maximum 50% capacity at the moment.
Turkish citizens must get a HES code to use public buildings and transport. It is a code taken from an application which is used to monitor the pandemic. However, foreign tourists don’t need to get this code.
Museums and monuments are open from 09.00 to 17.00 for visitors all days except Mondays which is the maintenance day for these facilities. Foreign tourists can visit museums on Sundays as there is no day restriction for them.
Wearing masks is mandatory in all public places in Side. This restriction applies for everyone.
How to travel to Side under Covid 19 measures?
The flights from UK to Antalya are suspended at the moment but the lift of travel restriction is expected in May.
Everyone older than 6 years old need to have a negative PCR test result 72 hours before your flight to Side and again before departure to UK, you need to have a negative PCR test result. You can obtain this test from the laboratories and hospitals in Side. Furthermore, most hotels in Side area also provide this test to their guests in the hotel.
UK citizens need to fill in the passenger locator form to travel to UK from Turkey. Please check the details from the official webpage of UK government.
Vaccination efforts give promising results and there is a high expectation that things will normalize soon in most countries. Most tour operators in UK see an increase reaching even sixfolds in their holiday reservations to Turkey. We are also optimistic about this summer. And lastly, we want to say that Side and we miss our guests so much. Hope to see you in beautiful Side this summer.
