Gazipasa sits east of Alanya, where Turkey's Mediterranean resort coast starts to loosen its grip. It has an airport, a working town centre, banana groves, and a coastline of coves and ruins that still feels far less packaged than the beaches to the west.
The headline is ancient Selinus, spread around the hill and river mouth above Selinus Beach. The Roman emperor Trajan died here in AD 117, which gives the otherwise sleepy ruins a surprisingly imperial footnote. Nearby Koru Beach and the sea pools around it are the more relaxed swimming option.
Gazipasa is not a place for nightlife or big resort comforts. It is for travellers who have already seen Alanya and want a quieter base, or for anyone flying into Gazipasa-Alanya Airport and wondering whether to pause before heading west.
Give it a day if you are following the coast road toward Anamur. The road east is slow and beautiful, with mountains pressing close to the sea.