Check the market day before you pick a month
May, June and September are the best months for the Manavgat river and bazaar day, and September is the strongest of the three. The river is calm all season, so the month is decided entirely on land: the Manavgat Grand Bazaar is an open market with two hours of walking, and in July and August that is hot work with shopping bags.
Before the month, though, check the day. The Grand Bazaar is held on Mondays and Thursdays only. If your holiday week does not contain one of those days, no month is the right month.
Why the bazaar decides the season, not the river
The Manavgat river cruise and Grand Bazaar day from Side is a full-day outing of roughly ten hours, and only part of it is on the water. You cruise the calm, green Manavgat River, stop to swim at the delta where the icy river meets the warm Mediterranean, eat a freshly cooked lunch on deck and get a foam party out on the open sea — then you get two full hours on your feet in the market.
Two hours in a crowded outdoor bazaar is the part that changes character with the season. In the shoulder months it is the best cultural stop of the week. At the height of summer it is the bit people cut short. Adults €21 and children €15 make this one of the best-value full days we run, but value only counts if you use the whole day.
Month by month
April and May
Comfortable market weather and green countryside along the river. Swimming at the delta is bracing — the river water is cold at the best of times and early season makes it colder. Come for the market and the cruise, not the swim.
June
The best all-round month: warm enough that the delta swim is a pleasure, not yet the heat that makes two hours of shopping a chore.
July and August
Peak swimming, hardest shopping. If you travel in these months, do the market in the shade of the covered lanes, carry water and buy early rather than browsing the whole thing. The boat part of the day is unaffected — the river is sheltered and moving air makes the cruise the coolest place you will be all day.
September
Our pick. The sea is at its warmest after a full summer, the market is bearable again, and the crowds thin. If you can choose your holiday dates around one thing, choose this.
October
Quiet, pleasant on land, and cooling in the water. A good month if the bazaar rather than the swim is your reason for going.
Two variations, if you are not staying in Side
- From Belek — the Manavgat market and river boat tour from Belek is a shorter day at about seven hours, adults €43 and children €30, with infants 0–3 free and children 4–11 on the reduced rate. The market runs on set days here too, so confirm your date before booking anything else.
- From Alanya — the Green Canyon cruise and Manavgat bazaar day from Alanya is a different trip that happens to end at the same market: about nine hours, adults €43 and children €30, with the boat section on the mirror-calm Green Canyon dam lake rather than the river, an open buffet lunch on board and swim stops in cool, jade-green mountain water. Choose this one if you want the mountains; choose the Side version if you want the delta swim and the longer market time.
Who this day is not for
- People who dislike markets. Two hours is a long time if haggling is not your idea of a holiday. The cruise alone does not justify the ten-hour day for you — take a shorter river or sea trip instead.
- Anyone whose main goal is the Manavgat Waterfall. The falls are near the bazaar and our guide can help arrange a quick trip during your free time, but the transfer there and the national park entrance fee are not in the price and are paid on the day. If the waterfall is the point of your trip, book the Manavgat waterfall and Green Lake tour instead, where it is a proper stop on the route.
- Guests who want a short, easy outing. Ten hours from an early hotel pickup is a full day, and it does not shorten.
- Anyone expecting drinks with lunch. All drinks come from the on-board bar and are paid separately, and shopping at the bazaar is your own money.
Practical notes for the market
Dress modestly — covered shoulders is the local norm — wear comfortable shoes for the lanes, and bring small Turkish lira notes, because friendly bargaining is part of the day and nobody enjoys haggling with a card. Hotel collection in Side happens in the morning and your exact time is confirmed personally after you book.
To plan the rest of it, check which days the Manavgat market is held before you fix your dates, read how the day works with children, and see what the Manavgat boat trip costs against the other river days.