April is the most flowering month in Alanya. Orange trees, bougainvilleas, and oleanders are all in bloom. The air is filled with scents that are impossible to put into words, but equally impossible to forget.
The essential April walk is Damlataş Park in the city centre. Hundreds of blossoming orange trees, jasmine, and magnolias. Before nine in the morning it's almost empty, and you can stroll for an hour and a half beneath a white canopy of flowers.
The second destination is the valley of the Dim River, seven kilometres north of the centre. In April wild poppies and anemones bloom here, and right by the water are thickets of wild orchids. It's a half-day route with a picnic beside the river.
The third is the orange groves of Okurcalar. This is a village 25 kilometres to the west, where April is the peak of the blossom. You can sign up for a tour with lunch at a local farm for 600 lira per person.
In April Alanya hosts a flower festival on Atatürk Square. From 18 to 22 April there are exhibitions, floristry workshops, concerts, and a crafts fair. Admission is free.
Don't forget to take your April photo by Kızıl Kule at sunset, when the blossoming bougainvilleas at its foot turn purple-pink. This is the very Alanya worth living for.