Antalya is the largest city on the Mediterranean coast and a major hub for tourists seeking sun and sand. While the area around Bodrum tends to draw British tourists, Antalya is traditionally where German tourists and increasingly, Russian tourists, flock for their beach vacations. The recent influx of Russian tourists is evidenced by tourist shop signs written in Cyrillic and a mega-resort with its own mini-Kremlin.
Antalya is a great base for visiting the Mediterranean coast. The vibrant city has its own charm, character, and history, and its close proximity to historic sites, golf courses, and great beaches makes it appeal to a wide range of tastes. What captivates me most about Antalya is its stunning natural beauty: particularly the jagged Taurus mountains that tower west of the city and lurk in the background from almost any vantage point. My only warning about visiting Antalya is to think twice before going in July / August. It gets VERY hot and humid there in the dead of summer and can be pretty miserable if you are trying to do any sort of outdoor sightseeing. On the flipside, Antalya is a great place to visit in shoulder seasons when the Aegean coast has not yet warmed up.
Getting there
Antalya is one of the most accessible coastal cities, serviced by a major airport that is just a quick drive away from the historic center of town (Kaleiҫi) and the major beaches. Both domestic and international flights fly directly to Antalya Airport (AYT).
If you are arriving with your own car (or by bus), Antalya is 8.5 hours from Ankara, 10.5 hours from Istanbul, 5 hours from Konya, and 3.5 hours from Fethiye.
Getting around
You can pretty easily visit Antalya without renting a car, particularly if you stay at a hotel with access to the beach. If you are staying in Kaleiҫi and bring a car, I recommend parking it once and leaving it. Driving in and out of Kaleiҫi is a bit tricky as it is mostly a pedestrian district.
It is easy to take taxis into Kaleiҫi or other parts of the city if you are staying outside of the center. If you are staying within Kaleiҫi you will be able to walk to the major sites as well as shops and restaurants. There is also a very convenient tram that runs from Kaleiҫi (and points further east) to the Antalya museum. It is the easiest way to get to the museum or to the Konyaalti beach if you are staying in Kaleiҫi. The tram stop is just opposite the clock tower (the kale kapısı stop) and the museum is 5 stops away at the end of the line (the müze stop).
A car is handy if you want to visit some of the sites outside the city (like Perge, Aspendos and Side) or if you want to visit sites further afield (Myra, Kekova, Olympos and Alanya are all doable as day trips). However, you can also visit many of these sites through tours arranged via your hotel or local tour operators.
Beaches
Most of Antalya’s coastline near the city center, other than the Kaleiҫi harbor, sits on top of impressive cliffs. This means that you have to head outside of the city center to find the beaches. Luckily you don’t have to travel too far: Konyaaltı beach is 4km to the west of town, and Lara beach is 15km to the east of town.
- Konyaaltı beach on the west side of town has a beautiful view of the Taurus mountains and has several large hotels scattered along it. You can pretty easily reach the beach from the müze tram stop. The only rub about Konyaaltı is that it is a pebble beach so you won’t find any soft sand.
- Lara beach is a nice sandy beach on the east side of town. The western end of Lara is a large public beach where you can rent umbrellas and chairs. Further east the all-inclusive mega resorts with their own private slices of beach dominate. Driving down this stretch of town could easily remind you of Vegas; this is where you will find the mini-Kremlin as well as a hotel that contains a model of Topkapı, and a hotel shaped like the Titanic.
- You can also find the small Marble beach (the mermerli plaji) just east of the Kaleiҫi marina. This “beach” is actually a collection of beach chairs laid out on a rocky swimming platform, but it does provide you with easy access to the crystal clear Mediterranean sea if you are staying in town. You can access the beach via stairs down through the Mermerli Restaurant (which is not a bad place to have a post-swim bite and soak in the view).
Things to do in Antalya
Kaleiҫi
This is the central historic district of Antalya. Within Kaleiҫi you can visit the main historic sites: the historic harbor, the clock tower, Hadrian’s Gate, the Kesik Minaret, and the Yivli Minaret, as well as countless restored Ottoman houses, souvenir shops, and restaurants. You can even take a pleasure ride on a “pirate ship” that leaves from the harbor. Kaleiҫi is mostly a pedestrian district, but you will encounter a few cars and trucks passing through as well. Kaleiҫi is a good area of town to stay in if you are looking for a B&B or a boutique hotel. It has easy access to most of the sites you will visit within the city of Antalya. You will also be walking distance to many restaurants. I recently stayed at the Doğan Hotel and had a lovely experience. If you aren’t staying in Kaleiҫi, I recommend spending a full day here visiting the sites and browsing around the old district. The Karaalioğlu park just adjacent to Kaleiҫi is a great place to grab some shade while taking in a priceless view.
Antalya Museum
The Antalya museum is FABULOUS. Its a bit of an older museum so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was just blown away by their collection of archaeological artifacts. In particular, there are several galleries full of completely intact, life-sized marble statues and sarcophogii, mostly taken from the nearby ancient city of Perge. Both the quantity and quality of these monuments to ancient gods and Roman emperors is impressive. My favorite room was a reconstruction of friezes and statues from the theater at Perge, complete with a screen that shows you where each piece used to stand in the theater. The museum is truly a must-see site in Antalya and is easy to reach via the tram. The museum is open from 8:00am-7:00pm in the summer and 8:00am – 5:00pm in the winter. Admission fee is 20TL. The garden has a nice shady cafe where, if you are lucky, you can meet the resident peacocks.
Aspendos
This ancient city contains a few ruined structures, but most visitors come to view the magnificent theater. This ancient free-standing Roman theater is in excellent shape (thanks to some modern restoration work) and is still used for concerts during the summer. You can easily combine a visit to Aspendos with a trip to Perge; the sites are both north and east of the city, about 45 minutes apart from one another. Open daily from 8:00am-7:00pm in the summer and 8:00am – 5:00pm in the winter. Admission fee is 25TL.
Perge
Perge is an extensive ancient Roman city. It has a great example of Roman baths, a columned agora and a columned main road. Open daily from 8:00am-7:00pm in the summer and 8:00am – 5:00pm in the winter. Admission fee is 25TL.
Termessos
Located about 30 kms outside of the city, this ancient Pisidian city’s historic claim to fame is that it was one of the only cities to resist being conquered by Alexander the Great. Visit it and you will understand why. Nestled high up in the Taurus mountains, this site is hard to reach today: I can only imagine how its location would have presented a challenge to Alexander’s invading armies! It requires a bit of a hike (literally) to reach the main elements of the site, but the view from the amphitheater is well worth the trek. You park your car at a lower car park and then walk uphill via a winding trail for 15-20 minutes before you encounter most of the ruins. The amphitheater is carved into the side of the mountain and surrounded by other peaks. On a clear day you can see out to the sea and the Konyaaltı beach in Antalya. Open daily from 8:00am-7:00pm in the summer and 8:00am – 5:00pm in the winter. Admission fee is 5 TL.
Waterfalls
If you are into waterfalls, Antalya has plenty to keep you interested. The Upper Düden waterfalls are set in a landscaped park and are a popular picnic spot for locals. The Kurşunlu waterfalls are in a more natural, forested setting. The Lower Düden waterfall pours into the Mediterranean near the Lara beach. You can even venture 75 kms east of the city to experience the Manavgat waterfalls (5TL entry fee). The Manavgat falls are darling and give you the neat ability to take your shoes off and basically walk on a section of the waterfall. The shops and restaurants around the falls, however, are a complete tourist trap. We were grossly overcharged for tea at a cafe here (I’m still a little angry about this incident).
Belek
This town 45 kms east of Antalya has become a major golf resort in recent years. Many of the mega-hotels here have attached golf courses and host golf tournaments. There is a Kempinski hotel in Belek that looks gorgeous.
Restaurants
One of my favorite restaurants in all of Turkey is in Antalya: Güneyliler. It is a local institution with top-notch food and unbeatable prices. It has adopted one practice that is sure to endear any restaurant to my heart: bringing out free mezes as soon as you order! I visited Güneyliler when I traveled to Antalya with two friends several years ago. We saw it recommended in our guidebook and decided to give it a try. (When we told the taxi attendant where we were headed he responded with a knowing grin – “you’ll love it!”) The restaurant was removed from typical tourist areas, and we were the only tourists in the place the night we visited. It is a kebab place, and as soon as we placed our orders we were greeted by the afore-mentioned free appetizers. In this case: salad, mercimek köftesi (lentil balls) and a yogurt dip. It was all excellent (and free). The kebabs were equally amazing. We loved the food so much that we went back again two nights later. The waiters recognized us on the second night and greeted us warmly. They even brought out tea at the end of our meal on plates adorned with flower petals. It was a delicious and memorable experience!