Antalya is one of Turkey’s most popular cities for tourists, offering sandy beaches, access to a warm and pleasant sea, remnants of bygone history and a charming city in itself. It’s a great place for both the grand sites and the mundane, with its atmospheric restaurants and a lovely harbour. What to do in Antalya? What are some of the best places you can see here? Here’s our guide.
Exploring Antalya
What to see in Antalya
How to visit Antalya? Antalya is one of the largest cities in Turkey, being the fifth-most populous to be exact. You can fly right over to the airport in Antalya and get to the centre by bus, rented car or taxi. What can you see here? The city has plenty to see, even if you don’t intend on hiring a car to get around, though there are some great sites beyond Antalya’s walls too. You can enjoy a wide array of sports here, including water sports and some extremes, like paragliding and scuba diving. You can come to Antalya in pretty much any season – summer is exceptionally warm, and winters are still pleasant comparatively to our standards. If you like it warm but hate crowds, you can pick November for your trip, as it stays nice and warm from June to October.
You can get around the city itself by public transport, including trams and buses, taxis (reasonably priced if you’re cautious and set the price accordingly) and on foot, especially in the centre.
Keep a few things in mind when visiting Antalya:
- Remember to consume alcohol only in appropriate designated places
- Remember to take off your shoes when entering a mosque
- Do not discuss politics with locals unless they start themselves
- Remember to bargain at the bazaar 🙂
- Try not to drink tap water
Kaleiçi
Antalya’s old town
Let’s start our list of interesting places to visit in Antalya with Kaleiçi. It’s the old centre of Antalya, and it will greet you with characteristic Ottoman houses, boutique hotels and atmospheric restaurants. The main square has a clock tower and one of the local minarets. We recommend you come here early in the morning so that you can enjoy your Turkish tea in silence. If silence is not your cup, you can visit Kaleiçi in the evening and experience the bustling nightlife of the locals. You can also go on a shopping trip here and bring back some lovely souvenirs.
Antalya cable car
Tünektepe Teleferik
Looking for Antalya’s high points? How about a literal one? You can take a cable car to a hill just outside of Antalya’s borders and enjoy the view of the entirety of the metropolis on a cloudless day. You can also stay at the top of the hill for a while as there’s a lovely café there.
Hadrian’s Gate in Antalya
Ancient remains in Antalya
Hadrian’s Gate is one of Antalya’s oldest monuments, dating back to the Roman Empire. The marble, ornate triumphal arch was erected around 130 AD in honour of – as you can probably guess – Emperor Hadrian. Hadriyanüs Kapısı consists of three, arched vaults supported by columns. The gate sits right at the entrance to the old city centre, acting as a bridge, so to speak, between the present and the past.
Kesik Minare
The Broken Minaret in Antalya
The Broken Minaret is one of the symbols of the city, being a testimony to Antalya’s turbulent history. A Byzantine church was built on the site of the former Roman temple, which was later renamed a mosque. Unfortunately, during the fire of 1800, this mosque was destroyed.
The only thing which remained was the tower in question, the Kesik Minare, which you can still see today on your trip.
Perge
Ancient city near Antalya
Another point on our list is the ruins of an ancient city, Perge. It’s located around 12 miles from the centre of Antalya and you can easily reach it using public transport. We’d recommend you dedicate a few hours to exploring Perge. It’s one of the best preserved ancient urban centres, with very impressive remains of a huge gate inviting you into the ancient world. You can see the well-kept ruins of the ancient city baths, schools, Roman temples and a huge 15,000-seat amphitheatre.
Selfie Park in Antalya
For the youngsters and the oldies among you
Antalya’s Selfie Park is a place specially designed for you to take the best selfies here. You’ll find various decorated spheres in which you can take selfies in different styles and with various backgrounds. For instance, you can take a photo next to a gigantic watermelon, in a prison, in a telephone booth or in another surreal landscape. If you’re coming over with friends or loved ones and want a silly souvenir from your trip, then just go wild. No shame in it.
You can find it in the centre of Antalya (you can find more details here).
Old marina
Antalya’s charming harbour
The old port of Antalya acts as a tourist place nowadays, though it once was the economic centre of the city, providing the city with massive wealth. A small minaret was built here for sailors arriving from distant lands. You’ll find mainly tourist ships offering cruises and tours of the Mediterranean. There are also quite a few souvenir boutiques, charming cafés and restaurants specialising in seafood.
Düden Waterfalls
Picturesque waterfalls in Antalya
Düden Waterfalls is one of the most gorgeous sites in Antalya. The waterfalls are divided into two areas – the upper waterfalls and the lower waterfalls. The former are located in a small park and are frequented by locals coming over to take a breather. You can also find, in a true waterfall fashion, a cave behind the waterfall’s curtain. And yes, you can enter it. The lower waterfalls on the other hand are best seen from vantage points above. The water falling from the cliffs and merging with the sea and the sound that accompanies it, it’s mesmerising.
Kurşunlu Waterfalls
National Park near Antalya
Kurşunlu Waterfalls is a natural site only second to Düden Waterfalls in Antalya. Kurşunlu Waterfalls are located about 12 miles from Antalya, in a namesake National Park. The waterfalls, located amidst a fragrant pine forest, form extremely picturesque cascades on greenery-covered rocks. It’s a great place for a trip on a hot day, as the shade and humidity in the park will protect you from the heat.
Antalya Archeology Museum
Antalya’s famous museum
The Antalya Archeology Museum is one of the most visited museums in Turkey. It presents an extremely rich collection, showcasing human activity in the Pamphylia region and the history of the area all the way from the prehistoric times. The entire museum covers an area of nearly 30,000 metres square and is divided into several areas categorised by themes.
You can find halls with perfectly preserved fossils, a prehistoric hall with ancient tools, a hall of ceramics and a hall of mosaics. We’d argue the most impressive collections here are dedicated to emperors and deities found during archeological work in Perge.
Aspendos
Roman amphitheatre near Antalya
Aspendos is about 30 miles from Antalya, though it’s well worth the trip. You can see one of the most beautiful sights in all of Turkey here – this massive Roman amphitheatre. It is said to be the best preserved building of its kind in the world. The amphitheatre was built in the second century BC, during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. It was restored during the reign of the celebrated Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Though it looks like you’d be visiting the ruins here, concerts, opera performances and ballet performances are still held here – especially in the summer. The amphitheatre can hold up to 15,000 people.
Konyaalti beach
Antalya’s most beautiful beach
Konyaalti is one of the most beautiful beaches of the Turkish Riviera – and it’s Blue Flag-certified. It is truly extensive – it stretches over 4 miles and is 50 metres wide. It is predominantly made up of tiny, small, light pebbles. The descent into the blue sea is gentle. In addition, the beach has a well-developed infrastructure – you will find numerous bars and restaurants, water equipment rentals and drinking fountains here. The green area bordering the beach along the promenade has playgrounds and outdoor gyms. It’s as good as it gets for a beach day. See what other beautiful beaches await you in Turkey.
Map of Antalya attractions
What to visit in Antalya
1) Kaleiçi
2) Antalya cable car
3) Hadrian’s Gate in Antalya
4) Kesik Minare
5) Perge
6) Antalya marina
7) Duden waterfalls
8) Kurşunlu Waterfalls
9) Antalya Archaeological Museum
10) Aspendos
11) Konyaalti Beach
We hope that our list will help you settle on a plan for Antalya – it’s a massive place with an equally massive amount of things you can see, so we understand it’s quite a pain to plan at times. Stay safe out there and we hope you’ll have a great holiday!
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