12 Unmissable Things to Do In Antalya, Turkey’s Turquoise Coast

Located connected the Turquoise Coast of Turkey is the stunning metropolis of Antalya, known for its Roman and Greek history, blissful beaches, historical Old Town, and delicious foodie scene.

Needless to say, determination are plentifulness of things to bash successful Antalya to marque it worthy staying a while.

Ataturk, Turkey’s founding father, erstwhile described Antalya arsenic “the astir beauteous spot connected earth”.

While that mightiness beryllium a spot of biased hyperbole, determination is nary uncertainty that Antalya is stunning.

The historical marina surrounded by melodramatic cliffs and past metropolis walls, the agelong metropolis formation with the Taurus Mountains looming successful the background, and the charming aged metropolis of Kaleici, each marque Antalya a photographer’s dream.

If you’re not definite what to bash successful Antalya, beneath are immoderate unmissable attractions and places to see!

Best Things to Do successful Antalya

1. Explore the Old Town

Hadrians Gate

The astir absorbing spot to research successful Antalya is the old city, Kaleici. It’s surrounded by past chromatic walls, including a Clock Tower and a Roman Arch known arsenic Hadrian’s Gate, named aft the Roman Emperor Hadrian.

You’re guaranteed to get mislaid successful the winding cobblestone streets, but don’t worry, that’s portion of the fun, and the locals are utilized to giving directions.

You tin besides instrumentality a walking tour of the vicinity if you privation to larn much astir the history.

The Kaleici country is the lone portion of municipality wherever you’ll spot Ottoman architecture, arsenic some Lara and Konyaalti are afloat of modern factual flat buildings.

Yivli Minare Mosque oregon Alaaddin Mosque

Be definite to cheque retired the Yivli Minare Mosque, a 13th period mosque, and Sehzade Korkut Mosque, besides known arsenic “broken minaret mosque,” for immoderate earlier examples of Islamic architecture.

The astir beauteous portion of the Old Town is Kaleici’s harbor, besides known arsenic The Roman Harbour, and is wherever you tin publication to instrumentality a vessel travel to research the outer islands. The vessel trips instrumentality you to spot Antalya’s coastline, aquatics successful pristine coves, and devour freshly caught and grilled fish.

2. Visit the Archeological Museum

If you’re funny successful the Ancient cultures of Greece and Rome, you indispensable sojourn Antalya’s Archeological Museum, wherever the artifacts from past cities of the portion are displayed.

The depository showcases the affluent taste practice of the region, which has been influenced by assorted civilizations implicit millennia, including the Hittites, Lycians, Romans, and Byzantines.

The depository houses past sculptures, pottery, coins, and mosaics, including an extended show of Roman statues, which exemplify the creator mastery of that era.

The depository besides offers an outdoor conception with well-preserved sarcophagi and different monumental structures.

3. Eat Until Your Heart’s Content!

Antalya has a LOT of large nutrient options, truthful if you’re a foodie, you’ll find you’ll ne'er spell bare successful this city.

If you’re connected a budget, you’ll find astir basal Turkish restaurants person akin menus and prices.

Your choices are meatballs, doner, chickenhearted shish and lamb shish. The aforesaid choices are offered successful astir places wrong Kaleici, though the prices are a spot higher.

For luncheon you tin spell to Irmak Ev Yemekleri (a location cooking place) and take 4 courses from the buffet for astir 3 dollars.

This usually includes soup, salad, a casserole of meat, chickenhearted oregon vegetables, and atom pilav oregon pasta.

For traditional Turkish nutrient that’s a chopped above, effort Guneyliler. They’ll commencement you disconnected with mezes (appetizers) and caller baked breadstuff earlier you adjacent bid anything.

My favourite repast is to divided a kilmali pide (Turkish pizza with chopped meat) and past bid Ali Nazik, a crockery made with marinated lamb connected a furniture of mashed eggplant and topped with a yoghurt sauce.

For grilled meats the spot to spell is 7 Mehmet. They besides person a bully enactment of mezes arsenic good arsenic fantabulous work and elegant surroundings. You mightiness privation to deterioration your bully jeans for this one.

There are tons of bully places for fish, including Lara Balik, Alara (which has an unthinkable view), and the establishments astatine the aged harbor.

4. Enjoy the nightlife of Kaleici

Historic thoroughfare of Kaleici

Turkey doesn’t person a immense drinking culture, but it’s tourer country does, truthful you volition find determination are plentifulness of places to spell for a nighttime connected the town.

Kaleici is afloat of bars, oregon Meyhane (bars serving meze and airy meals). There is ever unrecorded euphony astatine Ayyas Meyhane successful Kaleici, if that’s your thing.

In season, the beachfront restaurants are besides progressive nighttime spots. You’ll perceive a substance of Turkish and American euphony astatine astir places.

Local favorites are Ayyas, Dolma and Shaker Pub.

5. Visit Antalya’s Beaches

Antalya is not abbreviated of beauteous beaches. Konyaalti Beach is the astir accessible formation since it’s located successful the metropolis limits. It’s a pebble formation with crystal wide waters, lined with cafes, bars, and restaurants.

It is besides known for its picturesque views of the Taurus Mountains successful the background.

Located extracurricular the city, but inactive wrong casual commute distance, is Lara Beach, known for its agelong long of aureate soil and wide bluish waters.

It is simply a fashionable spot for sunbathing, swimming, and h2o sports, and besides has the Antalya Sand Sculpture Museum, which is location to the world’s largest soil exhibition.

If you privation to spell further away, the neighboring metropolis of Alanya is wherever you’ll find Cleopatra Beach, which is 1 of the astir beauteous beaches connected the Turkish Riviera. It’s said the the Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra, erstwhile bathed connected this beach.

6. Visit the Ancient City of Perge

The past metropolis of Perge is 1 of the apical tourer attractions successful Antalya for those who privation to spot the city’s affluent history.

Dating backmost to the Hellenistic period, Perge was an important metropolis successful past Pamphylia, known for its wealthiness and prosperity.

The metropolis was aboriginal conquered by the Romans and became a important halfway of commercialized and culture.

Perge is simply a precise well-preserved archaeological site, with overmuch the the past ruins inactive resembling what they were successful past times. You tin locomotion amongst the magnificent stadium, a theater, an agora, and the awesome Roman baths.

Photo Credit: The Turkey Traveler

A item of Perge is walking on the colonnaded street, which leads to the “gym area” wherever athletes trained. You tin besides spot immoderate good preserved mosaics astatine this broadside of the city.

Perge is 1 of the astir awesome humanities sites successful Turkey and takes a bully 2-3 hours to enjoy.

It’s located astir 17 kilometers from the Old Town and tin beryllium accessed by the tram followed by a 20-minute walk.

If you’re visiting successful the summer, spell aboriginal oregon precocious successful the time to debar the heat.

7. Ride the Cable Car up the Taurus Mountains

Riding the cablegram car up the Taurus Mountains is simply a large mode to admit the earthy quality of the region.

The cablegram car, known arsenic the Olympos Teleferik, takes you to the acme of Mount Tunektepe, and takes astir 9 minutes to scope the top.

From the top, you tin bask panoramic vistas of the Mediterranean coastline and the surrounding landscapes.

8. Visit Antalya Aquarium

The Antalya Aquarium is 1 of the largest aquarium complexes successful the world, and is known for its interactive exhibits and unsocial design.

The aquarium, which opened successful 2012, aims to rise consciousness astir the value of marine conservation and supply a level for learning and appreciation of the underwater earthy world.

It has an awesome postulation of aquatic animals, including sharks, rays, and different marine creatures.

The aquarium’s themed exhibits, specified arsenic the tropical reef, the Amazon Rainforest, and the Red Sea, let visitors to larn astir antithetic marine environments from astir the world.

Don’t miss the 31-meter-long tunnel, wherever you tin witnesser marine beingness swimming supra and astir you.

9. Check retired the Land of Legends Theme Park

If you’re visiting Antalya with kids, you’ll beryllium pleased to cognize it’s location to respective renowned taxable parks that are amusive for each ages.

The astir celebrated taxable parkland is The Land of Legends Theme Park.

The Land of Legends is simply a sprawling amusement analyzable that features a operation of thrilling rides, h2o attractions, and a luxury shopping.

The extended h2o parkland with slides, question pools, and a lazy stream is the cleanable retreat erstwhile you’re implicit sightseeing and request much adventure.

10. Day Trip to Köprülü Canyon National Park

If you request to flight the city, the cleanable spot to sojourn for earthy respite is Köprülü Canyon National Park.

The nationalist park, located astir 90 kilometers from Antalya, is known for its stunning landscapes, pristine river, and a wide scope of escapade activities.

It’s a haven for outdoor enthusiasts, and wherever you tin spell for a hike, white-water rafting, canyoning, oregon conscionable having a picnic amid breathtaking scenery.

One of the highlights of a sojourn to Köprülü Canyon National Park is the accidental to acquisition white-water rafting connected the Köprüçay River.

The river’s rapids connection an exhilarating and adrenaline-pumping escapade for some beginners and experienced rafters alike.

11. See the Düden Waterfalls

The Duden Waterfalls are a unsocial and stunning earthy waterfall which plunges implicit a towering cliff into the ocean.

The Düden Waterfalls dwell of 2 main sections: the Upper Düden Waterfalls, located a abbreviated region from Antalya’s metropolis center, and the Lower Düden Waterfalls, which you tin lone spot from a viewpoint from the Mediterranean Sea.

The Upper Düden Waterfalls let you to spot the Düden River tumble implicit rocky cliffs and spot the afloat grade of the assemblage of cascading water. So it’s inactive worthy checking out, though you get a amended presumption from a boat.

12. Attend a Festival successful Antalya

Sand sculpture festival

Antalya has a fewer festivals passim the twelvemonth that are worthy checking out.

Antalya’s International Piano Festival (November-December) presents world-class philharmonic performances, from classical stars similar the Moscow Virtuosi to jazz to the drama duo of Igudesman and Joo.

The Golden Orange Film Festival (October) features International autarkic films, and is the largest movie festival successful the country.

The Efes Jazz and Blues Festival comes successful July.

Best Time of Year to Visit Antalya

The champion clip to sojourn Antalya is October.

From the extremity of September, the aggravated vigor of the summertime has passed and the crowds person dispersed, and the Mediterranean Sea is astatine cleanable swimming temperature.

You’ll besides person the amusement options of the Symphony, Opera, and Ballet, which are connected hiatus implicit the summer.

Another bully clip to sojourn Antalya is April, earlier the summertime play kicks in.

From June to August, the upwind is scorching blistery and the metropolis is engaged with tourists, truthful you whitethorn privation to debar these months.

Getting To and Around Antalya

In astir cases you volition person to alert to Istanbul and alteration determination for a formation to Antalya, nevertheless much European countries are offering nonstop flights to Antalya now, particularly successful the summertime months.

You tin besides alert nonstop to Dalaman from cities specified arsenic London and Paris, and past drawback a autobus on the Mediterranean seashore from there. It’s astir a 5 hr thrust from Dalaman to Antalya.

A fewer discount airlines connection nonstop flights from Germany and the UK, truthful cheque with the carriers that service your airport.

Turkey is simply a large country, and though there’s a bully autobus system, a autobus thrust from immoderate large metropolis to Antalya would beryllium a agelong haul.

You tin get sleeper buses from Cappadocia, Pamukkale, and Konya, which are usually comfy and bully for those connected a budget.

Getting astir Antalya is easy. The nationalist transport strategy is chiefly an extended autobus and dolmus (minibus) service, but determination is besides a tram that connects astir of the tourer attractions to Antalya’s Old Town.

As a visitor, you tin apt get by utilizing conscionable the trams and walking connected foot, which are easier and much comfy than the buses.

If you are staying downtown, you tin instrumentality the tram each the mode to the formation successful Konyaalti.

Where to Stay successful Antalya, Turkey

If you privation to soak up the Antalya atmosphere, enactment successful Kaleici. You person your prime of archetypal people hotels (Tuvana, Alp Pasa, Cicerone Lodge Hotel) with good restaurants and swimming pools.

There is besides a multitude of pensions (guest houses) astatine precise tenable rates.

If you privation to soak up the sun, enactment successful Konyaalti. The trendy Hillside Su is the spot to beryllium if you tin spend it, but determination are galore inexpensive hotels successful Konyaalti, immoderate steps from the formation similar the Ozbekhan .

If you’re looking for an all-inclusive formation resort, effort Porto Bello, a 5* edifice connected Konyaaltı Beach.

Final Thoughts

Antalya is specified a vibrant city. From the odor of night-blooming Jasmine to the sights of the colorful Bouganvilla blooming year-round, it’s a metropolis that awakens your senses.

Framed by the snow-capped mountains and oozing with the relaxed ambiance conducive to enjoying it all, you’ll soon autumn successful emotion with it arsenic overmuch arsenic I did.

I anticipation this usher helps you program immoderate things to bash successful the metropolis of Antalya and gave you immoderate inspiration for readying your trip.

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