Things to do in Antalya

Antalya is a city of more than a million people that happens to have beaches. The rest of this coast was built for visitors. Here the old quarter simply survived.

Inside the walls of Kaleici

Kaleici sits behind Roman and Ottoman walls above a horseshoe harbour, small enough to cross on foot in twenty minutes.

• Hadrian's Gate. A triple marble arch raised in 130 AD for the emperor's visit, still the way in from the east.
• Yivli Minare. The fluted brick minaret of the Seljuk mosque, thirteenth century, and the shape the city uses as its emblem.
• Hidirlik Tower. A Roman round tower on the cliff at the southern corner, worth the walk late in the day.
• The harbour. Cut into the rock below the houses, now a marina that short coastal boats leave from.
• The museum. Antalya's archaeological collection closed in July 2025 for the building to be demolished and rebuilt, so check before planning a morning around it.

Two beaches and the cliff between them

The city stands on a travertine shelf, and the shelf decides the shape of it.

West of the centre Konyaalti runs pebble under the Bey mountains. East, Lara is sand, and the Lower Duden waterfall drops forty metres off the cliff into the sea. A cable car climbs Tunektepe for the bay.

Where the days out go

Antalya is used as a base more than as a destination, and the ancient cities around it are the reason.

• Termessos. A mountain city at 1,050 metres, thirty-four kilometres northwest, which Alexander looked at in 333 BC and left alone.
• Perge. The Pamphylian city on the plain at Aksu, with a colonnaded street, a stadium and Roman baths.
• Kursunlu. A waterfall in a pine gorge northeast of the city, an easy half-day.
• Pamukkale. The white terraces inland, a long day of about four hours each way.
• Cappadocia. Sold from here as a two-day trip by overnight coach or by flight.

Practical

• From the airport. Thirteen kilometres out, with the T1 tram running into town in about forty minutes for a fraction of a taxi.
• Heat. July and August sit near 35C; April to June and September to November are when the ruins are bearable.
• Getting around. The tram network serves the airport and the outskirts, not Kaleici, so the centre is walked.
• Kaleici. Cobbled, steep in places and mostly closed to cars, which also means no shortcuts with luggage.
• Ruins. Termessos and Perge have no shade at all, so go at opening and carry water.
• Money. Lira in cash works better in the old town than a card, and tipping runs around ten per cent.