Antalya offers an entertainment landscape that covers considerable range — from the ancient and cultural to the thoroughly contemporary — and the city's size and sophistication mean that there is genuinely something operating at every hour of the day. The old harbor area of Kaleiçi is the most atmospheric setting for an evening out, with restaurants, bars, and live music venues occupying the ground floors of Ottoman mansions and Roman-era buildings. The combination of ancient stone walls, candlelit courtyards, and the sound of the sea is difficult to beat as a backdrop.

The Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival, held annually in the ancient Roman theater of Aspendos 47 kilometers east of the city, is one of the most remarkable cultural events in Turkey. The theater — built in the 2nd century AD and regarded as the best-preserved Roman theater in the world — seats 15,000 people and hosts performances by international opera companies and ballet troupes against a backdrop that no purpose-built concert hall can approach. Tickets sell out months in advance.

Along the Lara coast and the main resort strip, nightlife is more conventional but well-developed — large hotels host their own evening entertainment, and the clubs and bars catering to the international tourist market operate on a scale befitting one of Europe's most visited resort destinations. The city also has a thriving local cultural scene, with art galleries, cinema, and live music venues that cater to the substantial resident population rather than tourists alone.