Aspendos Theatre (Aspendos)

In most Roman theatres you find rows of seats and a broken stage. Aspendos has kept everything: the seats, the arched gallery around the top, and the high stage building behind the orchestra with its windows and niches. No Roman theatre anywhere is better preserved, and it stands just 45 kilometres from Antalya. In 2026 foreign visitors pay about €15 for a ticket.

Key facts

History in brief

Aspendos grew rich on the Eurymedon river. Greek settlers founded it, and Persians, Alexander the Great and Rome ruled it in turn. A local architect called Zeno built the theatre in the 2nd century AD, under Marcus Aurelius; an inscription records his name. Two rich brothers from the city funded it.

Luck and reuse both explain why it survived. In the 13th century the Seljuk Turks used it as a caravanserai, repaired the stage building and decorated it with red paint, traces of which are still visible. The theatre was restored in the 20th century and returned to use as a stage, and for many years it has hosted an opera and ballet festival.

Highlights

• Seats. Two tiers of stone rows. Capacity estimates run from around 7,000 to more than 12,000.
• Stage building. The scaenae frons, the back wall of the stage, rises nearly to its full original height, with two levels of windows and niches where statues once stood.
• Gallery. A roofed arcade circles the top of the seating; few theatres elsewhere still have one.
• Acoustics. Talk at normal volume from the centre of the orchestra and people in the top rows will hear you.
• Aqueduct. North of the theatre, a short walk or drive away, sections of a Roman aqueduct run across the plain, and two pressure towers still stand.
• Upper city. Behind the theatre a path leads up the acropolis hill to the remains of the agora, basilica and nymphaeum.

When to go

Come when the gates open or in the final two hours of the day. At midday in summer the stone seating gets very hot. Coach groups from Antalya and Side tend to arrive from 10:00 to 13:00. For a show, look up the festival programme; sitting in the top rows at night is worth it in itself.

The Antalya Perge, Aspendos & Side Tour puts Aspendos together with Perge, Side and Manavgat Waterfall in one full day from Antalya, from US$90 per person including lunch. If you are starting in Istanbul, the 3-Day Private Antalya Tour covers Perge, Aspendos and the coast.

A legend and a visit

Local legend says a king of Aspendos offered his daughter's hand to the man who built the city's most useful work. Two builders took up the challenge: one made the aqueduct, the other the theatre. The king picked the aqueduct as more useful. Then the theatre's architect whispered on the stage, the king heard every word from the highest row, and he was so impressed that the architect won the daughter. It is a story, not history, but it gives you a reason to try the acoustics.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk came to the theatre in 1930 and asked for it to be protected and used for performances again, which led to its restoration later on.

How to get there

Driving or by taxi, it takes about 45 minutes from Antalya heading east on the D400 coast road; leave it at the Serik junction and head inland. Public transport options are few: a bus to Serik or Manavgat can let you off at the junction, around 4 kilometres from the site. Most people arrive with a tour or a hire car.

Tips

• For the best view of the stage building and the plain behind it, go up to the highest rows.
• The nearby Seljuk bridge over the river is worth a quick photo stop.
• At the car park, restaurants offer trout and simple lunches.

See more of the region's sights on our Antalya destination page.

Frequently Asked Questions