Antalya Travel Guide

Antalya is the biggest city on Turkey's Mediterranean shore and among the country's leading holiday spots. The Taurus Mountains climb directly behind it, giving the bay its backdrop and keeping the weather warm. Most people come for the beaches, yet some of Turkey's best-preserved Roman sites lie less than 90 minutes away by car.

Reasons to go

Kaleici, the old town, is a tangle of narrow lanes and Ottoman houses that slopes down to a small Roman harbour. The way in is through Hadrian's Gate, which dates from the 2nd century AD. Inside the Antalya Museum is one of Turkey's finest collections of Roman statues, most of them found at Perge. Beyond the city you can see the theatre of Aspendos, which still hosts performances, the ruins of Perge, Side and Termessos, the Duden waterfalls tumbling into the sea, and the sunken city of Kekova on a boat trip.

How long to stay

In three days you can cover the old town and museum, then spend one day on ancient sites and another on a boat or in nature. Our private Antalya tours can follow the same plan. A week leaves time for the Lycian coast: Demre, Myra and Kekova, Olympos or Kas.

When to go

You can swim from late May until October. For sightseeing, April, May, October and early November work well, with warm days and smaller crowds. July and August are extremely hot, frequently above 35°C with high humidity, and the resorts are packed. Winters are mild and wet: fine for the ruins, not for the beach.

Travelling from Istanbul

Antalya Airport (AYT) ranks among Turkey's busiest, and the flight from Istanbul is about 1 hour 15 minutes. From the airport it is about 20 minutes to the centre and less to Lara, but 45 minutes to more than an hour to Belek, Side or Kemer. Night buses from Istanbul need about 11 to 12 hours. Both cities are covered by our 8-day Istanbul and Antalya tour package.

Things to do

• Stroll through Kaleici and Hadrian's Gate; see our private Antalya old town tour.
• See the Roman theatre of Aspendos, among the best-preserved anywhere, and the colonnaded streets of Perge. The Perge, Aspendos, Side and Manavgat tour fits them into one day.
• Watch the Lower Duden waterfall pour over a cliff into the sea.
• Take a boat over the sunken ruins at Kekova and visit the Church of St Nicholas in Demre, as on our Demre, Myra and Kekova private tour.
• Head up to Termessos, a city more than 1,000 metres up that Alexander the Great decided not to attack.
• Spend a day on a boat to Suluada island and Adrasan.

Where to base yourself

Kaleici has small boutique hotels inside the old town. Lara, east of the centre, has big beach resorts. Konyaalti, on the west side, offers a long pebble beach and a city-beach feel. Belek is for golf and all-inclusive resorts. Side and Kemer are resort towns of their own further along the coast. See our Antalya hotels.

Local food

Antalya has its own take on piyaz: a white bean salad dressed with tahini, normally eaten with sis kofte, or grilled meatballs. Try hibes, a spicy tahini dip, and fresh fish down at the old harbour. Citrus trees are everywhere, so fresh orange juice is cheap and at its best in winter and spring.

Useful tips

• Distances are bigger than the map suggests: Kas is roughly 3.5 hours by road and Side more than an hour.
• Many all-inclusive resorts lie a long way from the city, so if you plan to explore, stay in or close to Antalya.
• Take water and a hat to the ancient sites, where shade is scarce.

Browse all our Antalya tours.