Things to Do in Antalya: Kaleiçi, Waterfalls, Roman Ruins and Boats

The things most worth doing in Antalya are walking the old town of Kaleiçi, seeing the Düden waterfalls drop into the sea, visiting the Roman cities of Perge and Aspendos, and taking at least one boat out along the coast. You can see the old town and the waterfalls in a single day on your own or with our Antalya City Tour with Kaleiçi, Düden Waterfalls and a boat trip, from $90 per person with lunch. The rest needs a car, a tour or a boat. Below are the best things to do, grouped by type, with the time each one takes and what to know before you go.

Antalya's top things to do in one table

Road distances are from central Antalya and rounded from OpenStreetMap route data.

In the old town: Kaleiçi on foot

Kaleiçi is the walled old town on the cliffs above the harbour. Its lanes are full of restored Ottoman houses, small hotels, courtyards with orange trees and places to eat. It is compact enough to walk in a morning, but give it longer, because the best part is wandering without a plan.

What to look for:

• Hadrian's Gate. A three-arched Roman gate built in honour of Emperor Hadrian, who visited the city in AD 130. It is free to walk through and is one of the main entrances into Kaleiçi from Atatürk Avenue.
• The Clock Tower and the Yivli Minaret. The clock tower stands at Kalekapısı, the old gate square, and the fluted Yivli Minaret, from the Seljuk period, rises just below it. Together they are the image most people have of Antalya.
• Hıdırlık Tower. A round stone tower at the southern edge of Kaleiçi, above the sea. The park around it is a good place to watch the sun set over the mountains.
• The old harbour. Steep lanes run down to the small harbour, where wooden boats wait for passengers. This is where the short boat trips along the cliffs start.

Our Kaleiçi old town guide goes into the streets in more detail. If you want someone to explain what you are looking at, our private Antalya Old Town tour starts from $90 per person, with hotel pickup, the bazaar and the harbour, and a stop at the Düden falls.

Waterfalls: Düden, Kurşunlu and Manavgat

Antalya is built on a limestone plateau, and rivers that run underground for part of their course come out as waterfalls close to the city.

• Lower Düden. On the eastern side of the city, towards Lara, the river drops straight off the cliffs into the sea. You can see it from the clifftop park, but the best view is from a boat below.
• Upper Düden. Further inland, a shaded park with a waterfall you can walk behind through a small cave passage. It is cooler than the coast on a summer afternoon.
• Kurşunlu. East of the city, a waterfall in a wooded park, often added to the Perge and Aspendos tours.
• Manavgat. Wide and low rather than tall, near Side. Most Side and Roman sites tours stop here.

Our Düden Waterfalls guide explains how to get to each one. Our Antalya Old City Tour with waterfalls and harbour boat trip covers both Düden falls, the old town and a boat from the harbour, from $52 per person.

Roman and Lycian ruins

Antalya has more ancient cities within reach than almost anywhere in Turkey. The main ones:

• Perge. A Roman city on the plain east of town, with Hellenistic gate towers, baths and a long colonnaded street with a water channel down the middle. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism lists it open daily from 08:00 to 17:00, ticket office until 16:30. Its theatre is closed until restoration is finished.
• Aspendos. The reason most people come this way. The theatre is complete enough that it is still used for performances. Same hours as Perge, open every day.
• Side. A Roman port town inside a modern resort. The theatre opens daily from 08:00 to 17:00, and the Temple of Apollo stands by the sea at the end of the peninsula.
• Termessos. A city high in the mountains west of Antalya, so well defended that Alexander the Great gave up trying to take it. It means a steep walk on rough paths, and the reward is a theatre at the edge of a drop with the plain far below.
• Myra. Lycian tombs cut into the cliff face and a Roman theatre, with the Church of St Nicholas in Demre nearby.
• Phaselis and Olympos. Two coastal sites west of Antalya with ruins among the trees by the sea. The ministry lists Phaselis, near Tekirova, as open daily from 08:00 to 17:00.

One thing to know before you plan: the Antalya Museum on Konyaaltı Avenue is shown as closed to visitors on the ministry's website. Many of the statues from Perge are kept there, so check muze.gov.tr before you go.

For a day covering the three eastern sites, our Perge, Aspendos and Side day tour with lunch starts from $81 per person.

On the water: boat trips from Antalya

A boat day is one of the best things to do on this coast between late spring and autumn. There are three kinds:

1. Short boat rides from the Kaleiçi harbour. An hour along the cliffs to the Lower Düden falls and back. Easy for anyone, including small children.
2. Swimming days from Adrasan. A drive south-west to Adrasan, then a full day in a boat to Suluada island or to bays such as Porto Ceneviz. Our Porto Ceneviz and Adrasan bays boat trip starts from $60 per person with lunch cooked on board.
3. Kekova. A boat over the sunken ruins along the shore of Kekova, usually combined with Myra and Demre. Our Kekova sunken city, Demre and Myra day trip with lunch starts from $120 per person, with the Myra and church entry fees included.

Our Antalya day trips guide compares all the boat days, and which resorts they are closest to.

Beaches in and near the city

Antalya is a city with beaches, not just a resort. Konyaaltı is the long pebble beach to the west of the centre, with a promenade, cafés and the Beydağları mountains as a backdrop. Lara is to the east, sandy, and lined with large hotels further along. Both have public sections.

Beyond the city, the resorts each have their own character: Belek for golf hotels and long sandy beaches, Side for a beach next to ruins, Kemer for pine forest down to the water. Our Turkey tour and beach holiday page shows how to combine sightseeing with a week by the sea.

Outdoor and active things to do

• Rafting in Köprülü Canyon. The Köprüçay river runs through a national park inland. Our rafting, zipline and jeep safari combo starts from $67 per person with lunch.
• Quad safari. A 3 to 4 hour off-road ride in the countryside, from $50 per person with our ATV quad safari.
• Walking. Termessos and the Lycian coast west of Antalya are good for walking in the cooler months.
• Paragliding. The famous launch is at Babadağ above Ölüdeniz, a full day west. Our Ölüdeniz paragliding day trip starts from $399 per person.

What to do by season

The Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) gives Antalya an average daily high of 34.2°C in July and almost no rain from June to September. That is beach and boat weather. Do ruins early and get into the water by midday.

From October to April the city is quieter and cooler. MGM's averages are 26.6°C in October, 21.4°C in November and 15.0°C in January, but the winter months are also the wettest, with around 12 rainy days in December and in January. Winter is a good time for Kaleiçi, Perge, Aspendos and Termessos, with fewer people at each. Boat days and beach clubs run less in the cold months, so check before you plan around them.

If you are planning the days, our 3-day Antalya itinerary puts these things in order, the 5-day family plan slows them down for children, our Antalya airport transfer page covers arrival, and our Antalya destination guide covers food and where to stay.

Tours that cover this

• Antalya City Tour: Kaleiçi, Düden Waterfalls and Boat Trip with Lunch: from $90 per person.
• Antalya Old Town Private Tour: Kaleiçi, Hadrian's Gate and Düden Falls: from $90 per person.
• Perge, Aspendos and Side Day Tour from Antalya with Lunch: from $81 per person.
• Kekova Sunken City, Demre and Myra Day Trip from Antalya with Lunch: from $120 per person.

See them all on our Antalya tours page.

Frequently Asked Questions