Antalya: the back story

About Antalya: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Istanbul Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Antalya is the capital of the Turkish Riviera: an old town of Ottoman houses inside Roman and Seljuk walls, a harbour under cliffs, and the Taurus Mountains rising behind long beaches. East and west lie Belek’s golf resorts, Kemer, and some of the best-preserved ancient cities in the Mediterranean.

Kaleiçi

The old town, Kaleiçi, is a maze of lanes and restored Ottoman houses around the old Roman harbour, entered through Hadrian’s Gate, built for the emperor’s visit in 130 AD. The Antalya Museum, on the western side, holds superb sculpture from Perge.

Ancient cities

Within an hour are Perge, with its colonnaded streets, and Aspendos, whose Roman theatre is one of the best preserved anywhere and still hosts performances. The Düden waterfalls tumble over the cliffs into the sea at Lara.

Antalya has one of the longest seasons on the coast: warm from April to November.

Beaches and resorts

Konyaaltı beach runs west under the mountains, Lara east of the city. Belek, to the east, is Türkiye’s golf coast, with large resorts such as Regnum Carya and Maxx Royal Belek; Kemer, to the south-west, is backed by pine forests and mountains.

Our advice: stay a night or two in Kaleiçi for the old town at dusk, then move to a resort, and see Aspendos early in the morning before the heat.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Antalya: the back story before you go.