Dive into 2,000-year-old ruins, turquoise coves, a walled Roman-era old town and adventures that go far beyond the beach.
In Antalya, the possibilities go far beyond the beach. Whether you're drawn to the region's ancient history, eager to wander the Roman-era old town, or looking for a rafting trip through a limestone canyon, there's something here for every kind of traveler. Here's just a glimpse of what's waiting for you along Turkey's Turquoise Coast.
The Antalya region holds some of the best-preserved Roman and Hellenistic sites anywhere in the Mediterranean. Aspendos Theatre, built in 155 AD, still has its original acoustics and hosts an opera and ballet festival every summer. A short drive further inland, Perge unveils a full Roman street grid, a stadium and a colonnaded avenue, while the hilltop ruins of Termessos — never conquered by Alexander the Great — sit inside a national park with sweeping mountain views.
Closer to the coast, Side combines an active fishing harbor with a Temple of Apollo that lights up gold at sunset — one of the most photographed ruins on the entire coast.
Kaleiçi, Antalya's walled old town, is built around a small working harbor that the Romans first fortified. Its narrow cobblestone lanes are lined with restored Ottoman and Greek houses, many now boutique hotels and cafés. Don't miss the fluted Yivli Minare, a 13th-century Seljuk landmark visible from most of the old town, or an afternoon spent wandering the covered bazaar streets for leather goods, ceramics and Turkish tea.
Antalya offers outdoor adventurers a striking mix of mountains and coastline. Konyaaltı Beach runs along the city center itself, with the Taurus Mountains rising directly behind it. Further west, the cove at Kaputaş Beach is reached by a dramatic staircase cut into the cliffs. Inland, cool off at Manavgat Waterfall or the cliff-diving Düden Waterfalls, which drop straight into the Mediterranean at Lara.
For something more active, Köprülü Canyon is one of Turkey's most popular white-water rafting spots, with a national park and a Roman bridge still standing over the river. Boat tours out of Kaleiçi's harbor run daily along the coastline, and several operators offer jeep safaris into the Taurus foothills for those who want to see the region from above the tree line.
After dark, Kaleiçi's harbor-facing bars and rooftop lounges are the center of gravity, with live music spilling into the street most summer nights. Along the coast, seasonal beach clubs in Lara and Konyaaltı run through the afternoon and into the evening with DJ sets and sea views.
Showing 4 things to do
The best-preserved Roman theatre anywhere in the world, still used for opera and ballet performances every summer.
Antalya's walled old town — narrow cobblestone lanes, Ottoman houses turned boutique hotels, and the Roman-era harbor at its center.
A 7km pebble beach with the Taurus Mountains rising directly behind it — one of the most dramatic beach backdrops on the coast.
A wide, powerful curtain of water just outside Side — popular for river boat trips and a cool escape from the summer heat.
Lagoon-style pools, a private beach club, and championship golf minutes away.
Stone walls, a quiet courtyard pool, and the old Roman harbor a few steps away.
An all-white, art-filled resort in Lara with its own water park.
Turkey's golf capital, wrapped around a five-star resort with its own beach club.