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.
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One of Turkey's largest archaeological museums, with sculpture from Perge and Roman statuary of the gods.
The best-preserved Roman theatre anywhere in the world, still used for opera and ballet performances every summer.
Two waterfalls on the Düden stream, one in a city park and one dropping off a cliff straight into the Mediterranean.
A three-arched marble gate at the edge of Kaleiçi, built to honour the Roman emperor Hadrian's visit to Attalia in 130 AD.
Antalya's walled old town — narrow cobblestone lanes, Ottoman houses turned boutique hotels, and the Roman-era harbor at its center.
A long, palm-lined park with views along the Taurus-backed coast, ideal for an evening walk.
A 7km pebble beach with the Taurus Mountains rising directly behind it — one of the most dramatic beach backdrops on the coast.
A deep forested gorge on the Köprüçay river in Köprülü Kanyon National Park, famous for white-water rafting.
A wide, powerful curtain of water just outside Side — popular for river boat trips and a cool escape from the summer heat.
Ancient Olympos sits between forest and beach, and a short night hike leads to the Chimaera, natural flames burning from the rock.
Roman Perge, about 15 km east of Antalya, has one of the best-preserved stadiums in Anatolia and a grand colonnaded street.
Side, east of Antalya, pairs Roman ruins with a harbour town; the Temple of Apollo is the classic sunset view.
A cable car from the Kemer coast climbs to the top of Tahtalı Mountain, around 2,365 metres above sea level.
A large hotel on the Konyaaltı seafront, on the city side of the bay with mountain views.
An old-town hotel in converted historic houses, close to the harbour.
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.
A golf-oriented Belek resort with courses on site and the beach a short distance away.
An all-white, art-filled resort in Lara with its own water park.
A large, ornate resort on the Lara-Kundu stretch east of the city, built in a grand palace style.
Turkey's golf capital, wrapped around a five-star resort with its own beach club.
A large Belek resort built around its own golf course, a few minutes from other championship courses.
A big, family-friendly resort on the Kemer side of the Gulf, with the Taurus mountains right behind it.
A distinctive circular tower hotel near Karaalioğlu Park and Kaleiçi.
Several restored Ottoman houses turned into a hotel inside the old town walls.