Antalya is a beautiful destination to enjoy on vacation. It’s undoubtedly one of Turkey’s must-see cities. Antalya is one of the biggest cities in Turkey and is probably the country’s most significant vacationist hot spot after Istanbul. Locals love it as a gateway, and they know it as the Turquoise Coast for its blue waters. Two million Turkish citizens call Antalya home. It is a sprawling modern city with a small charming historic center, an excellent archeology museum, a dramatic sea, and mountain views. The historic center is called Kaleiçi ((Kah-leh-ee-chee), which translates to old Antalya. The architecture in the old city dates to the Ottoman times, a few from Roman times. Many of the buildings have been restored as houses, boutique hotels, stores, and restaurants.
On our journey, we enjoyed artifacts dating back to the early 3rd Century.
There are two well-known spots that tourists and locals flock to. These are Konyaalti Beach and Lara Beach.
Konyaalti Beach is the most prestigious and developed of the two. This coarse sanded beach stretches for 7km on the western side of the city and sits between cliffs and the Beydağları Mountains.
Lara Beach is a sandy and pebble stone beach 45 minutes from the city center extends a total of 10km East of the Kaleiçi. If you are looking for softer sandy beaches head to Lara Plaji. Side is a beach but also an archaeological city with many ruins.
Antalya is also a good base for day trips to nearby archeological sites such as Aspendos, Olimpos, Perge, Selge, Side, Termessos, and river rafting Köprülü Kanyon National Park. These are only 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours away. I highly recommend you do not miss out on Pamukkale. It is a further drive of about 3 ½ hours but well worth it.
The region around Antalya is enthralling in terms of natural variety. We found canyons, wild rivers, and beautiful green national parks a short distance outside the city. They were all breathtaking and well worth putting on your to-do list while here in Antalya. These were some of the stops we made during our six weeks in Antalya
However, don’t forget to stop by the spectacular Düden Waterfalls located in the city itself sits atop tall coastal cliffs, boasts vistas of the Taurus Mountains.
As you walk through Antalya you can not miss all the dogs and cats walking around the streets. They are part of this culture. The citizens make sure these animals are taken care of. As you stroll the streets you will see bowls of water and food to make sure they have food and water available. We watch the dogs and cats play. Sometimes we felt cats rule dogs drool and other times dogs rule cats drool. It was a fun pass time for us to watch them while enjoying an ice cream in the parks.
The city is well connected within Turkey’s transportation network, making it easy for visitors to arrive by several different means. However, check the visa requirements before booking your holidays. Many visitors come by air the airport is only 13 Km from the city center—other visitors traveling by car or bus. If you rent a car, you can take a different route from Istanbul the inter way or along the Mediterranean.
The Turkish Riviera is what Antalya and its surrounding area are known as. It experiences hot and dry summers and mild, rainy winters, and a typically Mediterranean climate throughout the year. Antalya, on average, experiences around 300 sunny days every year, making it a great spot to add to your bucket list.
Antalya is a beautiful destination to enjoy on vacation. We loved it; it is a mix of ancient history and a vibrant, thriving contemporary culture.