What to Do in Antalya: 25 Best Things to See & Do

Antalya is far more than a beach. It is a two-thousand-year-old harbour city wrapped around a Roman old town, backed by pine mountains and cable cars, and ringed by some of the best-preserved ancient sites in the Mediterranean. Whether you have a week in an all-inclusive resort or a few free days in the city, here are the best things to do in Antalya, grouped so you can plan by interest and by how far you will need to travel.

Choosing a base for your sightseeing

Where you stay shapes what is easy to reach. If you want the old town, museums and city life on your doorstep, Konyaaltı and central Antalya are ideal. For big all-inclusive resorts close to the airport and the eastern ancient sites, Lara, Kundu and Belek work well. For mountains, pine coast and the Tahtalı cable car, base yourself in Kemer. And for beaches plus a lively evening scene, Side and Alanya to the east are hard to beat. Whichever you pick, most of Antalya's headline sights are within a comfortable day trip by car.

In the city: Kaleiçi old town and the harbour

The heart of Antalya is Kaleiçi, the walled old town: a maze of Ottoman houses, boutique hotels, cafes and craft shops tumbling down to a picture-perfect Roman harbour. Enter through Hadrian's Gate, a triple marble arch built in 130 AD for the emperor's visit, and simply get lost for a couple of hours. Down at the Old Harbour you can pick up a boat trip along the cliffs, and the fluted Yivli Minaret is the city's landmark. It is walkable, atmospheric and free to explore.

The waterfalls: Düden, Kurşunlu and Manavgat

• Lower Düden Waterfall plunges straight off the cliffs into the sea on the eastern edge of the city, best seen from a boat or the clifftop park. Genuinely spectacular.
• Upper Düden Waterfall sits inland in a shaded park where you can walk behind the falling water.
• Kurşunlu Waterfall, in a pine-and-pool nature park about 20 minutes from the airport, is a calmer, greener stop.
• Manavgat Waterfall, out east near Manavgat and Side, is wide rather than tall and pairs well with the riverside restaurants and grand bazaar.

Ancient cities: Aspendos, Perge, Side, Termessos and Phaselis

This coast was the classical region of Pamphylia and Lycia, and the Roman remains are extraordinary:

• Aspendos has the best-preserved Roman theatre in the world, still used for performances. It is roughly an hour east of the city.
• Perge, near Aksu just minutes from the airport, is a vast site of colonnaded streets, a stadium and baths.
• Side combines ancient and seaside: the Temple of Apollo at the tip of the peninsula, lit gold at sunset, is one of the coast's iconic images. See how to reach it on our Side transfer page.
• Termessos is a dramatic mountain-top city that was never conquered, reached by a hike through a national park.
• Phaselis, near Tekirova, lets you swim off the ruins of an ancient harbour between three bays.

Most of these sit away from the resorts, so a private car or transfer with a driver who can wait is the easy way to combine two or three in a day without a rigid coach-tour schedule.

Mountains and views: the Tahtalı cable car

Above Kemer, the Tahtalı (Olympos) cable car climbs to 2,365 metres for a panorama over the whole Gulf of Antalya. On a clear day it is one of the best views in Turkey, and there are paragliders launching from the summit. Combine it with the pine coast around Kemer, Göynük Canyon or the ruins at Phaselis for a full day out of the city.

The flames of Chimaera: Olympos and Çıralı

Near Olympos and Çıralı, natural gas seeping from the mountainside has burned continuously for thousands of years, the eternal flames of the Chimaera (Yanartaş). Visit after dark, when the flames are most vivid, and pair it with a laid-back stay in the famous treehouse pensions or the quiet turtle-nesting beach at Çıralı. It is about 80 to 85 km from the airport.

Beaches: Konyaaltı, Lara and beyond

Antalya has two flagship city beaches. Konyaaltı, to the west, is a long pebble beach with a mountain backdrop and a modern promenade. Lara, to the east, is sandy and lined with the big resort hotels near Lara and Kundu. Further afield, the Blue Flag sands at Belek, the long beaches of Side and Cleopatra Beach in Alanya each have their own character.

Family days out: theme parks and aquariums

• The Land of Legends in Belek is a large theme park and waterpark with shows and a shopping avenue.
• Antalya Aquarium, near Konyaaltı, has one of the world's longest tunnel aquariums.
• Waterparks are attached to many resorts, and dolphin parks, mini-golf and go-karting fill out the family list.

For families, a transfer with free child seats to and from these attractions is far less stressful than working out buses. Just ask when you book.

Boat trips and the coast by sea

A gulet or speedboat day trip is one of the best ways to experience Antalya. From the Old Harbour or from Kemer and Side you can cruise past the Düden falls, swim in hidden coves, and see the coastline the way it was meant to be seen. Half-day and full-day options run through the season.

Markets, bazaars and Turkish baths

For a taste of everyday Antalya, visit a weekly neighbourhood market for spices, textiles, olives and cheese, browse the Kaleiçi craft shops, and treat yourself to a traditional hamam (Turkish bath). Haggling is expected in the tourist bazaars, less so in fixed-price shops.

Antalya Museum and the culture stops

If the weather turns or you want a break from the sun, the Antalya Museum near Konyaaltı is one of Turkey's finest, with room after room of Roman statues pulled from Perge and a rich archaeology collection. It is an easy tram ride from the old town and makes a cool, calm half day. Pair it with a walk along the Konyaaltı promenade.

Food: what to eat in Antalya

Eating well is part of the trip. A few things to seek out beyond the hotel buffet:

• Turkish breakfast (kahvaltı), a spread of cheeses, olives, eggs, honey, tomatoes and endless tea, is a highlight in its own right.
• Fresh seafood at the Old Harbour or in Kaleiçi, watching the boats come in.
• Gözleme, thin hand-rolled flatbread filled with cheese, spinach or potato, cooked in front of you at markets.
• Mezze and grilled meats at a proper meyhane, and a piece of baklava or a Turkish coffee to finish.

Tap water aside (stick to bottled), Antalya's food is a genuine pleasure and very good value.

Nightlife and evenings

Evenings range from gentle to lively. Kaleiçi and the Old Harbour are lovely for a relaxed dinner and a stroll, Konyaaltı has beach clubs and bars, and Alanya is the coast's nightlife capital with a busy bar street. Many resorts also run their own evening shows and entertainment, so you can do as much or as little as you like.

What to do by season

• Spring (Apr to Jun) and autumn (Sep to Oct): ideal for the ancient sites, hiking the Lycian Way, the cable car and city walking, with warm but comfortable temperatures.
• Summer (Jul to Aug): beach and pool weather, boat trips and waterparks, with hot midday sun that rewards early starts and shady lunches.
• Winter (Nov to Mar): quieter and cheaper, good for museums, old-town wandering and even skiing at Saklıkent in the mountains within a couple of hours.

Sample itineraries

Three days: Day one, Kaleiçi old town, Hadrian's Gate and the harbour. Day two, a beach morning plus the Antalya Museum or Lower Düden falls. Day three, one big sight, either Side and its temple or the Tahtalı cable car above Kemer.

One week: add Aspendos and Perge, a full-day boat trip, the Chimaera flames at Çıralı after dark, and a longer excursion such as Alanya or Pamukkale, with beach and pool days in between.

Day trips further afield: Pamukkale and beyond

If you want to venture out, the white travertine terraces of Pamukkale and the ancient city of Hierapolis make a popular long day trip inland, and some travellers add a Cappadocia extension by air. These are big distances, so plan transport in advance rather than on the day.

Practical tips for a smooth Antalya trip

• Start early at the ancient sites. Aspendos, Perge and Termessos have little shade. Morning visits beat both the heat and the coach crowds.
• Carry some cash. Site entries, market stalls and small cafes often prefer lira, even though cards are widely accepted elsewhere.
• Dress for mosques. Cover shoulders and knees, and women should carry a scarf for the Yivli Minaret mosque and other religious sites.
• Combine nearby sights. Perge and Aspendos sit close together east of the airport; Phaselis and the Tahtalı cable car pair well on the Kemer side. A driver who waits lets you do two or three in a day.
• Keep water and sunscreen on you for every outing, especially the exposed ruins and the cable-car summit, which is cooler but very bright.

How to get around to all of this

Antalya's attractions are spread along more than a hundred kilometres of coast, and there is no Uber in the usual sense, so getting around is the one thing worth planning. Local buses and the tram cover the city cheaply, but for the ancient sites, the cable car and the waterfalls, a private car with a driver who waits for you turns a logistical puzzle into a relaxed day. Many visitors book a car for a full day of sightseeing, or a one-way transfer between resorts to break up a longer trip. Either way, start with a smooth airport transfer to your resort, and build your sightseeing from there. For the full arrival rundown, see our Antalya Airport transfer guide, and if you are still choosing a base, our destinations page compares every resort at a glance.