Where to Stay in Antalya: The Areas Compared

The hardest decision about an Antalya holiday is not which hotel to book, it is which part of the coast to book it on. The province stretches for more than two hundred kilometres and the difference between the ends of it is enormous: a Roman old town on a cliff, a strip of themed all inclusive giants, pine covered mountains dropping into clear water, and a castle town two hours east. This guide compares the main areas so you can pick the right one before you start comparing hotels.

Start with the transfer time

Most guides leave this to the end. Put it first, because it shapes the first and last day of your trip. Approximate driving times from Antalya Airport are 20 minutes to Lara, 25 to Kundu, 30 to Konyaalti and the old town, 35 to Belek, 50 to Kemer, an hour to Side, an hour and a quarter to Cirali, two hours to Alanya and three or more to Kas and Kalkan.

None of these are difficult drives, but they are not equivalent. Two hours to Alanya after a night flight with a toddler is a very different proposition from twenty minutes to Lara. If your flight lands late or leaves early, weight the nearer options more heavily than you otherwise would.

Kaleici and the city centre

Best for character, worst for beach. Staying inside the old walls means a restored Ottoman mansion with a courtyard, a Roman gate at the end of your street and dozens of restaurants on your doorstep. What you do not get is a beach: the old town sits on a cliff above a marina, and the nearest proper swimming is a bus or taxi ride away. Rooms tend to be small, stairs are steep, and lanes can be noisy in the evening. Choose it for a few nights of city and history, not for a fortnight of sunbathing.

Konyaalti

The city beach, west of the centre, backed by the Beydaglari mountains. Konyaalti gives you a long pebble beach, a modern promenade, the aquarium and a tram into town, with a much more local feel than the resort strips. Hotels here range from mid market to comfortable rather than palatial. It suits people who want a real city on their doorstep with a swim at the end of the day, and who do not need a private hotel beach.

Lara and Kundu

East of the airport, this is the strip of large themed five star hotels, many of them all inclusive, on a long sandy beach. Lara is closest to the city, so you can be in the old town in about twenty minutes, and it is also the shortest transfer from the airport, which matters with small children. Kundu, slightly further along, is the densest cluster of the very large resorts. Pick this area if you want a full facility resort with sand, pools and evening entertainment, and the option of the city when you feel like it.

Belek

Golf, spas and the highest concentration of luxury family resorts on the coast, about 35 minutes from the airport. Beaches are wide and sandy, the water shelves gently, and Land of Legends is on the doorstep. Belek is quiet outside the hotels, so it suits people who intend to spend most of their holiday inside a resort. If you want to walk out to bars and shops in the evening, it is not the right choice.

Side and the Manavgat area

About an hour east, and the best compromise between beach and something to do. Side itself is a small peninsula of Roman ruins with restaurants and shops threaded between the columns, and long sandy beaches on both sides. The surrounding villages of Kumkoy, Colakli and Evrenseki have plenty of mid range and all inclusive hotels. It works particularly well for families who want sand and shallow water but would rather not be sealed inside a resort for a week.

Kemer, Goynuk and Tekirova

West of the airport, where the Taurus mountains meet the sea. The beaches here are pebble rather than sand, which means much clearer water, and the setting is pine forest and mountains rather than flat coastal plain. It is usually a little cooler than the eastern resorts in high summer. Choose Kemer for nature, snorkelling, the Tahtali cable car and boat trips to Phaselis, and avoid it if your priority is a wide sandy beach for young children.

Cirali and Olympos

The quiet option. A protected turtle nesting beach, the ruins of Olympos in a wooded valley and the Chimaera flames on the hillside, with small family pensions and eco lodges instead of high rise hotels. There is very little nightlife and few large resorts. It is ideal for couples and nature lovers, and poor for anyone who wants a pool complex and a buffet.

Alanya

Two hours east, with a dramatic castle on a headland, long sandy beaches and the liveliest nightlife on this stretch. Prices are generally lower than the resorts nearer Antalya, and the season runs longer because the climate is milder. The catch is the transfer: two hours each way is a real consideration at the start and end of a holiday, especially with small children.

Kas and Kalkan

Three hours or more to the west, and a different kind of holiday altogether: whitewashed hillside towns, boutique hotels and villas, superb diving and turquoise water, and almost no mass tourism. Beaches are small and often rocky. Worth the long transfer if you want scenery and character rather than a resort, and not worth it for a short break.

All inclusive or not

All inclusive dominates the resort strips and it genuinely suits some holidays. If you have children, plan to use the pool and the beach and do not want to think about the cost of every drink, it is efficient and predictable. The trade off is that it quietly discourages you from leaving, and in an area with a lot to see that is a waste.

As a rule: all inclusive makes sense in Belek, Kundu and the resort villages around Side, where there is little to walk out to. Room only or half board makes more sense in Kaleici, Konyaalti and central Side, where you are surrounded by restaurants and the whole point is to be out.

Choosing by traveller type

• Families with young children: Lara, Belek or the Side villages. Sand, shallow water, short or moderate transfer.
• Couples wanting character: Kaleici for a few nights, or Kas and Kalkan if you have a week and do not mind the drive.
• Nature and hiking: Kemer, Cirali or Olympos.
• Nightlife and budget: Alanya.
• History with a beach: Side.
• City break with swimming: Konyaalti.
• Golf and luxury: Belek.

Sand or pebble

This catches people out. East of Antalya, from Lara through Belek to Side and Alanya, the beaches are sand. West of Antalya, through Konyaalti, Kemer, Tekirova and Cirali, they are pebble. Pebble beaches have much clearer water and are better for snorkelling, but they are harder work barefoot and less fun for toddlers with buckets. If small children are the priority, stay east. If clear water is the priority, go west and pack water shoes.

Splitting your stay

If you have ten days or more, consider two bases rather than one. A common and very effective pattern is two or three nights in Kaleici at the start, seeing the old town, the museum and the ancient cities, then a week on a beach further along the coast. The transfer between them is short and it gives you both halves of what this region does well, instead of committing entirely to one.

Booking practicalities

Check what the hotel means by beachfront, since some resorts sit across a road from the sea and a few are a shuttle ride away. In the old town, confirm whether a car can reach the door, because many lanes are pedestrian only and you may be walking the last stretch with luggage. Look at the season too: some coastal hotels close or run reduced services in winter, while the city and Kaleici stay open all year. Finally, if you are travelling with a group and considering somewhere further out, price the transfer for the whole party before you decide, because it can change the comparison.

A simple way to decide

Ask two questions. First, how much time will you actually spend outside the hotel? If the answer is not much, pick the best resort you can afford in Belek, Kundu or Side and stop worrying about location. If the answer is a lot, the surroundings matter more than the hotel, and Kaleici, Konyaalti, Side or Kemer will serve you better. Second, how long a drive are you willing to make on arrival day? Answer those honestly and the shortlist usually writes itself. Fixed transfer prices for every area are on our destinations page.