Antalya, which hosts millions of local and foreign visitors every year, stands out as one of Turkey’s most important tourism cities. With its Blue Flag beaches, hotels suitable for every lifestyle and budget, huge holiday resorts, international golf courses, and priceless historical treasures, Antalya is home to many beauties waiting to be discovered. Thanks to its mild climate, Antalya has a long sea season and is a holiday paradise where the lush green forests of the Taurus Mountains meet the crystal-clear waters of the Mediterranean.
In Antalya, which hosts many international festivals throughout the year, you can discover the beautiful bays of the Mediterranean and its impressive underwater richness through boat and diving tours. You can visit ancient cities with thousands of years of history through nature, history, and culture tours, and you can camp in pine forests and national parks to enjoy nature. Before we start describing Antalya with all these beauties, let’s begin our article by answering the questions most frequently asked by those planning to visit the city.
What to eat in Antalya?
During your trip to Antalya, you should definitely taste the famous Antalya-style piyaz, pumpkin dessert unique to Antalya, tomato cive, sour tarhana soup, fish with sour sauce, and filisli lapa.
What is Antalya’s most famous dessert?
You should definitely try tahini pumpkin dessert, which is unique to Antalya and loved by everyone who tastes it, as well as apple baklava.
What can be bought as a gift from Antalya?
You can buy carob molasses, handmade jewelry, figurines, rugs, and leather products from Antalya for yourself and your loved ones.
1. Kaleiçi
Kaleiçi (Old Town), which is the first place that comes to mind when Antalya is mentioned and is located right in the heart of the city, is the most popular tourist destination in Antalya city center with its narrow cobblestone streets, historic Ottoman mansions featuring wooden and stone architecture, small marina where boat tours to Mediterranean bays are organized, dozens of entertainment venues, souvenir shops, and boutique hotels.
Home to many historical treasures such as the Yivli Minaret, Kesik Minaret, Hıdırlık Tower, Karatay Madrasa, and Şehzade Korkut Mosque, Kaleiçi welcomes thousands of tourists every year. You should definitely visit Kaleiçi to spend a beautiful Mediterranean evening, try Mediterranean or world cuisine at restaurants suitable for every lifestyle, or enjoy a nice cup of coffee.
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2. Aspendos Ancient City
Aspendos Ancient City, one of the most important destinations for history and culture tours in Antalya, is located 46 kilometers from Antalya city center. While exploring this ancient city, which was built in the 10th century BC and has been carefully preserved to the present day, you will witness some of the finest examples of Roman-period architecture.
Famous for its Ancient Aspendos Theater with a capacity of 20,000 people, which hosts classical music festivals and artistic events during the summer months, the ancient city is located on two hills overlooking the region. Get ready to take a historical journey among Roman baths, agoras, aqueducts, the acropolis, and temples in Aspendos Ancient City, which was one of the richest cities of its period.
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3. Düden Waterfall
Düden Waterfall, also known locally as Düdenbaşı Waterfall, is located in the Kepez district, 10 kilometers from the city center. With its viewing terraces, wooden walking paths, cafés, restaurants, and tea gardens, the waterfall attracts great interest, especially during the summer months.
The waters of Düden Waterfall, which split into two branches, continue for another 9 kilometers before flowing from Antalya’s cliffs into the Mediterranean from a height of 40 meters, creating a magnificent view. This area, known as Lower Düden Waterfall, is always lively as it is located in Lara, one of Antalya’s popular districts, among hotels, restaurants, walking paths, and bicycle routes.
You should definitely visit both Lower Düden Waterfall, where tour boats can take you close enough to see the white waters pouring from the cliffs, and Düden Waterfall during your trip to Antalya, and enjoy a beautiful day in the cool atmosphere of the waterfall.
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4. Kurşunlu Waterfall
Kurşunlu Waterfall, where you will feel as if you have been transported to another world, is located 22 kilometers from Antalya city center. Declared a nature park in 1991, the waterfall spreads over a large area of 33 hectares. Welcoming thousands of tourists every year with the rich plant diversity surrounding it, Kurşunlu Waterfall offers enchanting beauty in every season with its white waters flowing from a height of 18 meters through the trees, and it is also a refreshing escape on hot summer days. The waterfall is home to 7 small waterfalls and rock ponds as well.
At Kurşunlu Waterfall, where you can spend pleasant time with your loved ones, you can take long walks in nature, sip your coffee at the restaurant located within the waterfall area, or enjoy a nice picnic with the food you bring along.
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5. Olimpos Ancient City
Located on Antalya’s southern coast, Olympos Ancient City stands out as one of the largest port cities in the region, together with Phaselis Ancient City. Visited by thousands of people every year and admired by history and culture enthusiasts, Olympos Ancient City is thought to have been built during the Hellenistic period around 300 BC.
Olympos Ancient City, one of the most important and largest port cities of ancient times, is carefully preserved within Beydağları National Park and attracts worldwide attention with its historical treasures. During your visit to the ancient city, you can enjoy exploring many places such as temples built with cut stones during the Roman period, the agora, an impressive Medieval Castle, altars where offerings were made to the gods, and the ancient harbor.
Located 30 kilometers from Kemer, you can click on the article “The Best Camping Areas in Olympos” to fully explore Olympos Ancient City and enjoy nature.
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6. Perge Ancient City
Perge Ancient City, which is thought to have been built during the Hittite period, is located 16 kilometers from Antalya city center. Known as Parha at that time, Perge was also one of the most developed cities in Anatolia during the Roman period.
Attracting attention with its impressive statues and well-planned architecture, Perge is among the most visited ancient cities in Antalya with its colonnaded streets planned in east-west and north-south directions, its huge ancient theater with a capacity of 15,000 people built in the 2nd century AD, monumental fountains, ancient Roman baths, and agoras.
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7. Manavgat Waterfall
Manavgat Waterfall, one of the most popular destinations for nature trips and rafting tours organized in Antalya, is located 76 kilometers from Antalya city center. Flowing through lush green forests from 5-meter-high cliffs and spreading over a wide area, the waterfall’s water flows in a misty and foamy form due to the karstic structure of its sources.
At Manavgat Waterfall, which has well-arranged walking paths and viewing terraces around it, you can find fresh fish restaurants, picnic areas, and tea gardens. You can also have an enjoyable time with canoe or boat tours, as well as rafting. With its easy rafting route, Manavgat Waterfall is visited by more than 1 million people every year and stands out as one of Turkey’s best-known waterfalls in the world.
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8. Olympos Cable Car
Located 61 kilometers from Antalya city center, Olympos Cable Car reaches an altitude of 2,000 meters on Tahtalı Mountain in just 10 minutes and reveals the Mediterranean coastline where green meets blue. Reaching an altitude of more than 2,000 meters on Tahtalı Mountain, one of the highest points of the Taurus Mountains, Olympos Cable Car has special cabins, each with a capacity of 80 people.
With the cable car you can board from its station inside Olympos National Park, you can enjoy watching Antalya’s magnificent nature as you reach the mountain summit and experience an unforgettable journey over steep cliffs and pine forests.
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9. Köprülü Canyon
Köprülü Canyon, one of the first places that comes to mind in Antalya when it comes to nature sports such as rafting, hiking, camping, or rock climbing, is located within its National Park, 85 kilometers from the city center. With a length of 14 kilometers, Köprülü Canyon is one of Turkey’s longest canyons and attracts nature sports enthusiasts from all over the world with its steep rock walls reaching up to 100 meters in height and its impressive narrow passages.
Declared a national park in 1973 due to its untouched, pristine nature, Köprülü Canyon spreads over a vast green area of 366,000 decares in total. During your visit to the canyon, you can take an unforgettable journey among impressive Roman arches, historic bridges, castles, and ancient cities, and you can also cool off in the ice-cold waters of the rock ponds during the summer heat.
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10. Kaputaş Beach
Kaputaş Beach, one of Antalya’s world-famous beaches, welcomes thousands of visitors every year thanks to its beauty. Surrounded by rocks, the beach is located in a hidden bay. With its turquoise, crystal-clear sea, Kaputaş Beach is a favorite destination for both local and foreign tourists and is also one of the important stops where tour boats and yachts take breaks because of its beauty.
You can reach Kaputaş Beach in about 10 minutes by tour boats departing from Antalya Marina or by minibuses operating between Kalkan and Kaş, and enjoy swimming freely at this famous beach, where there is no construction or facility. Since the beach is very crowded during the summer months, you can visit it in spring or autumn and enjoy the Mediterranean in a calmer atmosphere by swimming in the clear sea with colorful fish.
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