Antalya walking tour & city guide

Kaleiçi, the old town

The heart of Antalya is Kaleiçi, a walled old quarter of narrow lanes, restored Ottoman mansions with wooden bay windows and bougainvillea-covered courtyards. Many houses are now small hotels, cafés and craft shops. Enter through Hadrian's Gate, a triple-arched marble gate built for the visit of the Roman emperor Hadrian in 130 AD.

The lanes slope down to the old Roman harbor, where wooden gulets offer boat trips along the coast to nearby waterfalls and caves. Look out for the Yivli Minaret, Antalya's fluted 13th-century landmark, and the Hıdırlık Tower, a Roman-era tower overlooking the sea at sunset.

Coast and nature

Konyaaltı Beach stretches west of the center beneath the mountains, with a long seafront promenade popular with walkers and cyclists. To the east, Lara Beach has fine sand and large resorts. The Düden Waterfalls are a remarkable sight, with the lower falls plunging straight off a cliff into the sea.

Antalya is also a base for some of the best ancient sites in the country, including Perge and Aspendos, whose Roman theater is one of the best-preserved in the world. The Antalya Museum is among Türkiye's finest archaeological museums.

When to go

Antalya enjoys around 300 days of sunshine a year. Summer is hot and busy, ideal for beach holidays, while spring and autumn are perfect for walking the old town and visiting ruins in comfortable temperatures. Even in winter the city is mild and often sunny.