City guide

Antalya

May-June and September-October for warm sea temperatures without July-August peak crowds and heatBest time

TurkeyRegion

Antalya anchors the Turkish Riviera, pairing a walled old town of narrow lanes and a Roman-era harbor, Kaleici, with long beaches and a major charter airport. It is the gateway to the Lycian coast and to Roman ruins like Aspendos and Perge in the surrounding countryside.

What's on in Antalya Plan your trip

Photo: Dosseman / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

About Antalya

Country: TurkeyPopulation: 1,507,115Time zone: UTC+3

AntalyaSee what's on

الأجواء ولمن تناسب

الأنسب لـBeach resort holidays; old-town wandering in Kaleici; day trips to ancient ruins and the Lycian coast

أفضل وقتMay-June and September-October for warm sea temperatures without July-August peak crowds and heat

التنقلAntray tram covers the centre; Antalya Airport (AYT) is a major international and charter hub; buses and dolmus minibuses reach the coast

أين تقيمKaleici for old-town character within walking distance of the harbor; Lara or Konyaalti for beach-resort stays

قد تتجنبها إذاYou want a quiet, uncrowded destination outside peak summer

Top things to do in Antalya

The most popular sights, with 2026 entrance fees. Prices are adult admission — cheapest at the gate. Many of the best things are free.

Attraction	Entrance	Time	Why go
Antalya Museum	€15	2 hours	One of Turkey's largest archaeology museums, with an outstanding collection of Roman-era statues recovered from nearby Perge; the essential rainy-day or off-beach stop in Antalya.
Kaleici Old Town	Free	2-3 hours	Antalya's walled Ottoman-era old town of narrow lanes, restored wooden houses, the old harbour and the Yivli Minare; a free, open neighbourhood best explored on foot.
Hadrian's Gate	Free	15-20 minutes	Marble triple-arched gate built in 130 AD to honour Emperor Hadrian's visit to the city, standing at the edge of Kaleici; a free open-air monument you simply walk through.
Duden & Kursunlu Waterfalls	Varies	1.5-2 hours each	Two separate waterfalls outside the city centre: Duden has a free lower cascade tumbling into the sea plus a paid upper park with a walk-behind cave, while Kursunlu is a forested nature park with a series of smaller falls. Both are typically half-day trips from central Antalya.
Konyaalti & Lara Beaches	Free	Half day	Antalya's two main city beaches: Konyaalti is a long pebble beach backed by the Beydaglari mountains west of the centre, Lara is a sandier beach with resorts to the east. Both have free public-access sections alongside paid loungers and beach clubs.
Aspendos Ancient Theatre	€15	1-1.5 hours	The best-preserved Roman theatre in the world, seating 12,000 and still used for opera and ballet performances; roughly 45 minutes east of Antalya, easily combined with Perge.
Perge	€11	1.5-2 hours	Sprawling Greco-Roman city ruins with a colonnaded main street, stadium and baths, one of the best-preserved ancient cities on the Turkish Riviera; often paired with Aspendos as a day trip.
Termessos	€3	3-4 hours including the climb	Dramatic mountaintop ancient city that repelled Alexander the Great, reached by a steep uphill walk within Guluk Dagi-Termessos National Park; the ruins and forest setting make this the most atmospheric day trip from Antalya.
Olympos & Chimaera (Yanartas)	€10	Half day for Olympos; 2 hours round-trip for the Chimaera hike	Overgrown ancient Lycian port city set on a pine-shaded beach, combined with an evening hike up to the Chimaera's naturally burning methane vents at Yanartas; a popular overnight or long day trip south of Antalya.