Antalya

Old Town

Antalya’s Old Town, also called Kaleici offers narrow streets, Ottoman style boutique hotels, traditional bars and restaurants and historic wooden houses, representative of the region. Kaleici is a great place to unwind and observe the particularities of the Ottoman architectural style mixed with ancient remnants of the Romans and Greeks. Some interesting sites include the Clock Tower, the Hadrian Gate, Seyh Sinan Efendi Mosque, the Musellim Mosque, the Hıdırlık Tower, the Karatay Medresesi and the Yivli Minaret.

Old Harbour

The Old Harbour is two millennia old. The Romans took advantage of the harbour’s strategic position and strengthened its fortifications, turning it into a major port of Asia Minor. Nowadays the Old Harbour is surrounded with cafes and restaurants and instead of cargo ships, one can find delightful private yachts that can take visitors on fishing trips or trips around the coast. The Harbor is usually bustling with activity from local fishermen, tourists and yacht enthusiasts.

Aspendos

Aspendos is an ancient city located only 40 km from Antalya. The city used to be a great trading hub on the Mediterranean. Aspendos is home to one of the most well preserved Roman amphitheatre in the world. Other points of interest include the Aqueduct of Aspendos, the agora, the basilica and the nymphaeum.

Olympos

The settlement has its name derived from the Olympos Mountain, which is around 10 km north of the city. Olympos is a place of natural beauty combined with a fascinating archaeological site. The city is also a popular area for tourists, with quite a few guest houses and small hotels in the area.

Hadrian’s Gate

Hadrian’s Gate or Üçkapılar in Turkish is located close to Antalya’s Old town. The monument was built to honour Roman Emperor Hadrian, who visited the city in 130. Hadrian’s Gate features three arched gates and decorative marble columns.

Antalya also features quite a few modern shopping malls such as the Deepo Outlet Centre, Özdilek, 5M Migros and Terracity.

● Just as with any Mediterranean destination, winters in Antalya are quite warm and rainy and summers are hot.

● Antalya has its own airport called Antalya Airport (IATA: AYT) which is just 10 km from the city. Here you can find very affordable flights to and from Istanbul – around 50 USD per flight.

● The Tünektepe hill has a height of 2009 feet or 618 meters and it offers a stunning view of Antalya from its rotating restaurant.

● Antalya has its own historic tramway which was donated by the city of Nuremberg, Germany. The tramway connects the city centre to the Antalya Museum and Konyaalti Beach and fares are very affordable. The tram is an excellent option for sightseeing enthusiasts as it passes through the most alluring places in Antalya.