Getting there
Antalya Airport (AYT) connects to the centre by AntRay tram, municipal buses, taxi, and road transfer. Check Antalyakart for current public-transport times.
Mediterranean
Antalya
Ancient cities, sea light
Antalya works best as two journeys at once: a walkable old harbour city and a base for the great ancient landscapes of Pamphylia and Lycia. Choose a few sites, leave room for the coast, and avoid turning its distances into a checklist.
- Stay
- 3–4 days
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov
- Airport
- AYT
Every published place in one city guide
What to see in Antalya.
Start with the essentials, add what genuinely interests you, and leave the rest for another visit. Every place includes a concise story, practical timing, a Maps link, and a one-tap route planner action.
Make the route work
Anticipate the practical details.
Getting around
Kaleiçi is best explored on foot. Perge and Lower Düden are closer to the centre; Aspendos, Termessos, Phaselis, Side, and Olympos need separate half- or full-day transport plans.
Money
Carry a payment card and some Turkish lira for small purchases. Museum and archaeological-site prices can change, so confirm the official rate before leaving.
Connectivity
Mobile coverage is generally strong in the city; signal can weaken on mountain trails and remote archaeological sites. Download maps before Termessos.
Etiquette
Dress respectfully around active mosques, keep narrow old-town lanes clear, and never climb or sit on archaeological remains.
Safety and comfort
Summer heat is the main planning risk. Start exposed ruins early, carry water and sun protection, and use sturdy footwear at Termessos and other uneven sites.
Essential
Don’t leave without
If you only have one day, this is the day.
Rank1
Kaleiçi and Hadrian's Gate
NeighbourhoodEnter Antalya through a Roman gate, then follow layered streets down to the old harbour.
Attaleia was founded under Pergamon and later became a Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman port. Hadrian's Gate commemorates the emperor's visit in 130 CE; the lanes inside preserve fragments from many later lives of the city.
Free public area
180 minCobblestones and steep harbour lanes can be slippery
Look for: Notice the worn passage beneath the three arches, then trace how walls, Ottoman houses, religious buildings, and the harbour fit the same slope.
Rank2
Perge
Ancient cityWalk a Roman city whose water channel, baths, stadium, and colonnaded streets still read as one plan.
Known as Parha in Hittite-period evidence, Perge became one of Pamphylia's major cities. Its Roman streets and sculpture programme were especially ambitious, while finds from the site now shape the collections associated with Antalya Museum.
Ticketed; check the official museum site for the current foreign-visitor rate
180 minVery limited shade; carry water and sun protection
Look for: Stand on the north–south street and follow the water channel toward the nymphaeum; the city plan becomes clearer from that single line.
Rank3
Aspendos
Ancient citySee the celebrated theatre, then climb beyond it to discover that Aspendos was an entire river city.
Aspendos grew near the Eurymedon River and issued its own coinage. Its second-century Roman theatre is exceptionally well preserved, but the aqueduct system, basilica, agora, and acropolis show the larger city behind the famous façade.
Ticketed; current hours and event access vary
150 minEvents can change theatre access and evening hours
Look for: After the theatre interior, climb to the aqueduct view and compare the engineering of performance, water, and settlement.
Worth your time
Worth your time
A second day earns you these.
Rank1
Lower Düden Falls
Natural siteWatch the Düden River leave the city in one final drop straight into the Mediterranean.
The Lower Düden waterfall is the river's coastal finale, falling from Antalya's cliffs into the sea. It belongs to the modern city's everyday landscape as much as its visitor circuit, with viewpoints spread through Düden Park.
Free public park
90 minCliff edges and spray can make paths slippery
Look for: Walk beyond the first railing and compare the cliff-top view with the wider angle where the full fall meets the sea.
Rank2
Phaselis
Ancient cityFollow a Roman street from harbour to harbour beneath pine trees, with the sea always close.
Founded as a port settlement in the seventh century BCE, Phaselis used three harbours to build a strong maritime trading role. Its visible Roman and Byzantine remains include an aqueduct, agoras, baths, theatre, and a street joining the bays.
Ticketed; check the official museum site for the current foreign-visitor rate
240 minBeach and site traffic peak in summer; arrive early
Look for: Walk the main street all the way to the water, then compare how each harbour is sheltered differently by the peninsula.
Rank3
Termessos
Archaeological siteHike into a mountain city where the theatre opens suddenly toward the peaks and forest.
Termessos was a Pisidian city built high on Güllük Mountain. It resisted Alexander the Great in 333 BCE and later prospered with substantial civic buildings, cisterns, temples, and necropoleis protected by difficult terrain.
Ticketed; check the current official rate
240 minSteep rocky trail; sturdy shoes and water are essentialDo not attempt in extreme heat or poor weather
Look for: Approach the theatre through the upper city, then look past the seats to understand how mountain topography became part of the architecture.
If you have longer
If you have longer
Keep these compact stops in mind when you build your trip.
Antalya Museum
MuseumAntalya Museum brings together finds from the province, including major sculpture groups from Perge and material spanning prehistory to later periods. The official 2026 notice currently lists the museum as closed.
Temporarily closed in the official 2026 notice; recheck before travelling
Temporarily closed according to the official 2026 museum notice; verify before travelling
150 minOpen in Maps
Yivli Minare complex
Religious siteThe Yivli Minare complex developed under Seljuk rule and became one of Antalya's clearest landmarks. Its fluted minaret, religious buildings, and surrounding remains connect the upper old city with later Turkish history.
Free exterior and public complex areas
Active religious complex; dress respectfully and avoid prayer times
45 minOpen in Maps
Hıdırlık Tower and Karaalioğlu Park
ViewpointHıdırlık Tower stands at the southern edge of Kaleiçi and is generally dated to the Roman period, though its exact original function remains debated. Its setting now links the old walls with Karaalioğlu Park and coastal views.
Free exterior and park
Interior access can change; the exterior and park remain the main experience
45 minOpen in Maps
Olympos
Ancient cityOlympos was an important Lycian League city and later a Roman and Byzantine settlement. Its harbour history, river channel, tombs, baths, and churches now sit within dense vegetation near the coast.
Ticketed; verify current rate and beach access
Long transfer from central AntalyaUneven ground, heat, and seasonal crowds require planning
300 minOpen in Maps
Side ancient city
Ancient citySide was a major Pamphylian port whose visible remains include a theatre, city gates, baths, streets, and the seaside temples associated with Apollo and Athena. Modern streets now weave through the archaeological landscape.
Mixed free public areas and ticketed monuments
Long transfer from central AntalyaVery exposed in summer
300 minOpen in Maps
Karain Cave
Archaeological siteKarain Cave contains archaeological layers from the Palaeolithic and later periods. Finds from its chambers help document changing human occupation, environment, and material culture over an exceptionally long span.
Ticketed; verify current rate and access
Steep stair approach and damp cave surfacesCheck weather and opening status before the drive
180 minOpen in Maps
Getting there and away
Verified routes from Antalya.
Door-to-door times and fare ranges, checked leg by leg. Only routes where every leg verified are listed.
- IstanbulPlane · Bus · from 5 hr
- CappadociaPlane · Bus · from 4 hr 35 min
- EphesusPlane · Bus · from 4 hr 25 min
- PamukkaleBus · from 4 hr 5 min
- FethiyeBus · from 3 hr 20 min
- Kaş & KalkanBus · from 4 hr 5 min
- KonyaCar · Bus · from 3 hr 50 min
- ŞanlıurfaPlane · from 4 hr 35 min
- AlanyaBus · from 2 hr 30 min
Türkiye, for scale
Where it sits
See this city in the wider shape of Türkiye.
The map will load as it approaches the viewport.