Antalya, Turkey – All You Need to Know
In this guide, we focus on Antalya, the adventurous and peaceful tourist destination of Turkey, and tell you every bit of information about its history, transportation, food, accommodation, places to visit, people, culture, and fun activities possible in the city.
Whether you are visiting Antalya, or just want to know more about it, this guide will help you understand the rich culture of Antalya and the mesmerizing beauty it showcases.
Apply for an E-visa for Antalya, Turkey
If you are not from Turkey, you will have to apply for a visa. Luckily, you can apply for the visa directly from E-visa section. If approved, you will get the e-visa delivered to your doorstep. Now that you have the visa available, next stop is to visit Antalya.
Before doing that, you will need to know about Antalya.
Antalya – The Gateway to Turkish Riveria
Antalya is one of the most beautiful cities of Turkey. It is the 5th most crowded city and a bustling metropolis. It is home to both locals and tourists. The thing that makes Antalya a wonderful place to visit is its archeological sites.
Antalya is one of the oldest cities on the Turquoise coast. It has been inhabited for thousands of years and has a rich history encompassing Greeks, Romans, Mongols, and Turks. The Turkish government has taken good care of all these archeological sites and they are open to tourists who would like to know more about the earlier settlements.
Antalya also is a host to natural ambience. It has numerous waterfalls, canyons, beaches, that will make you forget your problems and live again.
History of Antalya aka Anatolia
Antalya is the modern name of Anatolia, a place older than history itself. It is also called the small Asia or the gateway to Asia. There are hundreds of fossils remains still undiscovered within Antalya. Since Antalya has many caves and forests, digging these remains is not possible. However, archeologists have found several fossils remains in Antalya’s Karain Cave. These date back to Paleolithic age.
Antalya has been home to Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks, Ottoman, Mongols, and now Turks. Turks and Mongols had it under their control many times. There are old castles, buildings of these era still present in Antalya. Most of these are now heritage sites and protected by Turkish government. However, you can still visit them as a tourist.
Best Time to Visit Antalya
Antalya is a great place and full of attraction. You can find anything and everything in this piece of land. From natural beauty, forests, mountains, and caves to beaches, sea, ocean life, and coral, everything that you can imagine is available in Antalya.
If you like Summer, then visiting Antalya between June and August would be a feasible idea. However, if you are a winter person, visiting it in October to February would be a perfect way to vanquish your desire for adventures.
The sea is warm even during winter days so you can still take a dip in the ocean or stand under the waterfalls.
Antalya gets rain throughout the year, so you will be able to enjoy that as well. If you want to enjoy ski, then going to Antalya in Dec & January when the ice on the tip of Taurus mountain range is frozen would be a good idea.
Exploring Antalya On Foot
Antalya is a big blossoming city and there are plenty of places to visit by car or by foot. You can either take the public bus, rent a car, or call an Uber. All options are available to you. Public buses in Antalya are completely safe way to travel and also one of the cheapest options available.
However, you can only get buses from public bus stops available every half a kilometer within the city. You can get the location of bus stops around Anatalya on Google maps.
Local taxi is also available as a private mode of transport. These taxi cars are costly options but if you are with family, they are a safe way to travel as well. At least you won’t have to travel with strangers in buses. The taxi will charge you somewhere between $10 to $15 for covering half the city.
If you don’t have Liras available to pay for your transport, local taxis and even Ubers accept US dollars and Euros because they regularly get tourists.
Staying in Antalya
You can book a hostel, an AirBNB, or a local hotel. The AirBNB and Hostel can cost you around $30 per night. They are furnished apartments and have all the luxuries that you would need to make yourself comfortable. Local three-star hotels can cost you around $80 to $100. However, the hotel chains available can cost around $150+ per night for the stay.
There are a lot of options for accommodations including luxurious hotels, camping and glamping sites, and apartments, and even beach houses. If you want to cover all the sites of Antalya and are on a short stay, then our advice would be to book an AirBNB site near the main attractions of the city. This way you can cover most of the area on foot and save on your travel expense. Since you would be near the city attractions, you will enjoy both the daytime and the nightlife of Antalya.
What to do in Antalya?
Countless attractions exist in Antalya. So, you won’t have a second to get bored. For starters, head to the beach and enjoy a walk along the coastline.
Konyaaltı‘s the best place as it offers cocktail shades near beaches. One of its famous beaches to visit is the Lara Beach.
If you want to walk around town, then start from the center of Antalya, Kaleiçi. The area is pretty rich in culture and art and you will find many art shops in the area where you can get gifts for your loved ones. Also had to the Hadrian’s Gate: Also known as Üçkapılar (The Three Gates) and Mermer Kapı (The Marble Gate). These were built in 130 A.D. in respect of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who visited the city that year.
Let’s not forget the Yivli Minaret Mosque also called the Alaaddin Mosque and Ulu Mosque.
Antalya has tour groups that you can join for rafting and scuba diving adventures. You can do these solo as well but doing them with a tour groups would be a lot more fun. Köprülü Canyon is a great place to go rafting. Its available from April to November.
You can also go Skiing if you are lucky and present at the right time in Antalya. Saklıkent is 50 km from Antalya’s city center. It’s located in the Toros and Beydağları hills, on Antalya’s west side. The trip would take a whole day because it is a 3rd-grade trip and involves heavy hiking. Saklıkent offers skiing between December and April.
Since Antalya is rich in waterfalls, you can visit some of the best ones available. These include Manavgat Waterfall, Düden Waterfalls, Kurşunlu Waterfall and many more.
And if you are still not tired, then take a stroll around the ancient city of Antalya. Antalya’s government has kept the old city separate from the modern architecture. These ruins are well protected, and they involve sites from far back dated 8th century B.C. onward.