Antalya — Turkey's fifth-largest city and the gateway to the Turkish Riviera (the Turquoise Coast), set in a broad bay between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean, its cliff-backed coastline of turquoise water backed by a dramatic mountain rampart that brings snow-covered peaks into view above the beach — is the most visited city in Turkey after Istanbul, a distinction achieved by its combination of one of the finest old town centres in Turkey (Kaleiçi, the Roman and Ottoman harbour district within Roman walls, its restored konaks and boutique hotels occupying buildings 2,000 years old), world-class beach infrastructure (Konyaaltı to the west and Lara to the east are both fine sand beaches with full facilities) and extraordinary archaeological density (the Antalya region contains more ancient ruins — Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Lycian — than almost anywhere in the world, concentrated along a coastline of exceptional natural beauty).
The Turquoise Coast — the 600km stretch of Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Bodrum, its name derived from the extraordinary colour of the sea (the combination of the shallow limestone seabed, the high altitude of the Taurus Mountains providing clear air, and the intense southern Mediterranean sun produces a turquoise that intensifies rather than dulls the closer you look) — has been one of the world's finest cruising grounds since the Blue Voyage (Mavi Yolculuk) tradition was established in the 1970s by the Turkish poet Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı: wooden gulet (traditional Turkish boat) cruises of 4–14 days between Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye, Kaş, Kalkan and Antalya constitute one of the finest travel experiences in the Mediterranean world.
Kaleiçi Old Town & the Antalya Museum
Kaleiçi — the historic harbour district of Antalya, its Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman layers physically readable in the walls, towers and street plan of the old city — is one of the finest historic centres in Turkey: the Roman Harbour (still in use as a yacht marina), the Hadrian's Gate (a triumphal arch of 130 CE built for the emperor's visit, its three passageways and column grooves for the portcullis remarkably intact), the Hıdırlık Tower (a 2nd-century Roman tower on the cliff above the sea), the Yivli Minaret (the 13th-century Seljuk fluted minaret, the symbol of Antalya), and the restored street pattern of the Ottoman residential quarter (now largely boutique hotels, restaurants and carpet shops) combine to create a historic quarter of genuine character and considerable beauty. The Antalya Archaeological Museum (1.5km west of Kaleiçi, open Tuesday–Sunday, €10) is one of the finest archaeology museums in Turkey: the Hall of the Gods (Roman sculpture from the Perge excavations, an extraordinary assembly of imperial-era marble statuary), the sarcophagus gallery and the Perge finds collectively make it a necessary complement to any Perge or Side visit.
Side, Perge & the Ancient Cities
Side — 75km east of Antalya on the Manavgat coast, a Pamphylian port city founded in the 7th century BCE and reaching its peak in the Roman period — is the most accessible and most beautiful ancient city on the Turquoise Coast: the Temple of Apollo (a colonnade of five remaining columns of the 2nd-century CE temple, directly on the sea, the sunset photograph of the Antalya region) and the Temple of Athena (adjacent), the Roman theatre (the second-largest in Anatolia, seating 15,000, still remarkably intact), the colonnaded main street (still the main street of the modern village of Side, its ancient Roman columns visible between the souvenir shops) and the harbour make Side one of the finest combinations of living town and ancient monument in Turkey. Perge — 17km east of Antalya, a Greek-founded city of the Hellenistic and Roman periods — has the finest colonnaded street in Anatolia (1,700 metres, with the original paving stones and gutter channel still in place), a remarkable stadium seating 12,000 and a theatre of 15,000 capacity.
The Turquoise Coast & Gulet Cruising
The gulet cruise — a 4–14 day sailing journey on a traditional wooden Turkish schooner between Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye, Kas and Antalya (or any section thereof) — is one of the finest travel experiences in the Mediterranean: days spent anchoring in remote bays where the turquoise water is 20-metre-clarity clear, swimming from the boat, eating fresh fish at fishing village quays, visiting ancient Lycian ruins and sleeping in a private cabin with the Taurus Mountains above and the stars overhead. Full gulet charter (private charter of a 6–10 cabin boat, approximately £2,000–3,000/week for the boat, passengers provide food) gives complete flexibility; cabin charter (sharing a boat with other travellers, from approximately £600–900/person/week including meals) makes gulet cruising accessible at a much lower price point. Organised cabin gulet cruises from Bodrum, Marmaris or Fethiye are bookable through Turkish travel operators year-round; May, June and September are the finest months (July–August intensely hot).
