The city of Antalya
Tourist capital of the south of Turkey, Antalya has become a large urban area and has benefited from the boom in tourism in the region. The old town is full of charm and of monuments to discover. A place not to be missed for anyone staying in the region, and a very good base for discovering the many tourist sites nearby.
If you are staying in one of the very many hotels on the coast, a visit to Antalya is easy to arrange. The town's nightlife is very lively, and there are many bars and nightclubs.
Practical information:
The town of Antalya lies on the south coast (the Turkish Riviera), of which it is the principal town, with a population of 2.2 million inhabitants. Its international airport, situated to the east of the town, is the usual point of arrival for tourists to the region.
Reaching Antalya:
From the airport : The airport lies a little under ten kilometres from the old town of Antalya; you can make the journey by taxi or by bus.
Town bus : bus no. 600 stops in the modern town and then at the Otogar (bus station), which is further from the town centre. If you are staying in the old town, we recommend finishing the journey by taxi.
Taxi: the most practical and the quickest solution for reaching your hotel.
Car: if you have a car with you, the difficulty will be parking if you are staying in the old town. Ask your hotelier how to reach the hotel, how to obtain access authorisation, and whether he has a car park available or one to recommend.
Useful links:
Antalya airport: https://www.antalya-airport.aero/
Airport taxi: http://www.antalyaairporttaxi.net/
Parking in Antalya:
The old town is closed to traffic, except for authorised people (such as those staying in a hotel in the historic centre). Several paid multi-storey car parks exist in the town. You can, for example, use the one at the junction of Cumhuriyet caddesi and 21 sokak. Drive up Cumhuriyet caddesi towards the town centre (the sea is on your right) until the road becomes closed to vehicles and you have to turn left into 21 sokak. Immediately on the right is the entrance to the car park. GPS coordinates: N36.887050, E30.702739
History of Antalya:
The town of Antalya was founded around 150 BC by Attalus II, king of Pergamon, probably on the site of a town that already existed. He gave it the name Attaleia. As the town's situation was highly strategic, he decided to establish an important base for his war fleet and ensured its protection by building fortifications. On the death of his successor, Attalus III, the kingdom of Pergamon and the town of Antalya were bequeathed to Rome, which incorporated it into the empire. Under the Roman Empire, the town enjoyed great prosperity, particularly in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
The town then formed part of the Byzantine Empire, a period during which it remained prosperous, with an important harbour and strong commercial activity.
At the beginning of the 13th century the town passed under the domination of the Seljuk Turks and then of the Ottomans. The town remained a place of great importance, a strategic position on the Mediterranean throughout its history.
In the 20th century the town experienced considerable growth, first through the migration of Turkish populations towards Antalya after the First World War, then through economic migration, the town attracting people in search of work, which tourism provides.
Worth a visit
We suggest starting the visit at Cumhuriyet Meydanı (Republic Square), situated to the north-east of the old town, at the end of cumhuriyet caddesi (Republic Street). A car park is situated beside it (see practical information).
Cumhuriyet Meydanı: a large monument occupies the centre of this vast square: Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, surrounded by statues representing Liberation, Unity and Solidarity. From the esplanade, a fine view over the town, its monuments and the sea.
Continue along Cumhuriyet caddesi; you will pass stretches of ramparts punctuated by towers of the Roman period. Take the opportunity to taste the famous Turkish ice cream, with its elastic texture, made with a base of flour from an orchid bulb. Serving the ice cream is generally accompanied by little tricks that take advantage of the ice cream's particular texture. A real show!
At the roadside, carriages wait for a ride (for a charge). The circuit on offer is unfortunately of no interest, as it takes place entirely in the modern town, the old town not being practicable for the horses... Unless you have young children or a wish for a carriage ride, it is therefore of very little interest.
Continuing on, you will reach the Clock Tower. This former tower of the Roman ramparts was converted into a clock.
Continue along Cumhuriyet caddesi until you reach the Yenigün shop, an institution of the town, specialising in jams, honey, Turkish delight and other traditional products.
Shortly afterwards, turn right into Inönü sokak, recognisable by its decoration of colourful umbrellas. There are many restaurants in the street. At the end, turn right and then take the street on the left, Imaret sokak. This small street is lined with buildings, some of them dilapidated, which are traditional Ottoman houses. Continue straight on until you reach Hadrian's Gate, set back on your left.
Hadrian's Gate: this very fine gate of white marble was built in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian (AD 117 to 138), who visited the town in 130. The three arches that make up this gate give it the appearance of a triumphal arch. The decoration is provided by columns in front of the gate and by the vaults, ornamented with coffers, that form the 3 passages. Small lions' heads complete the decoration of the cornice. The gate originally had a second storey, which has entirely disappeared.
Set beside Hadrian's Gate, part of the ramparts is sometimes accessible for a few metres, which will allow you to have an interesting view of the ramparts and the gate.
Continue your visit by going back inside the ramparts, and walk up Hesapçı street until you meet Kocatep street, which you take on your left to reach the small Suna and İnan Kıraç Museum (Kaleiçi museum): Official website of the museum
This museum, housed in a former typical 19th-century house, uses mannequins to display scenes of traditional life such as a wedding, the serving of tea, shaving... The museum also shelters a former Orthodox church, dedicated to St George and rebuilt in 1863, as the inscription on the lintel of the door indicates. It was abandoned after 1920 following the population exchanges carried out between Greece and Turkey at the fall of the Ottoman Empire. There you will find a fine collection of Çanakkale ceramics as well as temporary exhibitions.
On leaving the museum, return to Hesapçı street, which you take on the left (opposite Hadrian's Gate). Go down the street, enjoying the fine Ottoman houses, often attractively restored. Continue along this street until you come to the Kesik Minare, the truncated minaret.
This ruin is interesting for its transformations over the centuries. Originally it was a Roman temple of the 2nd century, converted into a Byzantine church in the 6th century and then into a mosque in the 14th century.
The building was largely ruined in the 19th century by a fire, but the minaret, partly destroyed, remains an emblem of the town.
The ruins unfortunately cannot be visited, but you can make out part of them and find elements from these different periods.
Continue your visit along Sakarya street and then, in its continuation, Kadir Pasa street. Then take on your right the street that leads to Karaalioğlu Park. Walk up the path on the right to the viewpoint laid out over the sea, the Taurus Mountains and part of the town. At sunset, the viewpoint is remarkable.
From here you discover the Hıdırlık tower, which you soon reach. This massive tower, a round structure set on a square base, is dated to the 2nd century AD, during the Roman period. This tower is said to have served as a mausoleum or a lighthouse before being incorporated into the town's defensive system, its position allowing it to watch the bay and the harbour.
Head now towards the Roman harbour, passing through the small sloping streets and stairways, lined with fine houses.
The harbour, whose existence is attested from the 2nd century AD, is surrounded by cliffs and by the slopes of the old town. The breakwaters were built by the Seljuks to give it better protection. The harbour was the economic heart of the town for centuries before being turned into a marina for tourist boats and a few fishing boats. Many restaurants, bars, nightclubs and street vendors animate the harbour.
Many boat excursions are on offer; you only have to let the touts approach you. You can choose a simple trip of a little under an hour along the coast to come close to the waterfalls and enjoy the coastal scenery, or a full-day or half-day outing that will take you, for example, to sites such as Phaselis. These trips are truly pleasant to take and we recommend them, all the more so as the price is usually reasonable and open to negotiation.
Go round the harbour and take the opportunity to discover the parts of the ramparts that are still well preserved, as well as the views over the town.
Begin your climb back up through the town along the shopping streets, by way of Tuzkapisi street, which continues the quay of the same name, then by taking Iskele street on the right, which will lead you to the way out of the town.
In the upper part of the town, stop at the Yivli Minare, the fluted minaret, one of the symbols of the town. This tall 13th-century minaret, of red brick and glazed tiles, overlooking Antalya, is part of a complex comprising a mosque of the same period, a madrasa (religious school), tombs...
Continue your climb as far as the clock tower. Situated just below, the Tekeli Mehmet Paşa Mosque, built in the 18th century, can be visited. The Arabic calligraphy of the glazed tiles above the windows is remarkable.
If you are travelling by car or by bus, on leaving the town towards Alanya, you can stop at the Düden Çayı waterfalls, the place where the Düden river falls into the sea.
Practical information: address of the paid car park: Antalya, at the junction of Lara Caddesi (Güzeloba) and 2070 sokak (south-west of the airport).
GPS coordinates: N36.851835, E30.781392
The viewpoint over the Düden waterfalls is situated in a park, very busy at the weekend, where there are places to eat beside the river, a few tourist attractions such as dromedary rides, and the view of the Düden falls. Without being particularly remarkable, the walk is nevertheless pleasant to take.
