Best time
April - November
How long
7-10 days
Best for
Value beach weeks, families, sun
Perfect for
Beach / Families / Value / Sun
Why go to Antalya
Antalya gets treated as a resort strip, and a lot of it is. But the old town, Kaleici, is a real Ottoman quarter inside the city walls, and behind the coast the Taurus mountains rise fast, with waterfalls, gorges and ancient sites within an hour's drive. The combination is unusual: package convenience with something worth seeing when you get bored of the pool.
The value is the other reason. Food, transport and hotels cost significantly less than the equivalent in Spain or Greece, and the swimming season runs from May to late October.
What to do
Stay a night in Kaleici
The walled old town has restored wooden houses, a Roman harbour and far more character than the resort strips.
See the Duden waterfalls
The lower falls drop straight into the sea. Twenty minutes from the centre.
Visit the ancient sites
Perge, Aspendos and Termessos are all day trip distance and much quieter than the equivalents in Greece or Italy.
Take a boat along the coast
Half day trips leave from the old harbour and stop for swimming in coves you cannot reach by road.
Spend a morning at Konyaalti beach
Long pebble beach with the mountains behind it. Cleaner and calmer than the sand at Lara.
Eat outside the hotel
Even for all inclusive guests, one dinner in the old town changes the trip.
Where to stay
Kaleici
Boutique hotels in restored houses. Best for couples and anyone who wants a city rather than a resort.
Lara
Big beachfront resorts, mostly all inclusive, with sandy beach. Efficient for families.
Konyaalti
More local, with apartments and mid range hotels near a long beach and the mountains.
Getting there and around
- Antalya airport (AYT) is a major charter and scheduled hub with short transfers, typically 15 to 40 minutes.
- Direct flights operate from much of Europe in summer, with reduced service in winter.
- Domestic connections via Istanbul run frequently if there is no direct route from your city.
Trams and buses run along the coast and are very cheap. Taxis are affordable, but agree on the meter. A car helps for the ancient sites and mountains.
What it costs
Budget: Very low. Local food, public transport and modest hotels make a week here cheap by European standards.
Mid range: Four star all inclusive or a boutique hotel in the old town, plus a couple of excursions.
Higher end: Large five star resorts at Lara and Belek. The value at this level is often striking.
Read next
Articles about Antalya style trips
Budget Travel
How to Choose Between Budget and Comfort Travel
Spending more does not automatically make a trip better. Spending it in the right place usually does.
6 min read
Travel by Feeling
How to Plan a Relaxing Beach Trip
Rest is a logistics problem. Get four decisions right and the week takes care of itself.
6 min read
Budget Travel
How to Set a Travel Budget That Survives the Trip
Most budgets fail in the same three places. They are easy to plan for.
6 min read
Related
You might also like
Turkey
Istanbul
Enormous, layered and loud in the best way. Istanbul rewards a longer trip than most people give it.
Greece
Crete
Greece's largest island: Venetian harbours, mountain villages, gorges and some of the best beaches in the Mediterranean.
Portugal
Algarve
Portugal's southern coast: sandstone cliffs, hidden coves and small towns that stay pleasant well outside July and August.
Thinking about Antalya?
Send us your dates and we will tell you whether it is the right call, and what to book first.