Holidays in Antalya

The resort offers positive emotions to tourists who want to enjoy water sports, go yachting, visit a good fish restaurant or relax on the pristine city beach. The hotel cluster offers comfortable rooms for fans of modern interiors and rooms decorated in Oriental style. Hotel complexes feature diving centers and kids’ clubs, tour bureaus, water parks and spa centers with impeccable service.

Where it is located

This city of over a million residents, a cultural and historical center of Turkey, is located in the southern part of the country on the Mediterranean coast. Antalya is one of the most beautiful cities in Turkey, with its own port and excellent service for tourists. It stretches along a picturesque bay. It is immersed in lush greenery of oleanders and lemon trees, tall palms and flowering plants. It is surrounded on three sides by the Taurus Mountains with snow-capped peaks. The distance from the airport to the city infrastructure is only 12 km, so transfers to Antalya hotels take minimal time.

When it’s best to go

The high season falls on the summer months. In June, July and August, the city turns into a Mecca for a wide variety of tourists. The comfortable sea temperature and hot climate attract both young and active travelers and families with children, as well as individual holidaymakers. In October, interest in the resort decreases, as the velvet season, which begins in September, comes to an end.

Antalya is chosen in the winter months only by tourists who are interested in spa services. The outdoor temperature in January is about +17 °C, and when the weather worsens it drops to +10 °C. Staying outdoors becomes only minimally comfortable during strong gusts of wind coming from the mountains. The unpredictable winter weather is not an obstacle to a holiday in Turkey for those who want to save money on their trip.

What to do

First-class hotels and pristine beaches welcome tourists arriving in Antalya. There is no place for boredom here. The resort will delight those who prefer to lie passively on the beach, as well as vacationers who plan to fully immerse themselves in water sports, take walking and boat trips, visit an oriental bazaar and have fun in the evenings.

To take a break from the beach and diversify children’s leisure, it is worth visiting the local amusement park and zoo. Young travelers will enjoy the various rides and representatives of the world’s fauna.

• Kaleiçi
  Antalya is divided into two parts – the Old and the New City. All the most significant historical attractions are located behind the walls of the Old City, called «Kaleiçi». Tourists are first introduced to a majestic white-stone structure – Hadrian’s Gate. It was erected in memory of Emperor Hadrian, who visited the city during his journey through the lands of modern Turkey.
• The Yivli Minaret can be seen from every corner of Antalya. It towers over the city and is one of the most iconic structures in the Islamic world. It is faced with brick mosaics. Tourists are attracted by the unusual shape of the minaret and the remains of cobalt turquoise that once adorned its walls. Nearby is a 14th-century temple built on the site of a destroyed mosque of which the minaret was a part.
• The Museum of Modern Art occupies the grounds of the Mevlevihane Monastery, founded by an outstanding Persian poet, an apologist for Sufism (one of the fundamental currents of the Muslim religion).
• Every year, the monastery hosts a festival of whirling monks (dervishes), followers of Sufism.
• Ruins of ancient Myra
  This ancient monument is known for its mass burials located on the top of a rock.
• Ruins of ancient Termessos
  The amphitheater and other infrastructure facilities of the ancient city lie in ruins today, but at one time they could not be conquered by the legendary Alexander the Great. This is perhaps the only city that did not surrender to the masterful commander.
• Toy Museum
  Family vacation memories will be brighter and more vivid if parents take their children to a museum where characters from favorite cartoons are collected, as well as toys representing different eras and nationalities.
• Oceanarium
  More than 20,000 different fish and mammals live in thematic zones (the Red Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean, etc.). The panoramic tunnel is filled with original decorations – a sunken ship, an airplane, amphorae, statues. After walking 131 meters, the tourist seems to plunge under a mass of water. The spectacle is simply amazing and delights not only children, but also adults.

Where to eat

It is not difficult to satisfy your hunger in Antalya. Restaurants and cafes can be found all over the city. The highest concentration of dining establishments is around the port, in the central part of Antalya and in Kaleiçi. You can have a hearty and inexpensive snack in eateries and at street stalls. The prices are quite reasonable and the food is hearty and tasty. For a substantial dinner or lunch, visit one of the restaurants serving local, Mediterranean, Brazilian, Japanese or international cuisine.

• İskele Balık Pişiricisi
  A Turkish cuisine restaurant with polite staff and great conditions for dinner. The chef is excellent at cooking fish soup and octopus, calamari and other seafood. The menu includes numerous salads, sarma, cheeses and wonderfully cooked sea bass. The portions are large, the food is delicious, and the prices are affordable for the average tourist.
• Aynalı
  The restaurant specializes in fish dishes of Turkish and Mediterranean cuisines. It is a venue for premium tourists. It is popular with lovers of shrimp, salads, calamari, sea and river fish. The menu also includes steaks, pizza and poultry dishes. The attentive staff will offer you a table by a panoramic window with a wonderful view. Prices match the status of the restaurant and the quality of the dishes.

What to combine it with

A holiday in Antalya is diverse, engaging and filled with good impressions and a positive mood. Swimming in the sea is alternated with walks through park areas and visits to architectural monuments in the city’s surroundings.