6 Best Things We Did in Antalya, Turkey
During our first trip to Türkiye, Antalya quickly became one of our favorite places to explore.This coastal city has become a popular destination thanks to its history, culture, and natural beauty.
In this post, we’re sharing the 6 best things we did in Antalya, along with some tips and recommendations, to help inspire your own trip.
1. Take a Walking Tour of Antalya’s Old City
One of the best ways to immerse yourself in Antalya’s rich history and culture is by taking a walking tour of the Old City, known as Kaleiçi, meaning “inside the fortress walls”.
This central district is a maze of narrow streets lined with Ottoman-era houses, cute shops, and cafés. On a walking tour, you can see the historical landmarks like Hadrian’s Gate and the Clock Tower, while learning about the city’s past.
We Recommend: Old Town Walking Tour & Dessert Tasting with Onder – After much research, we found this independent local guide who stood out above the rest. Unlike other tour operators in Turkey, Onder doesn’t earn commission from souvenir shops and doesn’t make you “exit through the gift shop”.
As an art teacher by day, he’s excellent at sharing the stories of his city in an engaging way. Compared to the other offerings, we felt Onder’s Old Town tour was the best value for curious, independent travelers.
Check rates and availaiblity for the Old Town Walking Tour & Dessert Tasting > 
P.S. If you tour with Onder, please tell him that Jedd and Michelle of Intentional Travelers sent you!
2. Explore Ancient Ruins like Perga and Thermessos
One of the things we love most about Antalya is its proximity to truly incredible historical sites. You need a car to get to most of the sites, which could include renting your own, hiring a taxi, or joining a tour that provides transportation. 
We visited the ancient ruins at Perga with the same guide, Onder, and were blown away by its extravagance, including the impressive Roman theater, stadium, bath houses, and opulent shops.
The guide picked us up from Antalya by car so we didn’t have to worry about transportation. Then we walked all around the ancient city ruins for 2-3 hours, while Onder described what life was like and pointed out little clues to the past we never would have noticed ourselves.
There were also a couple excavation crews actively working to uncover more of the site, which is apparently a slow and never-ending endeavor!
Check rates and availability for Call of Ancient History in Perga tour >
Many of the grand statues that decorated Perga have been relocated to the Antalya Museum. The museum is easy to get to by street car.
TIP: Download the MüzeKart app in advance and bring your own earphones to the Antalya Museum. Then scan the QR code on your ticket in the AudioGuide section of the app to access the audioguide in English at no additional cost. (Otherwise they overcharge you to use the museum’s headsets.)
In the opposite direction from Perga, there are even more captivating ruins in the mountains at a site called Termessos. This one requires a bit more hiking.
Local guide, Onder, offers a private guided hiking tour in Termessos as well, however, we ended up visiting Termessos during a day trip with our own rental car.
After paying a small fee at the ticket booth, it was an additional 9 kilometer drive up a windy road to the Termessos parking lot. From there, we hiked up a trail about 20 minutes and followed signs around the various ruins, including gymnasium, impressive Roman theater, cisterns, and other buildings.
We continued in a big loop with short stops at the Arykanda ruins, which are free to enter up a narrow dirt lane. If we had more time, we would have stayed there longer, but we didn’t want to return to Antalya too late with our car rental.
Then we drove along the scenic coast and found the famous Myra site, where the apostle Peter and Paul visitied and home of St. Nicholas.
Strangely, Myra is now surrounding by industrial greenhouses. The site has a smaller footprint that any other we saw, yet it cost more to enter. Again, you can use the MüzeKart with the QR code on your ticket to access audioguides for your own self-guided tour.
3. Wander the Old City, Marina, and Coastal Parks
In addition to taking a tour, Antalya’s Old City (Kaleiçi), we loved just wandering through the old town, taking pictures of all the stray cats and dogs, looking at shops, and finding more and more panoramic vistas from the various parks along the coast.
Throughout Turkiye, stray cats and dogs are cared for communally. It’s a unique and endearing part of Turkish culture that often added a little extra delight for us in unexpected places.
The marina just below the Old City is a popular place for tourists, with several cafes and restaurants, and the departure point for boat tours.
Seaside parks around Antalya are a great place for views over the Mediterranean, with pedestrian and cycling pathways all the way out to the famous Lower Duden Waterfall overlook.
4. Try Turkish Food and Pastries
Turkish cuisine is a major highlight of any visit to Turkey. In Antalya, we tried all kinds of sweet and savory pastries, from baklava to simit (like a bagel) to borek (like delicate lasagna noodles baked with simple fillings), and of course delicious döner.
TIP: Though commonly referred to as “doner kebab” in other countries, in Turkiye, döner and kebap are two completely different dishes which refer to how they are cooked. The shaved meat, often served in a pita or wrap, is doner. Kebap is barbequed meat on a stick.
We Recommend: Önerim Döner It’s a shop near Republic Square in the center of Antalya. Specializing in chicken döner wraps with a tomato-based sauce, it’s one of the best values in town. Highly rated by locals and visitors alike, with a picture menu that makes it easy to order in any language.
We embraced the culinary adventure, from a full Turkish breakfast to pide (like flatbread pizza) and meze (like tapas), and we couldn’t get enough of the local flavors.
Our tour guide introduced us to the thick local icecream that’s served with a layer of durum wheat on top and drizzled with tahini, which tastes better than it might sound! You can get at a local chain called Milklaç all over town.
Inflation has affected Turkey quite a bit in recent years, so the cost of living is not as cheap as it once was. Still, we found that food prices in Antalya were lower than in the States and most countries in Western Europe.
5. Use Public Transportation
Getting around Antalya is simple and budget-friendly, thanks to its efficient bus and metro system. In December 2024, prices were 20 Turkish lira per ride (less than 60 cents USD), a flat fee for any distance.
We used Google Maps to catch trams and buses often to reach nearby attractions. The lightrail is clean and efficient, with a route from the airport to the old city running regularly.
TIP: Multiple travelers can use one Antalya Card and it’s valid for buses, streetcar, and lightrail. You can purchase a card from a machine at the airport (or any metro stop) before your first trip.
We got cash from an ATM on site and used 400 lira in bills to purchase the card and credit for rides (note that the machine does not give back change). Then, swipe the card at the turnstile once for each person to enter the metro boarding area.
Public transport not only saved us money but also allowed us to travel like locals.
TIP: If you could use help mastering Google Maps to navigate public transportation, translation apps to overcome language barriers, and online booking tools to find great flight and hotel deals, check out our Traveler’s Toolkit for courses that provide step-by-step guidance, no tech expertise required.
6. Visit Antalya During the Off-Season
Antalya saw record-breaking tourism in 2024 and has been ranked in the world’s top 5 for most international visitors. Thankfully, Antalya’s mild winters make it an excellent destination year-round so you can take advantage of visiting in the off season.
We visited in December and enjoyed smaller crowds and cooler weather, which made exploring even more enjoyable. With waterproof shoes and a good jacket, we were ready for any weather and loved the peaceful vibe of the off-season.
Bonus for Remote Workers and Digital Nomads
If you’re looking for community and/or a place to work in Antalya, a great hub to meet fellow travelers, expats, and locals is Coworking Antalya. Their memberships are designed to build community, with weekly events and a WhatsApp group to keep members in touch.
The coworking space is one of the most stunning locations we’ve seen. Their deck overlooks the marina in the Old City, with open-air and indoor desk space available, high speed wifi, recording room, kitchen, etc.
Although we were working from our apartment rental, we enjoyed stopping by to check out the space and meet the founder. We even got connected to fellow Oregonians there!
Where We Stayed: Antalya Royal Homes Apartments
If you’re visiting for the first time, the location of Royal Homes can’t be beat. It’s right on the edge of the old city, in walking distance from all the main attractions, a few blocks from two light rail lines, and steps from a fantastic döner shop and bakery.
The studios are small but modern with their own laundry machine, kitchenette, private bath, and a good amount of storage.
The top floor balconies are definitely worth it. The best views are facing the ocean but the city side also provides a glimpse of gorgeous mountains.
Check rates and availability for Royal Homes apartments on Booking.com >
We hope this guide gives you some ideas for your own trip to Antalya!From ancient ruins to delicious food and scenic walks, there’s much to discover in this beautiful city.
Let us know in the comments if you’ve been to Antalya or if you have any recommendations to share.
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