aNTALYA

What Antalya Is Famous For

Antalya's reputation rests on a combination that's genuinely rare, a well-preserved Ottoman old town, some of the best Roman-era ruins in the Mediterranean, and a coastline turquoise enough to headline its own tourism campaign. It's the anchor of what's commonly called the Turkish Riviera, and for many international visitors, particularly from Northern Europe, it's the single most popular beach destination in the country.

Food and Culture

Antalya's food scene draws on both its Mediterranean coastal setting and its inland agricultural surroundings. Piyaz, a local white bean salad with a tahini-based dressing, often served alongside grilled meat, is a distinctly Antalya specialty rarely found in quite the same form elsewhere in Turkey. Tandır kebabı, lamb slow-cooked in an underground clay oven until it falls off the bone is another regional standout worth seeking out at a proper local restaurant rather than a hotel buffet.

Given the coastal setting, fresh Mediterranean seafood is a natural focus, grilled sea bass and sea bream are harborside staples, best eaten right on the water in Kaleiçi as the sun goes down. For dessert, şıralı kabak tatlısı, a candied pumpkin dish sweetened with grape molasses rather than refined sugar, reflects the region's strong agricultural roots.

The surrounding region is also one of Turkey's biggest citrus producers, and fresh orange and pomegranate juice stands are a common, refreshing sight throughout the city, especially during the hotter months.

Culturally, Antalya blends the more international, resort-town atmosphere of its beach districts with the older, distinctly Turkish rhythms of Kaleiçi, tea gardens along the clifftop parks, the call to prayer echoing from the old town's mosques, and a noticeably warmer, more relaxed pace than Istanbul's more frenetic energy.

Shopping in Antalya

Kaleiçi's narrow streets are full of small boutiques selling ceramics, textiles, and leather goods, alongside more tourist-oriented shops selling Turkish delight, spices, and the usual souvenir staples. For a more local shopping experience, the weekly markets (pazar) held in various neighborhoods throughout the week offer fresh produce, textiles, and household goods at prices well below anything in the old town's tourist-facing shops, ask your hotel which day and neighborhood hosts the nearest one.

For something more polished, Antalya has a handful of modern shopping malls on the city's outskirts, useful if you need something specific rather than a souvenir, or want air conditioning on a particularly hot afternoon.

Watersports and Boat Trips

Beyond swimming, Antalya's coastline supports a wide range of watersports, jet skiing, parasailing, and banana boat rides are all readily available along the main resort beaches, particularly Lara and Konyaaltı. For something calmer, glass-bottom boat tours out of Kaleiçi Marina offer views of the underwater terrain and coastline without requiring you to get in the water yourself.

Scuba diving is also popular along this stretch of coast, with several dive schools operating out of Antalya and nearby Kaş offering everything from beginner introductory dives to full certification courses.

Family Travel Notes

Antalya is a genuinely solid choice for family trips, particularly given the combination of calm, shallow sections of beach at Lara and Konyaaltı, plenty of all-inclusive resort options designed with kids in mind, and ruins like Aspendos and Perge that are impressive enough to hold a child's attention without requiring a full day of walking. Antalya Aquarium, one of the largest in the world, is a popular rainy-day or midday-heat alternative to the beach, and several water parks operate seasonally around the city's resort districts.