City Tours in Antalya, Turkey

Here are some sample Antalya city tours and excursions available from TTP's recommended tour companies and travel agencies.

(The actual programs of each tour company will vary, but these samples give you an idea of what you may see.)

Antalya City Tour

(4 hours)

On your first or second day in Antalya, why not see the top sights on a comfortable, escorted, air-conditioned tour? Cruise the city's palm-lined boulevards stopping at Hadrian's Gate, the Clock Tower at Kalekapısı, Republic Square with its dramatic statueand excellent views of the Mediterranean coast and the distant Olimpos Mountains. Descending from the square, you explore the narrow, winding streets of historic Old Antalya (Kaleiçi), filled with graceful Ottoman-era houses and gardens. Last stop is the fine Antalya Museum, which is somewhat out of the city center and easiest to visit on a tour. More....

Perge, Aspendos & Side Excursion

(9 hours) Head eastward along the coast to Perge, with its fine theater, stadium, mammoth towered gate and colonnaded marble street, then continue to Aspendoswhich has the best-preserved classical theater on the Mediterranean.

Enjoy a picnic lunch by the famous waterfalls in Manavgat, then explore Side and its beaches as you like. This tour is an efficient, comfortable way to visit and enjoy the major sights east of Antalya. More....

Termessos Excursion

(5 hours) Isolated—on purpose—high in the mountains north of Antalya, Termessos is among the most striking and dramatic ancient cities in the region. Because of its location it's a bit difficult to get to, which is why a private tour makes sense. This one includes a stop at the Düden Waterfalls as well. More....

Demre, Myra & Kekova Tour

(12-1/2 hours) Pack your bathing-suit and journey south and west along the Mediterranean shore to Demre(Myra), where you embark for a cruise to Kekova Island, site of the ancient city of Simena. Some of its Byzantine-era ruins are on the island, others are submerged—Atlantis-like—beneath the clear Mediterranean waters. Swim and snorkel in the sky-blue water, gazing down at the "sunken city" now populated by crabs and fish.

Back on land, you'll see Myra's ancient rock-hewn cliff tombs, Roman theater, and fertile river delta covered with orchards and greenhouses. Myra is famous as the seat of a 4th-century Byzantine bishop named Nicholas who, sainted for his charitable works, was changed by myth and legend into Santa Claus/Father Christmas. You'll visit the church dedicated to him and see where he was buried. More....

Jeep Safari to Mediterranean Villages

(6 hours) Get out of the city and into the countryside to see how the local people live. In a Mediterranean village set amidst the verdant hills you'll try gözleme (savory Turkish flatbread "crêpes") and ayran (a refreshing drink of fresh yoghurt mixed with cool springwater) as you talk with the villagers. Lots of photo ops on this trip! More....

Pamukkale & Aphrodisias Excursion

(2 days) Pack your bathing suit in your overnight bag and drive up through the mountains and onto the Anatolian plateau to Pamukkale, the "Cotton Castle." Bathe in its naturally warm, calcium-laden mineral waters and admire the billows of gleaming white stonecascading down the steep mountainside. There's time to explore the extensive ruins of the Roman spa city of Hierapolis, right there on the Pamukkale pleateau, if you like.

You'll also visit the well-preserved ruins of Aphrodisias, the City of the Goddess of Love, with a near-perfect Great Theater and Odeon of white marble, and a stadium almost ready for the chariots to run again, before returning to Antalya. More....

—Tom Brosnahan