Antalya Travel Guide: Old Town, Beaches and Roman Ruins

Antalya pairs a walkable Roman-Ottoman old town with two of the most complete ancient cities in the Mediterranean, all inside an hour’s drive. Three days does it properly: Kaleici and the harbour, Perge plus Aspendos, and the waterfalls with a beach afternoon. This antalya travel guide covers where to stay, what each sight costs, which day trips earn the drive, and the one 2026 closure that breaks older itineraries.

Key Takeaways

• Stay in Kaleici for culture on foot; pick Lara only if the resort stay is the trip.
• Aspendos costs 15 euros and Perge 11; everything else on the classic circuit (old town, harbour, Lower Duden) is free.
• The Antalya Museum is closed for rebuilding through at least late 2026. Plan around Perge and Aspendos instead.
• April to June and September to October bring swimmable seas without the 34-degree-plus July heat.
• Mid-range days run about 2,500 to 4,000 lira (55 to 90 euros); a full culture day on public transport stays far below that.

Where should you stay: Kaleici, Konyaalti or Lara?

Kaleici is the walled old town on the cliff above the Roman harbour, and the right base for anything except a pure resort holiday. Hadrian’s Gate, a triple marble arch from 130 AD, opens onto lanes of restored Ottoman houses where the Yivli Minaret, the clock tower, Hidirlik Tower and the old bazaar sit within a 15-minute walk. Mornings before 10:00 belong to residents; after the day boats unload, the lanes fill (Turkey Family Tours).

Area	Character	Suits	Trade-off
Kaleici	Ottoman houses, harbour, walkable sights	Culture trips, couples, families	Premium for location; no cars, mind luggage
Konyaalti	7 km pebble beach, promenade, local life	Swimmers, longer stays	10 to 15 minutes west of the old town
Lara and Kundu	Sandy beach, all-inclusive resort strip	Resort holidays	Fenced compounds; least Turkish-feeling base

Konyaalti wins for a trip built around the city itself: a real coastal neighbourhood where families swim after work, backed by the Beydaglari mountains, with the aquarium and Beach Park at its eastern end. Lara makes sense on exactly one condition, that the all-inclusive stay with a private beach is the point. Its public eastern beach works, but nothing there beats Konyaalti for travellers sleeping in town (TravelerMania 2026).

Hadrian’s Gate, built for the emperor’s visit in 130 AD. The whole Kaleici circuit beyond it costs nothing.

What should you see in three days?

Day one stays inside the walls and costs nothing. Enter through Hadrian’s Gate, wander to the Yivli Minaret and the broken minaret (Kesik Minare), browse the old bazaar for spices and ceramics, then drop to the Roman harbour for lunch and walk up to Hidirlik Tower for sunset over the gulf. Two to three hours covers the lanes at a slow pace; the light after 17:00 flatters everything.

Day two goes east to the Romans. Perge, 25 to 30 minutes out, gives the complete city: colonnaded main street, baths, agora and a stadium that once held 12,000. Aspendos, 40 to 50 minutes out, keeps the best-preserved theatre in the Mediterranean, its stage building standing to full height with the roof line intact, still used for the September to October opera festival. Entry runs 15 euros for Aspendos and 11 for Perge, both open from 08:00; arrive before 10:00 and the heat and buses stay behind you (Turkey Family Tours).

Aspendos theatre, second century AD. A coin dropped on the orchestra floor carries to the top row.

Day three belongs to water. The Duden river reaches the sea twice, and the two falls confuse every first-timer. Upper Duden, inland near Kepez, charges about 100 lira plus parking and offers the novelty of a walkway behind the cascade into a cave. Lower Duden, 10 km east in a public park, drops 40 metres straight off the cliff into the Mediterranean, free, open around the clock. If the day allows one, Lower Duden is the more striking; boat trips from the old harbour (35 to 50 dollars) frame it best (Nomado 2026).

The 2026 wrinkle: the Antalya Archaeological Museum, one of Turkey’s three best, is shut for a full rebuild through at least late 2026. Older guides centre days on it; ignore them. Its star pieces came from Perge anyway, and walking the colonnaded street beats the glass case.

The Lower Duden falls dropping straight into the Mediterranean east of Kaleici. Boat trips from the old harbour frame it from the water.

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Which day trips earn the drive?

Destination	Drive from Kaleici	Entry	Time needed
Perge	25 to 30 min east	11 euros	1.5 to 2 hours
Lower Duden	15 to 20 min east	Free	30 minutes
Aspendos	40 to 50 min east	15 euros	1.5 hours
Termessos	35 to 45 min plus climb	3 euros	3 hours total
Side	60 to 75 min east	Ruins open, museum extra	2 hours
Olympos and Cirali	70 to 90 min southwest	Beach free	Half day plus evening

Perge and Aspendos pair into one day on the same eastern road, with Lower Duden as the return stop. Termessos suits active travellers: a mountain city with a theatre above the clouds, reached by a 30 to 40 minute uphill walk in sturdy shoes, for the cheapest major ticket in the region at 3 euros. Side adds a seaside temple of Apollo and an old-town evening; Olympos pairs treehouse hostels, a pebble beach and the eternal hillside flames of the Chimaera (Yanartas) after dark.

Run the numbers on the classic circuit and Antalya embarrasses most Mediterranean culture stops. Kaleici, the harbour and Hidirlik cost nothing. Lower Duden costs nothing. Aspendos (15 euros) plus Perge (11) total 26 euros for the pair, which is less than a single major museum ticket in Istanbul or Rome. Transport and food decide the day’s real price, not entries: the sites are the cheapest line on the bill.

Organised tours bundle Perge and Aspendos with transport and a guide, and consistently undercut Kaleici street-vendor prices by 40 to 60% when booked online first (Nomado). Public buses reach Perge with transfers, but the connections eat hours; for Aspendos, a tour or taxi split between travellers beats the bus every time.

What does Antalya cost, and how do you get around?

The airport sits 13 km east; the AntRay tram runs from the terminal through the centre toward Konyaalti. AntalyaKart is the reloadable transit card: about 42 lira a ride with it, 50 tapping a contactless bank card, and no cash accepted on trams or buses. Dolmus minibuses fill the gaps (Kaleici to Lara, Kaleici to Konyaalti), cash only. Taxis meter by law from about 25 lira flag plus 30 per km; insist on the meter, since flat special prices near the sights are the classic overcharge (TravelerMania).

Daily budget	What it buys	Per person
Budget	Pansiyon, simit breakfasts, tram, free sites	1,500 to 2,500 lira (33 to 55 euros)
Mid-range	Boutique hotel, restaurant meals, one tour	2,500 to 4,000 lira (55 to 90 euros)
Resort	All-inclusive Lara property	6,000 lira plus (130 euros plus)

Food stays kind: a Kaleici breakfast of simit, olives, cheese and tea runs 100 to 150 lira, a beach pide 80 to 150, a proper fish dinner 250 to 500 per main dish. A centuries-old hammam such as Sefa inside the walls charges 25 to 75 euros for the full steam, scrub and massage; confirm the breakdown before agreeing, since extras price separately.

April to June and September to October are the sweet spot: seas from 23 degrees, ruins walkable at midday, crowds thin. July and August average 34 degrees with spikes past 40; swim early or late and tour before 10:00. Winter is mild and rainy, resorts skeletal, Kaleici pleasantly empty. Combine the coast with Istanbul and Cappadocia for the classic triangle, and use the Turkey hub plus the itineraries, food, budget and tips pages to shape the rest.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need in Antalya?

Three full days covers Kaleici, one beach, the Duden waterfalls and one ruins day (Perge plus Aspendos) without rushing. Five days adds the second beach, a hammam and a slower afternoon. Two days forces a choice between the old town and the ancient cities.

Is the Antalya Museum open in 2026?

No. The Antalya Archaeological Museum is closed for a full rebuild through at least late 2026, so do not build a day around it. Perge and Aspendos themselves are open normally, which matters more: the statues the museum held came from those sites, and you can still walk the originals.

Should you stay in Kaleici, Konyaalti or Lara?

Kaleici for culture: a walled old town of Ottoman houses where Hadrian's Gate, the harbour and the bazaar sit within a 15-minute walk. Konyaalti for a city beach with local life, 7 km of pebbles west of centre. Lara only if the all-inclusive resort stay is the point of the trip.

Which is better, Aspendos or Perge?

Do both in one day; they sit on the same road east and the pair costs 26 euros. Aspendos has the best-preserved Roman theatre in the Mediterranean with its stage building intact. Perge gives the full city: colonnaded street, baths, agora and a 12,000-seat stadium. Go before 10:00 to beat the heat and the buses.

Do you need cash in Antalya?

Some. Cards work in hotels, restaurants and at site ticket offices, but dolmus minibuses are cash only and the tram and city buses take no cash at all: you need an AntalyaKart or a contactless bank card (about 42 versus 50 lira a ride). Carry small notes for bazaars, beach vendors and tips.

Can you combine Antalya with Istanbul and Cappadocia?

That is the classic 10-day Turkey triangle: 4 or 5 days in Istanbul, 3 in Cappadocia, 3 in Antalya, linked by short domestic flights. See the Istanbul and Cappadocia guides for the other two corners.

Useful links (4)

1. Things to Do in Antalya: 16 Sites, Drive Times and What Is Open, Turkey Family Tours— turkeyfamilytours.com
2. Antalya Travel Guide 2026, TravelerMania— travelermania.com
3. Best Things to Do in Antalya (2026 Guide), Nomado Travel— nomadotravel.app
4. Practical 3-Day Antalya Itinerary, 3 Day Guide— 3dayguide.com

Photo credits

Thank you to REHBER0770, Bernard Gagnon, Dosseman and Saffron Blaze for sharing these beautiful photographs and helping bring this guide to life.

Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY 3.0