Things to do in Antalya & the Mediterranean Coast

In Antalya, the Roman-era Hadrian's Gate leads into the walled old town of Kaleiçi, whose narrow lanes run down to the old harbour, now a marina with cafés and cliff boat trips, while the Düden River surfaces at Düdenbaşı as the Upper Düden Waterfall and then drops about 40 m over a travertine ledge straight into the Mediterranean. East of the city, the 2nd-century theatre of Aspendos, seating about 15,000, is one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in Türkiye, Perge has Hellenistic twin towers, a long colonnaded street with a water channel and a stadium that held about 12,000, and at Side a theatre with a three-storey stage building stands near the seaside temples of Apollo and Athena. Alanya Castle crowns a peninsula with walls of about 6.5 km, and the 33 m Red Tower stands by the harbour below. Heading west along the Lycian coast, a walled river channel at Olympos leads past a theatre and the acropolis to the beach, the flames of Yanartaş (Chimaera) burn on the hillside above Çıralı, Myra has house-like rock tombs carved above a Roman theatre, and the Byzantine St Nicholas Church in Demre is tied to the Santa Claus story. Boats glide over the sunken Lycian remains at Kekova, Patara pairs a Lycian theatre and assembly building with an 18 km beach, paragliders land on the lagoon beach at Ölüdeniz near Fethiye, and the narrow Saklıkent Gorge is so deep that little sunlight reaches its floor.

Good to knowThe flames of Yanartaş are faint by day but clear after dark, and the walk up takes about half an hour, so bring a light. Perge's ancient theatre is temporarily closed for restoration, so plan your route around the lower city, and Side's temples are recommended at sunset. Olympos and Patara are sea turtle nesting grounds, so follow the beach rules and keep out of marked nesting areas, and Kekova's sunken ruins are best seen by boat since land access is limited. Both Düden waterfalls can be reached by city public transport, and Myra combines easily with the St Nicholas Church in Demre.