Antalya Essential: Kaleici Old Town and Roman Harbour, Hadrian Gate, Konyaalti Beach, Duden Waterfalls, Perge Roman City, and Aspendos Theatre the Best Preserved in the World
The Antalya essential circuit covers the Kaleici old town with the Roman harbour and the Ottoman mansions, the Hadrian Gate triumphal arch, the Konyaalti blue flag beach, the Duden waterfalls where the river meets the Mediterranean from the cliff face, the Perge Roman city with the colonnaded streets, and the Aspendos theatre as the best preserved ancient theatre in the world.
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Kaleici: The Roman Harbour and Ottoman Old Town
Kaleici, the old quarter of Antalya enclosed within the Roman walls on the cliff top above the ancient harbour, is the most completely preserved Ottoman-period old town on the Turkish Mediterranean coast, with the narrow cobblestone streets, the restored mansion hotels, the minaret of the Yivli Minare mosque, and the Roman harbour at the base of the cliff that remains one of the most atmospherically beautiful small marina settings in the Mediterranean. The Kaleici evening, when the restaurant terrace lights reflect in the harbour water and the Roman walls are illuminated, is the most consistently memorable dining environment on the Turquoise Coast.
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Hadrian Gate: The Triumphal Arch of 130 AD
The Hadrian Gate, the triple-arched triumphal gateway built for the visit of the Emperor Hadrian to Antalya in 130 AD and the best-preserved Roman triumphal arch in Turkey, marks the original ceremonial entrance to the ancient city with the 3 marble arches, the carved coffered ceiling, and the flanking towers of the Byzantine period. The Hadrian Gate now serves as the entrance to the Kaleici from the modern city and the most photographed single monument in Antalya.
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Konyaalti Beach: The Urban Blue Flag Beach
Konyaalti beach extending 7 kilometers west of the Antalya city centre to the Duden River mouth, the urban beach of the Antalya resident population and the most easily accessible beach for the city visitor, has the pebble and sand surface, the clear Mediterranean water, and the Taurus mountain backdrop that make it the most scenically dramatic urban beach setting in Turkey. The Konyaalti beach promenade with the palm trees, the beach volleyball courts, and the seafront park extending the beach experience is the most used outdoor public space in Antalya.
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Duden Waterfalls: The River Meets the Mediterranean
The Upper and Lower Duden Waterfalls, where the Duden River drops first 15 meters in the Upper Falls park setting inland and then falls directly from the 40-meter sea cliff into the Mediterranean at the Lower Falls, are the most unusual coastal waterfalls in Turkey and the natural attraction most frequently combined with the Antalya city visit. The boat trip from the Antalya harbor along the coast to the Lower Duden Falls, where the waterfall can be observed from the sea level in a cave passage behind the falling water, is the most dramatic single excursion available from the Antalya harbour.
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Perge: The Colonnaded Roman City
Perge, 18 kilometers east of Antalya, is the most extensive Roman city in the Antalya province with the colonnaded main street, the Roman baths, the theatre, the stadium, and the nymphaeum that the Plancian family, the most important civic benefactors in Roman Perge, funded. The Perge sculptures, particularly the portrait statues of Plancia Magna who held the highest civic offices available to a woman in the Roman provincial city, are in the Antalya Museum and constitute the most important single collection of Roman portrait sculpture in Turkey.
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Aspendos: The Best Preserved Ancient Theatre
Aspendos 48 kilometers east of Antalya, the Roman theatre of 155 AD that is the best preserved ancient theatre in the world with the original stage building standing to its full height and the cavea seating 15,000 spectators, is the most impressive single ancient monument in Turkey and the building that most completely communicates the engineering achievement of the Roman theatrical architecture. The Aspendos Theatre is still used for the Antalya Opera and Ballet Festival in the summer, providing the most atmospherically complete theatre experience in Turkey with the ancient acoustics and the modern performance.