Antalya 5 Day Itinerary (No Tourist Traps)
Five days is the 4-day plan (Kaleici, Konyaalti, Duden and a harbour evening, Lara) with a fifth day added for a proper Kaleici hammam and a second run at the bazaar, rather than a rushed final morning before the airport. Same spine, more depth, still no ancient-site day trips.
Book these before you go:
- An old-town walking tour covering Hadrian’s Gate, the harbour and the bazaar lanes
- A Kaleici hammam session at one of the old town’s centuries-old houses
- A sunset boat cruise from the Kaleici marina, timed for a Duden pass
- A room inside the walls , which sell out first in high season
| Day | Focus | Don’t miss |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaleici old town | Hadrian’s Gate at midday, Hidirlik Tower at sunset |
| 2 | Konyaalti beach | The Akdeniz Boulevard strip and the Antalya Aquarium |
| 3 | Duden waterfalls and harbour | Lower Duden by boat, sunset cruise from the marina |
| 4 | Lara beach | The resort strip, for contrast with Konyaalti |
| 5 | Hammam and bazaar | A full treatment, plus a second, unhurried bazaar pass |
Day 1: Kaleici, the walled old town
Get an AntalyaKart at the airport and ride the Antray tram into the center (roughly 42 TRY with the card, about 40 minutes). Walk to Hadrian’s Gate at midday, not sunset, when the narrow lanes photograph better and the crowds are thinner. Continue past Yivli Minare, the 13th-century fluted minaret, down to Hidirlik Tower at the harbour’s cliff edge for the best free coastal view around. Lunch one street back from the harbour for noticeably cheaper meze plates, and dinner at a meyhane-style restaurant inside the walls, roughly 600-900 TRY per person ($13-19/€11-17).
Day 2: Konyaalti beach and the aquarium strip
Konyaalti, the roughly 7km pebble beach on the west side, is mostly free public access and backed by the Akdeniz Boulevard strip of cafes and the Antalya Aquarium. Swim in the morning, retreat to the aquarium or a shaded cafe once the midday heat sets in, since summer highs average around 34C, and return to the water later in the afternoon once it eases.
Day 3: Duden waterfalls and a harbour sunset
Morning at the Duden waterfalls: Lower Duden, free and open 24 hours on the Lara-side coast road, drops straight off a cliff into the sea; Upper Duden, inland near Kepez, is paid (roughly 100 TRY entrance plus 100 TRY parking, about $2/€2 each, verify on-site) and lets you walk behind the cascade. Seeing Lower Duden by boat beats the clifftop view alone. In the evening, book the sunset cruise (see above) from the Kaleici marina, and confirm with the operator whether the route passes the falls.
Day 4: Lara beach, for contrast
Lara, sandy and on the east side roughly 5-10 minutes from the airport, is dominated by the all-inclusive resort strip running toward Kundu, with beach frontage mostly private and hotel-tied. Spend the full day here to see the contrast with Konyaalti’s public boulevard, then head back into the city center for dinner away from both beach zones.
Day 5: A proper hammam, and a second look at the bazaar
Book a full session at one of Kaleici’s centuries-old hammams, some reportedly 500-600 years old, running roughly €25-75 depending on the inclusions (peeling, soap massage and oil massage are often priced as add-ons, so confirm what’s included before you agree to the package). Spend the afternoon back in the bazaar lanes with more time than day 1 allowed, since haggling rewards patience and a second look at the same stalls often turns up a better price than the first pass. Depart the next morning with real time buffer, since airport security queues lengthen noticeably in the June-through-September peak season.
Is 5 days too many for just Antalya’s city and beaches?
Only if you spend it repeating the same beach or the same bazaar walk. Splitting the days across Kaleici, two distinct beaches, the waterfalls and a hammam day gives each its own focus; the fifth day specifically exists to slow down rather than add a rushed extra sight.
How much should a 5-day Antalya trip cost?
Budget travelers should plan roughly 1,500-2,500 TRY per day ($32-53/€28-47); mid-range travelers closer to 3,500-5,500 TRY ($74-117/€65-103), plus the hammam session and boat cruise as one-off costs on top. Verify current rates before you land, since the lira moves fast and these figures are a snapshot, not a constant.
Check the Tunektepe cable car’s status and the Antalya Museum’s listings before relying on either; the cable car has been shut since a fatal 2024 accident and the museum is mid-rebuild through 2026. Confirm current tram fares on the Antalya transit authority’s site too, and check Turkey’s official tourism site for seasonal event dates. For the ancient sites this itinerary skips, see our Antalya, Turkey 5-day itinerary instead.