Antalya Sightseeing: Old Town and Beyond

The old town landmarks

Most of Antalya’s sightseeing sits within a short walk of Kaleiçi, the old walled quarter above the harbour. Nearly all of it is free, which makes a loose half-day circuit easy to plan.

  • Hadrian’s Gate (Üçkapılar): a triple-arched Roman gateway of white marble, built in AD 130 for a visit by Emperor Hadrian. It is open to view at any hour and marks the eastern entrance to the old town.
  • Clock tower and Tekeli Mehmet Paşa Mosque: both stand near the entrance to Kaleiçi. The mosque dates from 1606 to 1616 and restoration has been under way for years, so do not count on seeing the interior.
  • Yivli Minare: the fluted brick minaret, built about 1230 by the Seljuk sultan Ala ad-Din Kayqubad I, is the city’s emblem. The complex around it houses the Mevlevihane Museum, which covers the Mevlevi whirling dervish order and is free.
  • Kesik Minare: the Broken Minaret began as a Roman temple, became a Byzantine church and then a Seljuk mosque in the 13th century. A fire in 1896 destroyed most of the building and left the minaret. After restoration it reopened as an active mosque, so view it from the street and dress modestly if you enter during open hours.
  • Hıdırlık Tower: a round Roman tower from the 1st or 2nd century AD at the south-west corner of the old town, best seen from the outside.

Parks and viewpoints

Karaalioğlu Park runs along the cliffs beside Kaleiçi, with pines, palms and wide views over the Gulf of Antalya toward the Taurus mountains. It is free and open all day, and it is the place to go for the panorama that visitors once sought from the Tünektepe cable car, which is closed with no reopening date.

Lower Düden Park in the Lara district is free and open round the clock. The river drops about 40 m off a cliff straight into the Mediterranean, with fenced viewing points. Stay behind the barriers, and treat the drop with respect. The operator advises against swimming under either of the Düden falls. Upper Düden, in Kepez, is a separate ticketed park with a path behind the fall when it is open. Reported prices range from about 70 to 100 lira.

Museums

The Atatürk House Museum on Işıklar Caddesi is a free reconstruction of the house where Atatürk stayed in the 1930s. Ministry hours are 08:30 to 19:00 in summer and 08:30 to 18:00 in winter, and one guide reports a Monday closure, so check the day. The Suna and İnan Kıraç Kaleiçi Museum, at Kocatepe Sokak 25, is the indoor stop for Ottoman-era city life. Listing sites show it closed on Mondays. The Antalya Museum is closed, its building has been demolished and there is no reopening date, though the tram stop named Müze still exists.

Beyond the centre

  • Perge (about 18 km, €11) and Aspendos (about 47 km, €15) are the nearest Roman sites. Termessos (€3) is a mountain city that rewards an early start.
  • Konyaaltı Beach is a free, pebbly stretch about 7 km long, with a long promenade along Akdeniz Boulevard.

Tips

  • Go at 08:00 or after 17:00 in summer, when highs commonly reach the mid-30s to low 40s °C.
  • Buy an AntalyaKart for the Antray tram, which does not take cash on board.
  • Turkey’s government travel warnings cover the Syrian and Iraqi border strips, far from Antalya.

Read more: Walking tours in Antalya and attraction tours .

For guided city options, search GetYourGuide for Antalya city tours . The history of the Broken Minaret is summarised on Wikipedia , and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Perge page lists hours.