In the 14th Century, the explorer Ibn Batuta, the Muslim counterpart of Marco Polo, wrote that Antalya is one of the most beautiful cities you will ever see.

Nowadays, visitors to the city can easily understand this point of view. Antalya - chief city on the eastern part of the Mediterranean coastline - is located on fertile and flat land with high and often snow-covered mountains in the background.

Those who want to make something extra with their holiday and really get acquainted with the history of the city will not be disappointed with Antalya. Karain, a cavern just north of the city, contains remnants of the oldest settlement in Turkey. Romans, Byzantines and "seldjuks"have always characterized Antalya.
Today, Antalya is a mixture of a modern metropolis and an old-fashioned small town. In Kaleiçi, the visitor will experience the original Antalya. It is an oasis with its small mosques and its muddle of both renovated and ramshackle Ottoman wooden houses from the turn of the century.

In the harbour, Yat Liman, there is a multitude of cosy small cafés and bars where you can sit down and relax as you enjoy the boat life in the bay nearby.

Neighbouring resorts in Antalya

Belek
located on the road to Alanya. Here, you will find a famous golf course if you feel like swinging your clubs for a while. In addition to this, Belek offers many fine hotels and restaurants. The bus to Alanya stops in Belek.

Side
Side, between Antalya and Alanya, is one of the innumerable places where Cleopatra and Markus Antonius had a rendezvous. At almost every street corner, you stumble over ruins.

The theatre, which has a capacity of 25,000, is located on a plane piece of land and is supported by strong walls. The Roman bath next to the theatre is a very beautiful archaeological museum. Take the local bus.

Kemer
Like many resort towns, Kemer was purpose-built and thus has little local flavour, with all of its amenities aimed at tourists. Kemer's setting, however, is incredibly beautiful, and it supposedly had its origins as a Lycian settlement.

The small seaside town is situated in a forested valley surrounded by the western Taurus Mountains, close to the larger, livelier resort of Antalya.

It boasts a lovely marina with a promenade down to the beach, and tastefully designed hotels and houses spread along the shore, and there are many bays and coves to explore.

An interesting place to visit is the Yoruk (Nomad) Park where visitors can see traditional craftsmen at work under leafy trees. There is not much to do in the town itself, and day trips to neighbouring Beldibi or Antalya are recommended, as are trips to the ancient sites of Phaselis and Olympos, as well as the fascinating, permanent natural vents, known as the Fires of Chimaera, that release burning methane and whose flames were used by sailors to navigate at night.

Many hotels in Kemer offer their own entertainment and activities for guests, and several have private beach access. Kemer therefore suits those looking for little else but extreme relaxation.