How to spend 24 hours in Antalya

Antalya is the 5th largest city in Turkey with lots to offer; history, beautiful beaches, clear blue oceans, waterfalls, you name it! Although I would recommend spending 2 days there, life sometimes simply won’t allow it. Does that mean you have to skip this wonderful city? Absolutely not! You can still see a lot of the city in just one day, and in this post I’ll tell ya how to spend 24 hours in Antalya, so you won’t miss a thing!

Best time to visit

The best time to visit would be from March to May because of the temperatures that will range between 18 and 26 degrees Celsius. These temperatures allow you to roam around without sweating like crazy and feeling like you’re almost dying of heatstroke.

In summer the average temperature is 34.2°C and in winter the temperatures range between 5 and 14°C.

Do keep an eye on Eid Al Fitr because it might mean that some (small) shops, banks, museums and ancient sites are closed for a couple of days. So make sure you check the official websites for opening hours. There might also be a little more traffic than usual because people want to visit their relatives and celebrate together.

Information

Language – In Antalya, they mostly speak Turkish as it is the official language of Turkey. However, in the more touristic areas, some also speak English, but don’t expect everyone to be able to speak English.

Currency – Whereas you – to my surprise – are able to pay in euros in Lara, you can only pay in Turkish Lira in Antalya. International credit cards are widely accepted and there are plenty of ATMs to choose from. It is however wise to have some cash for smaller stores, taxis and street vendors.

Getting around – There is a pretty good public transport system, but it is very busy. Therefore I’d consider taking Dolmuş (kind of like a shard taxi) or taxis. Due to a lack of time, I travelled by taxi, which isn’t that expensive if you’re with multiple people. In fact, the taxis in Antalya are a lot cheaper than the taxis in Lara!

How to spend 24 hours in Antalya

Visit Karpuzkaldıran Şelalesi (Lower Düden Waterfall)

There are actually two waterfalls with the name Düden Waterfall, and in my opinion, they’re both worth a visit. The lower Düden Waterfall is best known because it’s an impressive sight to see.

This waterfall pours the water from the Düden river into the ocean. It has a height of 40 metres and it is located in a cute little park.

If you want to do something a little more adventurous, you could zipline across the river. There are also various boat tours that bring you even closer to the waterfall.

How to get there:

The waterfall can be reached from the centre of Antalya by bus and minibus. 

• Bus: You can use bus lines KL08, LF09, LF10, and LC37 from Lara Beach and from the city centre, Kaleiçi.
• Taxi: There are literal taxi buttons placed on the street lanterns. Press it and a taxi will show up.
• Walk: If you are an avid walker you could also walk from the city centre to the waterfall (or the other way around, or both). It’s about 9 kilometres to the next stop.

Visit Kaleiçi (Old town)

A trip to Antalya is not complete without a visit to the Old Town, called Kaleiçi. Roam the narrow cobbled streets with houses dating back to the Ottoman era, do some shopping in the souvenir stores (and don’t forget to haggle, here it’s expected, in the city centre of Antalya it is not!), and go sightseeing.

If you are going to visit the Old Town, you will start at Hadrians Gate as it is the only entrance left to the old city. Pay specific attention to the ground. The gate has served as an entrance for about 1900 years and you can actually see the traces of carriage wheels carved into the ground.

You might also want to take some time to cool down by getting an icecream from a traditional Turkish vendor. Wether it be because of their traditional robes or the crowd gathered around them, you can hardly miss them. You gotta work for your icecream though because you’ll have to try (an fail) to catch your icecream before it gets handed over.

If you want to see some more history, visit Hidirlik Tower, another remnant of the roman empire. It is not exactly known what its function used to be. Some say it was a lighthouse, others say it was a mausoleum. At some point in time it was used as part of the city’s defense system. From there you get a nice view of Anatalya Bay.

Now that you have cooled down it is time to explore the harbour. There are two platforms where you can overview the harbor: Kecili park and the panoramic platform Asansör on the opposite site. Both are free, but the elevator to the latter usually has a long queue. I recommend visiting Kecili Park, which is also a great place to escape the crowds, and then head down towards the harbour.

Down there you can grab a cup of traditional Turkish coffee or book a tour with one of the pirate ships.

Go Shopping

You’re in a city after all, there a plenty of shops around. Outside of the Old city, you can find some bigger and more well known stores. Do keep in mind that the prices in these kind of stores are set. You wouldn’t haggle in a H&M in your own country.

Is the weather bad or are you trying to escape from the sun? Head towards Mark Antalya which is a shopping mall about 15 minutes away from the old city. Over there, you can find 155 international and Turkish brands, a food court, a playground, and even cinemas that play movies in English.

Chill at one of the beaches

Especially during the middle of the day, it might be nice to cool down at one of the beaches. There are three spots I’d recommend you going:

Konyaalti Beach

Konyaalti Beach is a 15 km long beach composed of fine pebbles and sand. It is definitely a beach with a sight because from there you overlook the Taurus Mountains. There are also plenty of beach bars, cafes, and restaurants directly on the beach.

Getting there:

• By Public Transport: The easiest way to reach the beach is by taking the tram from the old town to the terminal stop at the Antalya Archaeological Museum. From here, you can either walk about 10 minutes or change to the dolmuş.
• Walk: From the Old Harbour it takes about 35 min (2,7km) to get there.
• By car: There is free parking on site.

Lara Beach

Located east of Antalya’s old town is Lara Beach. A sand beach which is also 15 km long although only 2 km is a public area, the rest is owned by resorts. The water is calmer and warmer as compared to Konyaalti Beach.

Getting there:

• By Bus: From the city center of Antalya it takes about 30 to 40 minutes by bus (KL07, KL08, and KL09) to get to the beach.
• By car: There is a free parking lot
• Walk: It’s a 40 min walk from the Lower Düden Falls (3,3km).

Mermerli Plajı

Looking for something a little closer to the Old Town? And are you willing to pay 40 TL for it? Then Mermeli Plaji might be ideal for you. It’s not big and it doesn’t have any sand, just rocks and wooden platforms, but it does have waiters walking around and a gorgeous view. And guess what? It’s right next to the Old Harbour!

Visit Düden Şelalesi (Upper düden waterfall)

As mentioned before, there are two Düden waterfalls. The upper falls are located in a beautiful green area and you can easily spend an hour exploring the area. Entrance is 5TL per person. Do check the opening hours before visiting.

Düden Şelalesi has more to offer than just the waterfall. It is a park with various restaurants where you can get some food, or you could bring your own food and have apicnic there. Beside that, there are also caves that you can explore, one even brings you behind the waterfall.

If you are looking for peace, this is the place to be! Not many international tourists know about the upper waterfall and because of all the greenery it is a mostly shaded area. Great place to escape the heat!

It might not be taller than the Lower Düden waterfall, I still enjoyed visiting it because of the magical and fairytale like atmosphere.

I was going to recommend a restaurant, but according to Google reviews it’s known as a scam restaurants that let’s tourists pay more. Back then I didn’t realize this because the prices in the Netherlands for dinner are a lot higher than in Turkey, but watch out if you decide to eat at Arkadaş Alabalık Restoran The view is amazing though as you can dine directly next to the Düden river, but the menu is only in Turkish.

Getting there

• Minibus: You can take the Varsak minibuses departing from Antalya city center.
•  Public Bus: It’s also possible to get here with municipal buses numbers VC30, CV17A, VL62, VF66, VC69, 524, and 524A.
• Taxi: If you want to get there as quickly as possible, take a taxi.

Other things to do

These are the things I did when I was there, but you might be interested in these things too:

• Antalya Aquarium: 2nd largest aquarium in Europe and the 5th largest in the world. Entrance to the aquarium is 1,111.98TL per adult. Make sure to book a ticket at the official website because that is cheaper than at the entrance.
• Sandland: Hundreds of sand sculptures that are illuminated at night. Entrance is 60TL
• Tünektepe Teleferik: Cable cart that brings you about 605 meters above sea level where you can enjoy a panoramic view of Antalya. Entrance is 20TL.

Map

Here’s a map of Antalya with all the above-mentioned places. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay in Antalya! What are you looking forward to most?