Kaleiçi

Antalya’s delightful old quarter gets its name – Kaleiçi (literally “inside the castle”) from the fact that it is ringed by magnificent Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Seljuk Turkish ramparts. These enclose a picturesque tangle of winding streets, many of them lined with handsome Ottoman mansions. A number of these have been converted into elegant restaurants, but perhaps the quarter’s most striking feature is the soaring 13th century Yiveli Minare or Fluted Minaret. Antalya’s harbour also affords stunning views across the Gulf of Antalya to the mountains of Lykia.

Perge

Perge is the nearest of five classical sites that lie to the east of Antalya (the others being Sillyon, Aspendos, Side and Seleucia). Its remains include a very well-preserved theatre, a stadium, an impressive Hellenistic city gate, two large early Byzantine churches, an elegant agora, but what truly distinguishes the site is its magnificent colonnaded street, which stretches the full length of the city and ends at a fountain adorned with the reclining figure of a river-god.

Sillyon

Although it lies only a few kilometres east of Perge, Sillyon could hardly be more different. Whereas the former lies on the broad Pamphylian plain, the latter stands on a high, steep-sided hill that can be seen from many miles away. The main city gate is approached along a massive ramp that is one of the most striking features of the site. Just inside the gate is a charming 13th century Seljuk türbe, or mausoleum, and from here a partly rock-cut street leads to the civic centre, where you will find a large church, a long Hellenistic market hall and a tall structure with windows set high in its walls that may have been a Byzantine governor’s palace. The site also boasts and antique theatre and many other remains.

Aspendos

Aspendos owes its fame to its spectacularly well-preserved Roman theatre, which was later converted into a palace by the Seljuk Sultans of Konya. It is still used for concerts and operas. Wonderful though it is, Aspendos’ theatre should not blind you to the site’s other attractions. On the summit of a hill behind the theatre stands one of the most monumental civic centres in southern Turkey, arrayed around a very grand agora. The structures include a law-court, a vast basilica, a remarkably well-preserved row of shops, and what may be the tallest nymphaeum (that is to say a monumental public fountain) in Turkey. Aspendos also boasts what is arguably the finest Roman aqueduct in Turkey.

Side

Side stands on a promontory flanked by crescents of golden sand. As a result of this alluring location, the small village of Selimiye that nestles in among the ruins has grown into a bustling tourist resort. Despite this, much of the site is deserted and overgrown. The principal monuments include city walls and gates, a nymphaeum similar to the one at Aspendos, a colonnaded street, two agoras, two large Byzantine basilicas (one of them adjacent to a very impressive bishop’s palace, complete with throne-room), a very grand theatre, temples of Dionysios, Athena and Apollo and a bath complex that now houses a museum.

Seleucia ad Pamphylia

Located about 55 kilometres north of Side in magnificent forested scenery, Seleucia is one of the most attractive but least-visited of the classical sites to the east of Antalya. At its heart is one of the best-preserved and most celebrated agoras in all of Turkey. From here a watercourse (dry in summer) leads to the city’s nymphaeum, which takes the unusual form of a natural grotto with a perennial spring. Nearby is a very grand bath-gymnasium complex, its high, vaulted halls gazing out over the Pamphylian plain, the Gulf of Antalya and the distant Lykian mountains.

Termessos

Situated high in the mountains a short distance to the west of Antalya, Termessos is one of the most dramatic and enthrallingly classical sites in Turkey. A path climbs steeply toward the site, passing on the left a handsome gymnasium with a façade adorned with elegant niches, and, on the right, a colonnaded street that is now a deep trough filled with an apocalyptic confusion of column shafts and statue bases (over 40 of them commemorating champion wrestlers). Not far away is the city’s great theatre, which commands magnificent views of the surrounding mountains and ravines. Equally impressive is the city’s extensive necropolis, with tombs from a period spanning centuries during the Hellenistic and Roman eras.

Phaselis

Phaselis stands in a delightful wooded enclave overlooking three harbours. Approaching the site, you first some to a massive temple-platform and the arches of an aqueduct from which a broad paved street lined with steps and statue bases traverses the city, ending at the Gate of Hadrian. The latter has completely collapsed, but its scattered fragments are very richly decorated. Bordering the street are a well-preserved theatre (haunted by large numbers of very friendly cats) and no less than three agoras, one containing a large early Byzantine church, but it is the beauty of the setting rather than its monuments that makes Phaselis one of the most romantic and evocative sites on Turkey’s south coast.

Olympos

The ruins of Olympos lie in a narrow river-valley opening off a long and beautiful beach, towered over by high mountains. The city used to be densely overgrown, but now the underbrush has been cleared and an exploration of the ruins makes for a very pleasant half-day excursion. There are numerous tombs, a temple dedicated to Antoninus Pius, a paved street lined with houses, a theatre, an impressive bath complex and a large basilica. Most intriguing of all is an elaborate Byzantine structure with five mosaic floors that was probably a bishop’s palace.

Limyra

Limyra lies at the foot of a very high acropolis hill from which numerous springs break to form a river that bisects the site. There are two walled enclosures, the more westerly containing nothing but the massive stump of a monument to Gaius Caesar, nephew and designated heir of the Emperor Augustus, who died here in 4 A.D. The other enclosure surrounds a cathedral and a bishop’s palace. Just outside it is a relatively small, but very well-preserved theatre that was a gift to the city from the enormously wealthy local magnate Opromons.

Rhodiapolis

Although only a few kilometres from the busy town of Kumluca in Lykia, Rhodiapolis is oddly hard to find. It is worth the effort, however. The city stands on a high, forested hill, a setting that adds greatly to its charm. You first come to the Tomb of Opromons, a native of the city who did much to restore the Lykian cities after the devastating earthquake of 141 A.D. Other monuments include two bath complexes, a theatre in which trees have taken root, a large cathedral and no less than twenty cisterns, some of them large enough to contain full-grown trees.

Myra / The Church of Saint Nicholas

Myra was one of the most important cities in Lykia, and a Byzantine provincial capital. Today, most of the ancient city lies under the modern town of Demre, but a magnificent theatre and a string group of rock-cut tombs with unusual portraits of the dead have survived. The Church of St. Nicholas has suffered somewhat from insensitive “restoration” (financed by a German baron with very poor taste) but remains well-worth visiting for the sake of the fine opus sectile (marble mosaic) floors and frescoes to be found in the ambulatories. An almost life-size portrait of the Virgin is especially haunting.

Andriake

Andriake was the port for Myra. Due to silting, its harbour is now a marsh, but is still lined with impressive harbour installations. There are also no less than six churches, but the main reason to visit Andriake is the astonishingly well-preserved Granary of Hadrian. Its monumental façade is adored with portraits of Hadrian and his wife Faustina and a long inscription praising their beneficence and generosity.

The Caravanserais

Stretching north from Antalya is a chain of four Seljuk caravanserais, all built shortly after 1207, when the Sultans of Konya captured the city, and intended to secure communications and trade between the Mediterranean coast and the central Anatolian heartland of the Sultanate. These are, from south to north, the Evdir Han, the Kırkgöz Han, the Suzuz Han and the İncir Han. All are masterpieces of Seljuk civic architecture. The last named is the largest and has a unique fluted arch above its gateway. The Suzuz Han has an exquisitely intricate façade and a noble, vaulted hall with a central dome. The Kırkgöz Han is the most intact, its courtyard being surrounded by 13 vast halls. On your way to the hands, you might like to turn aside to the small but rewarding classical site of Ariassos, which lies only one kilometre from the highway, and is distinguished by the perfectly preserved triple arch through which it is entered.

The Waterfalls

In addition to its historical monuments, Antalya and its surrounding area are famous for their waterfalls. The most spectacular are the lower Düden Falls, where a sizeable river plunges down sheer cliffs directly into the sea, but the most enchanting are the Kurşunlu Falls, where a river drops into a deep wooded glade.