Things to Do in Antalya: A Planning Guide

Choose by season

The right activity in Antalya depends mostly on the month. Spring and autumn suit almost everything, from ruins to hiking. July and August push highs from the mid-30s into the low 40s °C, so the day has to be split: outdoor sights at opening time, the sea or a cooler place in the afternoon. From November to March the hours shorten, and the ruins are quieter.

  • April to June and September to October: the best months for Perge, Aspendos, Termessos and the Lycian Way.
  • July and August: do the ruins before 10:00, then head for Phaselis, Konyaaltı or the mountain cable car.
  • November to March: state sites such as Perge, Phaselis and Olympos run 08:00 to 17:00 from 1 November to 30 April, and the Olympos cable car runs 09:00 to 15:00 in the winter months.

Government travel warnings for Turkey name the Syrian and Iraqi border strips, which are a long way from Antalya.

A morning on foot in the old town

Kaleiçi is the walled old quarter above the harbour, and it is the easiest first half day. Enter through Hadrian’s Gate (Üçkapılar), the triple-arched marble gate put up in AD 130. Wander down to the old harbour, then look at the fluted brick Yivli Minare, built around 1230, where the Mevlevihane Museum is free. Finish on the cliffs of Karaalioğlu Park, which has the open view over the gulf. Two familiar names are off the list: the Antalya Museum has been closed since July 2025 with no reopening date, and the Tünektepe cable car is shut.

Ruins, in order of effort

  1. Perge (about 18 km, €11 for foreign adults): flat and easy, with a stadium and a colonnaded street.
  2. Aspendos (about 47 km, €15): one very complete Roman theatre.
  3. Side (about 76 km, €10 combined ticket): ruins woven into a resort town.
  4. Termessos (about 38 km, €3): a steep mountain walk that needs water and boots.

Foreign visitors pay these state-site prices in euros. If you plan to see five or six sites in a week, compare the totals with the €90 MuseumPass The Mediterranean on the Ministry of Culture and Tourism pass page .

Water, canyon and mountain

  • Phaselis (about 55 km south-west, €10): three small harbours among pines, with swimming from the bays beside the ruins. It is a combined ruin and beach stop, and the entry is free with a MuseumPass.
  • Köprülü Canyon (about 90 km, around 1.5 hours): rafting on the Köprüçay river over a stretch reported as 7 to 10 km. Operators market it to first-timers and families. Operators hand out helmets and life jackets, and the water is cold, so ask what price includes transfers.
  • Olympos Teleferik (Tekirova, about 57 km): a cable car to 2,365 m on Mount Tahtalı. Summer hours are 09:00 to 18:00, with sunrise and sunset sessions on set days from June to October. The summit is far cooler than the coast. The operator’s timetable lists maintenance closures, and the ticket price is best checked there.
  • Geyikbayırı (about 25 km west): the Lycian Way ends nearby, and the valley has hundreds of bolted sport-climbing routes with camps that rent gear.

Beach time

Konyaaltı is about 7 km of pebbles, free to use, with the Akdeniz Boulevard promenade behind it. Wear water shoes. Lara to the east is sandy, with resorts along most of it and public sections that rent sunbeds. Both lie within the city, so an hour in the sea fits around a morning of sightseeing.

Evenings and events

Late afternoon on the Karaalioğlu cliffs is free. Harbour boat trips run along the coast, and some go as far as the mouth of Lower Düden, where the river drops about 40 m into the sea. Two events to plan around in 2026: the Golden Orange Film Festival runs 24 to 31 October, and the COP31 climate conference at the Antalya EXPO Center takes place 9 to 20 November, which will crowd hotels and roads.

Read more: Outdoor activities in Antalya and the 3-day Antalya itinerary .

Compare guided options by searching Antalya activities on GetYourGuide .