3 Days in Antalya: The First-Timer Itinerary

Three days is the sweet spot for a first Antalya trip: Kaleici’s old town, Konyaalti Beach and the aquarium, then Lara Beach paired with the free Lower Duden Waterfalls. It still skips Upper Duden, the hammam, and a second beach pass, those need a 4-day trip or longer. See the 2-day , 5-day , or full week version of this same route.

Book these before you go

  • Hotel: compare Kaleici and Konyaalti rates on Booking.com before picking a base
  • Old town walking tour: check availability on GetYourGuide
  • Harbor sunset boat cruise: search current departures on Viator
Day Focus
Day 1 Kaleici old town, Hadrian’s Gate, the harbor, bazaar, dinner in the old walls
Day 2 Konyaalti Beach, the Antalya Aquarium, a boulevard viewpoint
Day 3 Lara Beach, the free Lower Duden Waterfalls, departure prep

Day 1: Kaleici Old Town

Morning

  • Land at Antalya Airport (AYT) and take a metered taxi into Kaleici, the meter should read roughly 600-700 TRY (~$13-15/€11-13) for the 20-30 minute ride; the Havas shuttle bus covers the same route for around 200 TRY in about 45 minutes if budget matters more than time
  • Check into a Kaleici hotel, an old-town base is what makes this whole trip walkable
  • Walk to Hadrian’s Gate, the triple marble arch built for the emperor’s 130 AD visit, then wander toward Hidirlik Tower and the clock tower (Saat Kulesi) (the provincial tourism directorate at antalya.ktb.gov.tr lists current hours for each)

Afternoon

  • Lunch at a Kaleici terrace restaurant, a mid-range kebab or mezze plate runs roughly 300-600 TRY
  • Walk down to the Roman harbor and Karaalioglu Park’s clifftop gardens for a free sea view
  • Browse the bazaar lanes for leather, ceramics, and Turkish delight, haggling over the first quoted price is normal here

Evening

  • Dinner at a Kaleici meyhane-style restaurant, several meze plates plus seafood and a drink runs roughly 600-900 TRY per person
  • Evening stroll along the harbor, the old walls look genuinely better lit up after dark

Day 2: Konyaalti Beach And The Aquarium

Morning

  • Taxi or dolmus to Konyaalti Beach (15-20 minutes from Kaleici), a 7km pebble beach backed by the Akdeniz Boulevard strip, bring water shoes since it’s pebble, not sand
  • Swim or rent a sunbed along the public stretch

Afternoon

  • Antalya Aquarium on Akdeniz Boulevard, one of the region’s larger tunnel aquariums, check current ticket prices online before you go since they’ve climbed with inflation
  • Lunch at one of the boulevard’s beachfront cafes
  • Skip the Tunektepe cable car, it’s been closed since an April 2024 accident with no confirmed reopening date (verify at tunektepeteleferik.com ); catch the same coastal panorama free from one of the clifftop cafes along the boulevard instead

Evening

  • Dinner back in Kaleici or at a Konyaalti beachfront restaurant, seafood is the better pick this close to the water

Is 3 days enough for Antalya? It covers both beaches and the old town without rushing, but not the Duden Waterfalls in full or a hammam. Three days gets one real beach day at each of Konyaalti and Lara plus Kaleici properly; the waterfalls and a spa afternoon need a 4-day trip.

Day 3: Lara Beach And Lower Duden Waterfalls

Morning

  • Taxi to Lara Beach (5-10 minutes from the airport side, roughly 20-25 minutes from Kaleici), a sandy beach with a public stretch alongside the resort frontage
  • Swim or just walk the sand, a genuinely different feel from Konyaalti’s pebble shore

Afternoon

  • Lower Duden Waterfalls, free, open 24/7, where the falls drop straight off a cliff into the Mediterranean, a short taxi hop from Lara
  • Pack a picnic or grab food from the park’s vendors, there’s no ticket and no rush
  • Head back toward Kaleici or the airport depending on flight time

Evening

  • If time allows before departure, a last dinner in Kaleici; otherwise budget 20-30 minutes by taxi (roughly 600-700 TRY) or 45 minutes by Havas shuttle (roughly 200 TRY) to Antalya Airport (AYT)

How much does 3 days in Antalya cost? Budget roughly 2,500-4,000 TRY ($53-85/€47-75) a day for a mid-range trip covering both beaches: a Kaleici hotel, three days of sit-down meals, and the aquarium ticket. Add a hammam or boat cruise and the daily average climbs toward the resort-style band.

Good To Know

  • The tram and city buses take AntalyaKart or a contactless bank card only, no cash on board
  • The Antalya Museum is closed for a full rebuild through at least late 2026 (check muze.gov.tr before you plan around it), don’t route this trip around it
  • The classic scam near Hadrian’s Gate is a friendly stranger steering conversation toward a family carpet shop, free tea doesn’t obligate a purchase

Reconfirm your airport transfer time the night before departure, three days of sightseeing leaves little slack if a taxi or shuttle runs late.