In short
Antalya is the capital of the "Turkish Riviera" and one of the most visited cities in the Mediterranean. It combines two things rarely found together: an intact Ottoman old town and the hotel density of a beach resort.
Kaleiçi is the old town within its walls, above the Roman harbour: cobbled lanes, Ottoman houses, Hadrian's Gate. Konyaaltı and Lara are the two large beaches, on either side. Belek, to the east, is the zone of large complexes and golf courses.
Arriving and getting around
Antalya airport is one of Turkey's busiest, with abundant European charters; it is linked to the centre by tram.
Kaleiçi is walked. The old tram runs along the cliff towards Konyaaltı.
The ancient sites need a car or an excursion: Aspendos, whose Roman theatre is among the best preserved in the world, Perge, Side and Termessos are an hour away or less.
What it really costs
Antalya is affordable for the Mediterranean, eating out included, and the all-inclusive model dominates along the coast.
Staying in Kaleiçi rather than a resort often costs less and puts you in the heart of the city.
When to come
April–June and September–October. Summer regularly exceeds 35 °C and the coast is full.
The water stays swimmable into November, which makes the late season particularly attractive.
What nobody tells you
The Düden waterfalls come in two separate sites and the confusion is common: the upper falls are inland, in a park; the lower falls drop straight into the sea from the cliff and are best seen from a boat.
The Lycian Way, a path of more than five hundred kilometres along the coast between Fethiye and Antalya, is one of the great walking routes of Europe and Asia Minor. It is covered in sections.
The Antalya archaeological museum holds Roman sculpture from Perge, of a quality that surprises for a regional museum.
Olympos and the Chimaera, an hour and a half away, are natural methane fires burning permanently on a mountainside, known since antiquity.