Where to stay in Antalya and on the Turkish Riviera

For an all-inclusive beach holiday, look at Lara (including the Kundu hotel strip) close to the airport, Belek for upscale resorts and golf, or Kemer for mountains and pine forests. For a city break, stay in Kaleiçi, Antalya's old town. If you want character rather than big hotels, head west to Kaş, Kalkan, Fethiye or Çıralı.

Antalya city vs. the Antalya coast

People say "Antalya" for two different things: the city of Antalya itself, and the whole Turkish Riviera — hundreds of kilometers of coast from Fethiye in the west to Side in the east, with Antalya airport roughly in the middle. The beaches in the city are split in two: Konyaaltı, a long pebble beach west of the center with mountain views, and Lara, sandy and lined with resort hotels to the east. Most package holidays land you east (Lara, Belek, Side) or southwest (Kemer). The independent-travel favorites are further west along the Lycian coast.

Areas and resort towns compared

Kaleiçi: the old heart of Antalya

Narrow lanes tangle behind Hadrian's Gate, between Roman walls and wooden Ottoman houses, down to the old harbor. It is the most alive part of the city: boutique hotels in old mansions, small restaurants, and evening walks to Hıdırlık Tower, where locals gather for the sunset over the Beydağları mountains. Small shops here are also a better place to buy leather or carpets than the big "factories".

Lara and Kundu: easy and close

Lara is an upscale residential area on cliffs where the Düden River drops straight into the Mediterranean, with rocky platforms for swimming. Further east the Kundu strip is a surreal row of themed mega-hotels — replicas of famous landmarks on a gigantic scale. The main plus is the short transfer from the airport.

Konyaaltı: the city beach

A long pebble beach on the western side of the city, with a promenade, cafés and parks, and the mountains rising behind. Good if you want a city hotel and a beach in the same place without resort isolation.

Belek and Kemer

Belek is the coast's high end: groomed pine forest, world-class golf and the giant Land of Legends theme park. Kemer is the opposite in mood — the Taurus Mountains fall right into the sea, the air smells of pine, the beaches are pebbly and the nightlife is lively. Nearby Göynük Canyon lets you wade through icy water on a hot day.

Side: living history

An ancient city that never really ended: Roman ruins stand between modern shops and cafés, and the Temple of Apollo columns at the water's edge are the place to be at sunset.

The Lycian coast: Çıralı, Kaş, Kalkan, Fethiye

West of Kemer the big hotels fade out. Çıralı is a village of wooden bungalows in orange groves, next to the ruins of Olympos and the Chimaera (Yanartaş), where natural gas has burned out of the rocks for millennia — best on a night hike. Kaş is the most stylish spot on the coast: bougainvillea, diving centers, jazz bars and the tiny ancient theater where people watch the sunset. Kalkan is quieter and pricier. Fethiye is a working harbor town with Lycian rock tombs above it, and Ölüdeniz next door is the famous turquoise lagoon where paragliders land on the beach. The abandoned Greek village of Kayaköy is a short hop away.

Top things to do on the Antalya coast

• Aspendos — one of the best-preserved Roman theaters anywhere, still used for performances.
• Termessos — a mountain city so rugged that Alexander the Great gave up on it; few tourists.
• Kekova — glide by boat over the half-sunken ruins of an ancient city.
• Kaputaş Beach — a turquoise cove in a gorge between Kaş and Kalkan, down a long flight of steps.
• Patara — Turkey's longest beach with dunes that look like a desert at sunset.
• Butterfly Valley — a wild beach between high cliffs, best reached by boat from Ölüdeniz.
• Suluada — an uninhabited island with unreal turquoise water, by boat from Adrasan.
• Tazı Canyon — sheer walls and dizzying views inland from Manavgat.
• Adrasan Bay — a sandy crescent with guesthouses instead of resorts.

What to eat

Try Antalya piyaz, a white bean salad with a tahini-based dressing that is made differently here than anywhere else in Turkey. At the Fethiye fish market you choose your fish at the central stalls and one of the surrounding restaurants cooks it for a small fee.

Practical tips

• Rent a car for the west. The coastal D400 road between Antalya, Kaş and Fethiye is one of the most scenic drives in the Mediterranean, and it reaches beaches and viewpoints buses don't.
• Season. The beach season runs roughly May to October; July and August are very hot. Spring and autumn are best for ruins and hiking the Lycian Way.
• Getting there. Antalya airport serves Lara, Belek, Side and Kemer; for Fethiye and Ölüdeniz, Dalaman airport is closer.

The one scam to know

Excursion guides like to stop at huge leather, gold or carpet "quality centers". Prices there are often inflated several times over to pay the guide's commission. Buy from small independent shops — Kaleiçi has plenty — and never feel obliged. The same playbook shows up in Istanbul and Thailand; see tourist scams around the world. Combining the coast with a city break? Read where to stay in Istanbul.

The Antalya coast in TripGist

TripGist covers the whole Antalya coast as one guide: twelve areas on the map from Fethiye to Side, the ruins, canyons and hidden beaches, local food and the "quality center" warning. Free and ad-free.