Antalya, is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey (formerly known as Adalia; from Pamphylian Greek), is an attractive city with shady palm-lined boulevards and a prize-winning marina. The city of Antalya corresponds to the lands of ancient Pamphylia to the east and Lycia to the west. Atatürk claimed that without doubt Antalya is the most beautiful place in the world.
Developments in tourism, starting in the 1970s, transformed the city into an international resort.

 

Highlights: Aspendos – Patara – Perge – Phaselis - Antalya archeological museum -Kaleiçi

 

Aspendos:
Aspendus was an ancient city in Pamphylia, Asia Minor, located about 25 miles (40 km) east of the modern city of Antalya, Turkey. According to tradition, the city was founded around 1000 B.C. by Greeks who may have come from Argos. The wide range of its coinage throughout the ancient world indicates that, in the 5th century B.C., Aspendus had become the most important city in Pamphylia. Aspendos is known for having the best-preserved theater of antiquity. With a diameter of 96 meters (315 ft), the theater provided seating for 7,000.

 

Patara:
Patara later renamed Arsinoe, was a flourishing maritime and commercial city on the south-west coast of Lycia on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey near the modern small town of Gelemiş, in Antalya Province. It is the birth place of St. Nicholas, who lived most of his life in the nearby town of Myra (Demre).

 

Perge :
Perga, now commonly spelled "Perge", was the capital of the then Pamphylia region, which is in modern day Antalya province on the southwestern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Today it is a large site of ancient ruins 15 km east of Antalya in the coastal plain. Located there is an acropolis dating back to the Bronze Age.

 

Phaselis:
Phaselis is an ancient Lycian city in the province of Antalya in Turkey. It is located between the Bey Mountains and the forests of Olympos National Park, 16 km west of the touristic town of Kemer and on the 57th kilometre of the Antalya–Kumluca highway. Phaselis and other ancient towns around the shore can also be accessed from the sea by daily yacht tours.

 

Antalya Museum:
The Antalya Museum or Antalya Archeological Museum is one of Turkey's largest museums, located in Konyaaltı, Antalya. It includes 13 exhibition halls and an open air gallery. It covers an area of 7,000 m² and has 5000 works of art are exhibited. In addition further 25-30.000 artifacts which cannot be displayed are in storage. As a museum exhibiting examples of works, which illuminate the history of the Mediterranean and Pamphylia regions in Anatolia, Antalya Museum is one of the most important of Turkey's museums. The Museum won the “European Council Special Prize” in 1988.

 

Kaleiçi:
Kaleiçi is the name of Antalya’s Old Quarter.  Narrow streets, charming cafés and numerous souvenir shops bring the special attractiveness to this part of the city.