The Daisybutter Travel Guide to Antalya, Türkiye
To celebrate my boyfriend’s 34th birthday, we took a flying visit to Antalya in Türkiye, marking our first time in the country. We absolutely loved our trip and already can’t wait to return to Türkiye in the future! I really love our tradition of taking each other away for birthdays and anniversaries instead of giving each other gifts – it gives us some proper time together and we always make unforgettable memories.
I chose Antalya because, if you hadn’t already noticed, we are really big on historic sites and soaking up culture. Last year, we seemed hellbent on conquering the Roman Empire via travel! Antalya proved to be the perfect place to celebrate his birthday and take our summer holiday – it was magnificently beautiful, rich in history, and we met so many wonderful people that made our stay feel magical. And, even in the 38°C heat, it was an utterly magical trip.
See & Do
Explore the Old Town
The Old Town is Antalya is beautiful. From Hadrian’s Gate to the old castle walls, it’s a spectacular area to wander around. We booked a free walking tour, which is always fun. You’ll also find the more modernised areas, lined with towering palm trees and some pretty cool bars and restaurants. We stayed inside the castle walls, just a stone’s throw from the stunning marina, which was perfect fodder for balmy after-dinner walks.
Pammukale and Hierapolis
A highlight of our trip was a day trip to Pammukale, known as the ‘cotton castle’. Be warned that this is a long excursion from Antalya with many hours in a coach – we took it to mean many hours with snacks and our books! As ever, we booked our tour through GetYourGuide and it was incredibly easy to book, locate our meeting point, and board the booked-for-you shuttles. Plus, this tour allowed me to mention a vegan dietary requirement – no packed lunch needed.
Pammukale is a western Turkey town famed for a natural wonder – mineral-rich thermal waters that flow down a hillside and naturally create dazzling, white travertine ‘terraces’. I really wanted to visit this spot because it looks otherworldly and it was! Although, be warned that it is of course a bustling tourist spot and gets incredibly busy. You can walk down and on the white terraces, and the views are really spectacular. It’s also bewildering that the white stuff is hard, because they look like clouds!
Once you’re done there, the tour we booked allows you full access to Hierapolis, an ancient Roman spa city founded around 190BC. There’s Cleopatra’s antique pools, a pretty well-preserved theatre, little museum, café and even Hades’ Gate to explore here. Again, definitely a bit of a must-see if you love history.
Upper and Lower Duden Waterfalls
After our gorgeous visit to Croatia last year, we are a bit addicted to waterfalls. And Antalya is home to the stunning upper and lower Duden Waterfalls. They’re far from the old town area, so we booked a tour that also included an old town walking tour. (This was an excursion-heavy trip; we typically do a lot of our own exploring.) These are definitely worth a visit. The waterfalls are beautiful and the park is lovely to wander. Had we more time – or not been at the mercy of tour timings – we might have packed a picnic and books and spent more time here.
Boat Trip
If you have time to do some research or ask at your hotel, I really recommend taking a boat trip. The harbour is filled with yachts for hire and Antalya is known as the Turquoise Coast for its shimmering, clear blue waters. We squeezed a boat trip in on a particularly hot afternoon, and it was blissful just to sit in the sun with a cool soda, gazing into the sea and looking on at the waterfalls.
Eat & Drink
I don’t have any restaurant recommendations for Antalya, for once! While I ate pretty well, I found that there weren’t a huge amount of vegan options at restaurants, however almost all of the place we did visit were more than happy to adapt vegetarian stews for me or rustle up vegan meals off the fly for me. All delicious, but of course these do not make for a formal recommendation.
Stay & Relax
La Villa Citronella
We loved our stay in Villa Citronella, a sweet, family-run boutique hotel. Just a stone’s throw from the Old Harbour, it’s perfectly located to wander around Antalya’s old town. Our room was cosy and compact, but suited us perfectly for a handful of days where we’d mostly be exploring the area or stopping by for naps and showers. Their included breakfast is delicious, served on the terrace, and I would absolutely stay here again if we were to return to Antalya.
