Antayla Travel Guide

725km (450 miles) south of Istanbul; 467km (290 miles) southeast of Izmir; 298km (185 miles) northeast of Fethiye; 435km (270 miles) east of Marmaris; 634km (394 miles) southwest of Nevsehir

The enormous and sun-kissed region of Antalya includes seaside towns well beyond the outstretched arms of the Gulf of Antalya, as far as Kas to the west and Alanya to the east. The beaches stretch for miles, summers are scorching, and the airport is conveniently close -- a winning combination that has made Antalya the focal point of the Turkish Mediterranean in just over 10 years. Only 25 years ago, Antalya was a ramshackle fishing village huddled around a harbor backed by Roman and pre-Roman ruins and Byzantine ramparts. The arrival of the Sheraton Voyager, the first international-class, five-star hotel to build on the coastline, proved to be the anchor that would attract more visitors. It wasn't until as few as 15 years ago that the trend in Turkey toward historic preservation began to touch the historic quarter of Kaleiçi, a renaissance that, by now, is well on its way to completion. But while the renewal of Kaleiçi helped to transform Antalya from the ugly duckling of the Mediterranean to its current magical Mediterranean appeal, this ancient heart of the city -- thanks to the seedy mercantile class that it has attracted -- is well on its way to losing its luster. But don't cancel your trip here yet: A new renaissance is underway just to the west of the city center over at Konyaalti, the expansive pebbly strip of prime beachfront backed by the development of a meandering, grassy promenade. Funny how it took this long for Antalya's main beach to reach the level of the Sheraton, which now shares the beach with a number of other five-star hotels. The starting point for the beach, incidentally, pretty much sits at the base of a cliff side that houses the wonderful archaeological museum.

Mostly because of Konyaalti, Antalya vies for a position among my favorite destinations on the Turkish Mediterranean. But Antalya is much more than its beaches. It offers an escape into a world where you can (downhill) ski in the morning and swim in the afternoon, explore underwater caves, go rafting through lofty canyons, hike where St. Paul trod, or simply hide out under a straw parasol on a private beach. The city of Antalya is built on a rocky travertine plateau, formed by natural springs running down the Toros Mountains and surging off the cliffs, with the constant breathtaking silhouette of peaks and snowcaps in the distance. In addition to the wealth of outdoor pursuits, the area also has an overwhelming number of archaeological wonders. The Karain Cave, where 50,000-year-old artifacts were discovered, is the oldest human habitation in Anatolia. The ancient mountaintop ruins of Termessos continue to mock Alexander the Great's lone unsuccessful military campaign. Except in August, when temperatures go as high as 104°F (40°C), the climate always seems to cooperate, as Antalya gets no winter to speak of. Even Universal Pictures recognizes the region's promise, visible in the new 10-studio facility in the nearby town of Çandir, where the NBC miniseries Arabian Nights was filmed.