In the first century B.C. Attalus King of Pergamum ordered his men to find “the paradise on earth”. They travelled all around and found a place on the Mediterranean and thought rightly this should be and founded “Antalya” by giving the name of their King. This could be a legend but the city and the region is quite a paradise.

 

Antalya, capital of Pamphilya and Roman Senatorial province during the reign of Hadrian (135 AD) who also let build the imposing walls that we can see on our days. During the Byzantine period the city suffered from a lot of Arabian raids. The crusaders used its port to embark to Palestine. Under the Turk Karaman’s power then incorporated into the Ottoman Empire at the end of the XIV Century.

 

In the region there are many historical cities of the old Pamphilia, as Perge, Aspendos, Side, Termessos and antique cities as Phaselis, Olympos, Chimaera etc worth to a visit. Not very far are Demre, the Myra of St Nicholas, and the beautiful Alanya with its Castle.

 

Antalya is dominated by two climates: summer and mild winters. The coastal area has typical Mediterranean climate, summers are hot and dry; winters are mild and rainy. The interior region of Antalya has affected by Central Anatolia in winters and affected by the Mediterranean in summers. In July and August, the temperature can reach 35 degrees, with minimal rainfall. Winters, in the mean time, can get down to 4 degrees, and may be reach to freezing point. Rain falls a lot in December and January, with 250mm of rain per month. The average annual humidity is 61%.

Rafting: Not just in Antalya but also in Turkey, Köprüçay River within the Koprulu Canyon National Park is the most breathtaking rafting centres. The river emerges from the Toros (Taurus) Mountains and runs through a number of amazing canyons, Koprucay flows into the Mediterranean Sea to the south of Serik, a district of Antalya. Here is also one of the most beautiful natural recreation areas of Turkey. Beside, there are Roman bridges and historical roads.

 

Koprulu Canyon National Park covers 36,000 hectares which includes part of Koprucay River and the ancient city of Selge. The forest of the Park is Turkey's largest forest of Mediterranean Cypress. The National Park is rich in red pine, black pine, cedar, fir, oak and wild olive trees. The wild animals in the region include fallow deer, wild goat, wild boar, bear, wolf, fox, rabbit and various bird species. There are red speckled trout in the upper reaches and grey mullet in other parts of the Koprucay.

 

Manavgat River rushes powerfully over the rocks, and also offers excellent rafting opportunities. There are several agencies in and out of the city who organise trips for rafting activities, including everything you need.

 

Skiing: There is a ski centre on the top of Beydag mountain range at between 2000 and 2400m, named Saklikent. There are two ski lifts, restaurants, and accommodation facilities. The skiing season starts in January and finishes in April. When and if you visit Antalya in the spring months, it is possible to ski in the morning and then swim in the sea in Antalya, in the same day.

 

Mountaineering/ Climbing: The Beydag mountain offer a wide range of climbing opportunities. The mountain has peaks ranging from 600 - 3086 m., with a variety of geological and typographical features. The important peaks on Beydag are Tekedorugu, Bakirli Dag, Tahtalidag and Kizlar Sivrisi. Climbers will pass through the cedar forests of Camkuru Valley on their way to the top.

 

Diving: Antalya has 630km of coast line and various opportunities for diving. The city has the highest number of diving schools in the country.
Good areas to dive in Antalya are as following: Antalya yacht harbour and the islands in the open seas around Tekirova, where also is a good location for cavern diving. The area between the beaches of Lara and Konyaalti and the small island of Sican are also popular regions for diving. Beside, there re plenty of diving regions outer skirt of Antalya.
Tuna fish, seals, and dolphins and several sea creature and nature can be seen throughout the year. Beside, historical monuments, ruins and historically recorded accident ruins, such as cargo shipwrecks, war plane, and war ships can also be seen.

 

Hunting: Foreigners can only hunt by groups, and group tours are organised by Turkish travel agencies which have been authorised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. These agencies provide all information about hunting activities in Turkey. A list of agencies can be obtained from the Union of Travel Agencies (TURSAB).

 

For more information, contact:
- Forest Ministry, National Parks and Wildlife General Directorate, Gazi Tesisleri No 11, Gazi, Ankara.
Phone: (312) 221 1769/212 6300.
Fax:  (312) 222 5140.

 

- Youth and Sport General Directorate, Hunting and Marksman Federation Ulus Ishani A Blok 4 Kat No 404, Ulus, Ankara.
Phone: (312) 310 6160/310 3960.
Fax: (312) 310 6160

 

GOLF: Antalya is a great city for playing golf, due to its weather and facilities provided. Followings are example facilities which have Administration Certificate of Ministry of Culture and Tourism and also located in Antalya

 

Gloria Golf Resort: 30 minutes drive away from the Antalya Airport. Playing golf is possible all year around.
Address: Acisu Mevkii, 07500 Serik-Belek-ANTALYA
Telephone: (+90-242) 715 15 20
Fax: (+90-242) 715 15 25
E-mail: for Properties of the courses info@gloria.com.tr

 

Nobilis Golf Otel: 40 minutes drive away from the Antalya Airport. Playing golf is possible all year around.  
Address: Acisu Mevkii, 07500 Serik- Belek, Antalya
Telephone: (0242) 715 19 87,
Fax: (+90-242) 715 19 85
E-mail: for Properties of the courses nobilisgolf@superonline.com
 

 

National Golf Club:  Playing golf is possible all year around.
Address: Belek Turizm Merkezi 07500, Serik, Belek-Antalya.
Telephone: (+90-242) 725 4620,
Fax: (+90-242) 725 46 23
E-Mail: for Properties of the courses http://www.nationalturkey.com/

 

Tat Golf: Playing golf is possible all year around.
Address: Tatbeach Golf Hotel, P O BOX: 01 07507 Serik, Belek – Antalya.
Telephone: (+90-242) 725 53 03
Fax: (+90-242) 725 52 99
web site: http://www.tatgolf.com.tr/
E-mail: for Properties of the courses info@tatgolf.com
Distance to airport: 35 km
Distance to City Centre: 45 km

 

Fishing: There is no need of license for fishing as leisure purposes in non-prohibited areas.More information and further details can be obtained from:
Orman Bakanligi, Su Urunleri Sb. Md. Gazi Tesisleri 11 Nolu Bina Gazi, Ankara.
Telephone: (0312) 212 6300.
There are endless varieties of fish in the waters around Antalya (Sea, lakes, rivers etc.). Sea bass and striped mullet, pike, plaice, crayfish, crawfish and lobster can be seen in the semi-salty waters.

 

Camping: There are several forest camps around Kemer, in the south of Antalya. Some good facilities are as following:
Mico, Telephone: (0242) 814 1791
Ovedland, Telephone: (0242) 814 1645
Kindil Cesme, Telephone: (0242) 814 1075
Turban Camping Beldibi, Telephone: (0242) 824 8105

 

Yachting: There are a lot of different coves, inlets, bays and beaches in which yachtsmen can choose several unspoiled anchorage location each night. Sailing in Antalya allows guests to experience the hospitality of the people in the coastal villages and towns.
Antalya is also one of the coasts where the most established marinas lie: Kalkan, Kas, Finike, Kemer and Antalya.

 

Yacht Marinas in Antalya - registered by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism

 

Yacht Ports with Tourism Administration Certificate
			Capacity
City	Type	Port Name	On shore	On sea
Antalya	Secondary Yacht Port	Setur Antalya Marina	169	290
Antalya/ Kaleiçi	Docking Place for Yachts	Kaleiçi Yacht Port	90	-
Antalya/ Kemer	Secondary Yacht Port	Akdeniz Kemer Marina	150	150

 

If you enjoy shopping, Antalya is one of the best cities of Turkey to shop all kind of souvenirs, jewelleries, handicrafts like carpets, leather goods, small gifts like spices, coffee, tea etc. Here are some of the examples for shopping places in Antalya:

 

Antalya Bazaar: The historic market place of Antalya, is known for its many shops, especially jewellery and leather shops. It is located in the centre of the city.

 

Migros Shopping Mall: Here is the biggest and the most modern shopping Mall of Antalya, which is located in 100. Yil Bulvari, the centre of the city. There is a great selection of different shops, 461 exact number of shops, sell all kind of goods.
 
Deepo Outlet Centre: A very newly built shopping mall is located near to Antalya Airport. There are 80 different outlet stores located in a place, 27.000 square metres. There are also several restaurants and cafes located in. Beside, in the centre there are 6 cinema saloons, a theatre, kinder garden and play ground.
Here is open everyday, between 10.00 and 22.00.

 

Stork’s Jewellery Centre, Aspendos
This Jewellery Centre is the biggest and shinny one of Turkey. 150 selling staffs, 30 VIP jewellery selling spots and several open selling spots, and also an introduction saloon, café and kinder garden are located in the centre. Here is known as jewellery Hotel.