Antalya

The resort of Antalya is situated in the south of Turkey on the Mediterranean coast. Antalya is a cosmopolitan resort built on a sea cliff. The surrounding coastline with beautiful isolated coves; spectacular sea cliffs; glorious beaches and marinas is now known as the Turkish Rivera.

Antalya was named after the Attalos II, king of Pergamom in 150 BC where he took advantage of the natural harbour to base his fleet. Due to its strategic importance Antalya has fallen into different hands: the Romans, the Byzantines, Seljuks and latterly the Ottomans have all occupied this city and have also left their mark.

However, today the main invaders are not really a concern to the inhabitants of Antalya. Tourism has exploded in this area and has a dramatic impact on the city over the last thirty or so years. In 1970 the population was nearly 100,000 and now due to tourism is population is about 1 million.

Antalya has the perfect blend of culture, character and history of a city, with the beaches, hotels, restaurants and cafes of a resort which can be lacking in some other Mediterranean resorts.

You can experience two different kinds of shopping the old traditional way of pazarlik (haggling) or modern shopping malls. The new Antalya Migros Shopping mall built in 2001 is the city’s most recent and largest centre with over 100 shops. Here you can find high street brand such as Zara, McDonalds and Diesel.

If you are souvenir hunting then you should visit the local shops and bazaars where you can negotiate your own deals and perhaps get a bargain– pazarlik. The main tactic when haggling is to look confident and offer round about 50% as an opening salvo. Walk away from the deal if you’re not happy or when the price goes up to about 75-80% of the original price. Things to take home are a Meerschaum pipe, carpets, gold jewellery and embroidery.

Antalya being a city resort means that you can get the best of both worlds. The cosmopolitan lifestyle of the city and the sea-side beach town feel of the resort mean that you’ll not struggle to find family friendly places to eat, drink and relax.

The main attraction of Antalya is its beautiful 7km long beach, Konyaalti Plaj. This sand and shingle beach is big enough that you won’t have any problems finding the perfect spot. It would be wise to buy some bathing shoes for the children as some may struggle walking on the difficult surface. For sandy beaches head west for about 7 miles where you’ll find the glorious sandy coves of Buyuk Calticak and Kucuk Calticak.