Antalya

Antalya is the gateway city for the Turkish Riviera (the "Turquoise Coast") and one of Turkey's finest provincial cities — a Roman harbour city with a well-preserved Kaleiçi old town of Ottoman houses, Roman archways and Byzantine walls that is a genuine historical delight quite separate from the resort hotel strip that lines the surrounding coast. The old harbour (Yat Limanı) surrounded by Roman walls, the Hidirlik Tower (a 2nd-century Roman monument at the harbour entrance), Hadrian's Gate (a magnificent triple-arched triumphal arch from 130 AD) and the Yivli Minaret (the distinctive fluted minaret of a Seljuk mosque from 1230) are the key monuments, all within the Kaleiçi walls. The Antalya Museum is one of Turkey's finest archaeological museums, with exceptional Roman statuary from nearby excavations. The Düden Waterfalls — both the upper falls (a park of cascades) and the lower falls (which plunge directly into the sea from a clifftop) — are unusual and impressive natural features very close to the city. Perge, Aspendos (the best-preserved Roman theatre in the world, seating 12,000 and still used for opera), and Side are excellent archaeological day trips. The Taurus Mountains rise dramatically behind the city, and the Köprülü Canyon National Park offers rafting and hiking. Beaches of excellent quality extend both east and west of the city.