Holidays to Antalya, Vacation Packages

Holidays to Antalya are easy with us. Before you look at our Antalya vacation packages, we would like to share with you some information about this magnificent city. Take a look at the holiday packages we’ve put together with other destinations below. But if you’d rather, we can also put together a holiday package just for Antalya.

History of Antalya

Antalya was founded in 158-138 BC by Attalus II, King of Pergamon, who named the city Attalia. Antalya has ever attracted a wide array of travellers, including Paul the Apostle, and Ibn Battuta among others during his long history. Having been inhabited continuously for over 2000 years, it was encircled by strong protective walls in Roman times. The Byzantines and Seljuks successively occupied the city before it came under Ottoman rule.

A Holiday Paradise

Antalya is a holiday paradise, with ancient cities hidden among forests with oxygen-rich air. The city has a lot to offer, with its blue sea, luminous sky, ever-changing mountain colours and lush green vegetation, making it a festival of colours. Antalya is now one of the world’s best-loved tourist resorts, with numerous five-star hotels, holiday villages and entertainment establishments. Not only is it a great place to ski in the mountains and then go for a swim at the beach, but it’s also got a bunch of archaeological sites and ancient ruins, which makes it super interesting. The tourism investments in the 1970s have been really transformative, turning it into the vibrant place it is today.

Sightseeing Places

Antalya’s old town is called Kaleici in Turkish. It was first a Roman town, then Byzantine, then Seljuk Turkish, and finally part of the Ottoman Empire. However, most of Antalya’s historic architecture dates to the medieval Ottoman period (starting from 14. Century). That is what gives Antalya’s charming old city its Turkish-Islamic character – including the tall stone minarets. Perfectly restored whitewashed and red-roofed Ottoman mansions line the cobblestone streets, now home to a plethora of boutique hotels, souvenir shops, art galleries, and restaurants. Although it’s more a place to simply breathe in the old-world ambience, there are also plenty of small tourist attractions for those who want to sightsee.

Hadrian’s Gate is one of the main entrance gates into the Kaleici district. Considerable stretches of the Hellenistic and Roman town walls on the eastern side of the old town have been preserved, and Hadrian’s Gate is the most notable of these sections. Erected in honor of the AD 130 visit by Emperor Hadrian himself, this imposing three-arched marble gateway is decorated with rich sculptural decorations.

Xanthos was a city in ancient Lycia, the site of present day Kınık although in early sources Xanthos is used synonymously for Lycia as a whole. The archaeological site of Letoon is located between the towns of Kas and Fethiye, approximately 4km south of Xanthos along the river. These sites illustrate the blending of Lycian traditions and ancient Greek influence, especially in their funerary art.

Cirali is an authentic beach with a few secrets. At one end of the sands lie the ancient Greek ruins of Olympos, while an

hour’s walk inland takes you to the mysterious Chimera – eternal flames powered by natural gas seeping from the hillside. If you’re lucky, you might also catch a glimpse of the elusive and endangered loggerhead sea turtle.

South of Antalya city centre, Lara Beach is popular for its soft white sand and good family facilities, with cafes and restaurants and plenty of activities. Sun loungers and parasols are easily hired for those wishing to soak up the rays. This is the area where most of Antalya’s beach resorts are located, so be aware that this beach can get crowded during the peak summer months.

Perge‘s large, ruined stadium, half-destroyed temples and huge colonnaded agora have an atmosphere of past glory. This was once the capital of ancient Pamphylia, which flourished under Greek and then Roman rule. The ruins are about 17 kilometres east of Antalya. The Roman Baths, the Hellenistic Gate and the Acropolis are particularly interesting.

Aspendos, east of Antalya, is famous for its best-preserved ancient amphitheatre, which was built in the 2nd century AD during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The theatre has a capacity of 15,000 people and is still used for performances and festivals.

The Antalya Museum is one of the largest museums in Turkey, with a comprehensive collection from the Stone Age to Byzantium.

Demre is famous not only for its natural beauty, clear waters and the ancient Roman city of Myra, but also as a pilgrimage site for believers to pray at the Church of St Nicholas.

The island of Kekova is a site of significant archaeological interest, with the ruins of an ancient town submerged to a depth of 6 metres below sea level. This unique phenomenon makes the island a highly attractive destination for visitors with an interest in history and archaeology.