Antalya Old City Tour
Discover Kaleiçi, Düden Waterfalls & Top Attractions

After breakfast, your friendly driver will collect you directly from your hotel lobby. Our modern, air-conditioned vehicle is equipped with complimentary Wi-Fi. Your guide will introduce the day's route and answer any early questions. Pickup times for hotels outside central Antalya may be slightly earlier — your booking confirmation will include your exact time.

Your first encounter with Antalya's natural drama is the Lower Düden Waterfall — locally called Karpuzkaldıran ("watermelon lifter"), a vivid reference to the force of its current. The Düden River, which originates in the Taurus Mountains, plunges 40 metres directly off a coastal cliff into the Mediterranean Sea — a geological spectacle found almost nowhere else in Türkiye.

The surrounding municipal park features beautifully maintained walking paths, tiered observation terraces positioned right at the cliff edge, and a small café area. The mist from the falls creates a lush microclimate, keeping the air noticeably cooler. Early-morning light catches the spray and frequently produces vivid rainbows — the first hour after opening is the prime photography window.

Just 14 km north-east of the city, the Upper Düden Waterfall offers an entirely different mood from its coastal sibling. Here the Düden River cascades into a deep limestone gorge framed by lush Mediterranean vegetation — pines, oleander, and fig trees — creating a cool, dappled sanctuary that feels worlds away from the heat of the coast.

Visitors can walk behind the main curtain of falling water through naturally carved cave passages — a surprisingly accessible adventure that delights visitors of all ages. The park is large enough to absorb crowds comfortably, with multiple walking loops, shaded picnic areas, and a small bridge offering the classic postcard view of the falls.

The falls hold deep historical resonance: according to widely held local legend, Alexander the Great watered his Macedonian cavalry here in 334 BC during his sweeping campaign through Anatolia. While the story cannot be verified archaeologically, the location sits directly on the likely route of Alexander's march south along the coast, lending the legend considerable geographical plausibility.

Tünektepe is the mountain that frames Antalya's eastern skyline, and the cable car that ascends it — known locally as the Teleferik — is one of the city's signature experiences. Rising from the coastal cliffs of the Falez district to an elevation of approximately 619 metres, the gondola ride takes around 10 minutes each way and delivers a bird's-eye panorama that fundamentally reframes how you understand the city's geography.

At the summit, the 360-degree views encompass the entire sweep of the Gulf of Antalya, the snow-capped Taurus Mountains to the north, the dense green carpet of the city spreading below, and on clear days, the silhouette of the Bey Mountains far to the west. The summit platform has a terrace café and restaurant; your guide can recommend how long to allocate based on conditions and the group's pace.

Antalya's marina is not simply a picturesque harbour — it is one of the oldest continuously used anchorages in the Eastern Mediterranean. The original harbour was constructed during the Hellenistic period, likely around the 2nd century BC, and subsequently expanded by the Romans. Its characteristic horseshoe shape, protected on three sides by massive ancient walls, made it an essential waypoint on the trade routes linking Alexandria, Rome, Constantinople, and the Levant.

Today the harbour is framed by restored Ottoman and Roman-era structures, their upper floors converted into boutique restaurants, charming cafés and galleries. Elegant wooden gulets and charter yachts rock gently in the same waters where Roman grain ships once moored. The ancient city walls, some sections still standing to their original height, tower above the quayside and provide a dramatic backdrop to the colourful flotilla of pleasure craft below.

The Hidirlik Tower — a striking 2nd-century Roman structure believed to have served as both a lighthouse and mausoleum — stands at the marina's southern tip and offers sweeping views of the harbour mouth. It is one of the most photographed buildings in Antalya.

Hadrian's Gate is, without question, Antalya's most spectacular ancient monument and one of the finest surviving triumphal arches in the entire Roman world. It was constructed in 130 AD to mark the visit of the Emperor Hadrian — the same ruler who famously built his defensive wall across northern Britain — to the city of Attaleia (modern Antalya).

The gate consists of three identical arched passageways flanked by four columns, all carved from finely cut white marble. The coffered ceiling panels inside the arches retain extraordinary detail despite nearly two millennia of exposure to the elements. Decorative reliefs on the spandrels depict acanthus scrollwork, and traces of the original dedication inscription are still partially legible on the entablature.

Originally, the gate was flanked by two towers; the southern tower (known as the Tower of Hidirlik or Bent Minaret Tower in different sources) still stands. In the Byzantine era the gate was incorporated into the city's defensive walls. The Seljuk Turks who captured the city in 1207 later constructed additional fortifications around it — making Hadrian's Gate a remarkable palimpsest of Roman, Byzantine, and Seljuk building campaigns layered one atop the other.

Kaleiçi — literally "inside the castle" — is the old walled city that forms the historic core of Antalya. The district is a living museum: its street plan follows the grid of the ancient Roman town, its buildings span two millennia of continuous occupation, and its residents go about daily life in a neighbourhood that is simultaneously a UNESCO-grade heritage zone and a vibrant quarter of restaurants, boutique hotels, workshops, and art galleries.

Walking through Kaleiçi, you move through layers of civilisation almost block by block. Roman column bases peer up through the cobblestones. Byzantine churches were converted into mosques by the Seljuks, then reworked again by the Ottomans. Grand 19th-century Ottoman merchant mansions with characteristic overhanging bay windows and carved wooden shutters line the narrow lanes, many converted into charming pension hotels or restaurants. The Yivli Minaret — Antalya's iconic symbol — dates to the 13th century and remains the district's most recognisable silhouette.

Your guide will lead you through the most rewarding sections of this labyrinthine district, explaining the architectural shifts and historical events visible in the fabric of each street. There is also free time for browsing the artisan shops — Turkish ceramics, hand-woven textiles, spice merchants, and jewellers line the main bazaar alley — and for a glass of Turkish tea at a courtyard café.

After an extraordinary day exploring Antalya's natural wonders and historic heart, your guide and driver will return you comfortably to your hotel. The approximate return time is 17:00, though this may vary slightly depending on traffic and the group's pace during the day. End of services.