From the mountains to the sea; Turkey!! ANTALYA

Antalya (7th - 9th April)

 

 

 

 

 

Our first seaside adventure on the trip! Antalya is rich with character, history and charm. We loved walking through the small streets filled with beautiful homes, hotels and shops.

 

 

A beautifully decorated Pension

We loved the character of this home, the beautiful trailing vines and the tile house number

 

 

 

The beautiful Umbrella Street, lined with restaurants

We passed Hadrian's gate, built in 130AD for Emperor Hadrian and Hidirlik Tower (a mausoleum built in the 1^st or 2^nd century).

 

 

Hadrian's Gate

 

Hidirlik Tower

 

The Marina is a gorgeous place to watch the world go by, and the weather was gorgeous when we were here. We took a 45 minute boat ride which went past a grotto, a waterfall and out into the deep Mediterranean. We only paid 10TL ($5AUD) per person (the captain initially tried to charge 50TL ($25AUD) per person but came down eventually!

The stunning Marina

 

Seating area at the Marina

Crystal clear ocean, viewed from a seating area at the marina

The beautiful mountains against the coast

The waterfalls viewed from the boat tour

 

The backdrop of this place is amazing, the mountains are extremely high and snow peaked, and seem to go on forever.

The view of the water, mosque and mountains at dawn

 

The beautiful mountains, now a lot clearer in the early morning sunshine

 

 

The coast is bordered by beautiful manicured gardens and various view points, all of which can be reached from different streets or roads in the city. There are many sculptures, parks, garden beds and cafe's in these areas, so you can spend hours just wandering the city and watching the world go by.

 

 

A sculpture of a man wearing a traditional tea serving contraption

 

The main shopping strips are lined with many cafe's, clothing stores, makeup and cosmetic stores and street sellers selling sunglasses, fake clothing and bags. We enjoyed having a drink and sweet here watching people go by. 

 

Muratpasa Tram station

 

 

Antalya Shopping centre

Fountain lit up at night, on the main shopping street

 

 

 

We absolutely loved Antalya.  It was a great mix of both traditional and modern Turkey with stunning coast lines, beautiful clean streets and fantastic food.