The best restaurants, sights and experiences in the gateway to the Turkish Riviera

Touch down

Antalya’s location in the eastern Mediterranean could hardly be sweeter: midway along the southern Turkish shore. The busy airport is eight miles (13km) northeast of the city centre. Flights arrive from all the major UK airports, with a typical flying time of four hours.

On arrival, you will find a range of transport options: taxis (of course); buses to the city centre, the otogar (bus station) and coastal resorts; and the AntRay tram, which is clean and inexpensive. Take tram T1A to Ismetpaşa station, the closest on this line to the city centre – where you can transfer to T2, the heritage tram.

Get your bearings

The centre of Antalya is at the apex of a broad bay that extends southwest for 30 miles (50km) and southeast for over 60 miles (100km). Most of the resorts along the Turkish Riviera – including Side and Alanya – are to the southeast.

The core of Antalya is compact and attractive: the old town is perched on a promontory high above the ancient port – which has been Antalya’s maritime gateway for over 2,000 years. A glass platform (free to visit) extends out to provide a perfect view of the port, the castle and the old town – whose key landmark is the “fluted minaret”. The modern city extends out from the old town, while in either direction the shore is punctuated by a string of hotels delivering fun in the sun.

Check in

The Akra Hotel stands high on the waterfront east of the Old Town, with smart, comfortable and unfussy rooms offering superb views of the Mediterranean. It is also the only hotel I know of that lends out bikes for leisurely exploring – but tandems as well.

Move further east and you are in the territory of mega-resorts. Fifteen miles (25km) east of the city centre, Land of Legends is a combine shopping mall, theme park and accommodation complex. If your approach to hotels is the bigger the better, Kingdom at Land of Legends may be the place for you. It’s a vast, multifaceted property, but the concept is simple: everything a holidaymaker needs within easy reach, whether you’re a solo traveller, a couple or a family seeking an indulgent escape in a fairytale kingdom.

To complete my chosen trip: the Titanic Mardan Palace, which takes its cue from the glamour of the world’s most famous ship. Elaborate staircases and chandeliers, walkways bathed in light from the ornate, opaque ceiling gives a sense of the height of luxury at sea. The property has a swimming pool that is oceanic in its scale – meaning plenty of room, and and a waterside sunbed, for everyone.

Day One: Take a hike

Time to explore – starting at the entrance to Antalya’s Old Town. In AD130 the Roman Emperor Hadrian came to Antalya. In his honour, a spectacular triple-arch gate was created. Nineteen centuries on, Hadrian’s Gate remains the place to begin a stroll through the old town.

Start by appreciating the rich decoration of the gate, which has survived through the centuries as a gift from the ancients. Step from the modern city into the past, an inviting destination free of traffic, where the streets narrow and the structures are low – except for the occasional minaret pointing heavenward. Everything feels on a human scale. Commerce has been here for centuries, with plenty of cafes and shops spilling onto the street.

The Old Town stands on a cliff high above the port, with a stairway leading down to the water’s edge. (Careful on those steps – they have been worn down and polished by a million pairs of feet before yours heading down to the harbour.)

Antalya harbour is still a working port, though these days the main business is to give shelter to yachtspeople and to provide pleasurable experiences for visitors – whether on boat trips along the coast, or walking on the very solid arm that wraps around the harbour, punctuated by a lighthouse.

The hike ends at the western tip of the sea wall that protects the harbour here in Antalya – and you’re greeted with much the same view that seafarers have had for millennia. Among the visitors to Antalya: the Apostle Paul, who landed here around AD45 with his companions Barnabas and Mark on his first missionary journey to Asia Minor.

Lunch on the run

For millennia, the Mediterranean has been anything but a barrier – it is a means of communication and connection, as well as a source of nourishment. Unsurprisingly, Antalya has been endowed with many good places to eat and drink.

A classic cliff-top restaurant, Arma, is converted from a former oil depot – and today serves seafood along with an abundance of fresh vegetables.

Another favourite of mine, in a newer quarter of town: Piyaz, both the name of the small and friendly restaurant and the one specific dish: a delicious mix based on beans augmented by egg, parsley, tomato and olive oil. The addition of tahini and lemon juice makes it Antalya Piyaz, which attracts hungry customers from all over Turkey.

One more lunch option: Mevlana Lokantasi, founded in 1956, is central and welcoming, as well as large enough to guarantee you a place for you at lunch. My favourite is a simple döner kebab, served at the table in just a trice so you can get out and make the most of the afternoon.

Window shopping

One of the pleasures of a Turkish adventure is shopping – with a wide range of clothing, crafts and carpets, and the benefit of exchange rates that mean your holiday funds stretch further than elsewhere.

The Old Town of Antalya has an abundance of of retail options, with competition keeping prices down for everything from sweet treats such as Turkish Delight and baklava to freshly ground coffee.

You can wake up and smell the shopping opportunities at that vast complex east of Antalya that I mentioned earlier: the wonderfully named Land of Legends. Besides countless designer shops, the mall is adorned with sculptures and architectural flourishes that you won’t need a platinum credit card to enjoy.

Prices in Turkey are so enticing that I like to make a last-minute shopping trip. The place to do that: what’s claimed to be the biggest outlet mall in the Mediterranean. Shops in the Mall of Antalya – and the adjacent Deepo Outlet Mall – open 10am-10pm daily (later at weekends), making it an excellent location to find both global and Turkish brands before your plane departs. The airport is around 10 minutes away.

An Aperitif

Overlooking the bay is 251Soul at the Akra hotel. The name comes from the jazz progression of that name.Typically it would go: A minor, D major, G major. But if you don’t want to take that in, just take in the view and contemplate dinner.

Another good option, buried in the old town, is a personal favourite: the Number 14 bar, with a lovely courtyard and ice-cold beer.

Dining with the locals

In the old town, you might meet a celebrity or two at Sarasir: a delicious outdoor-dining locate with the exotic boast: “We aim at not only appeasing your hunger but also expanding your horizons.” Choose from sea bass wrapped in vine leaves, stuffed quail or chicken thighs. The restaurant also makes the claim that Sarasir “covers your shoulders like a cool kaftan at the end of the night’.

On the western side of town, high above the sea, is a modern classic: Seven Mehmet, named after the founder, Mehmet – who had a distinguishing mark in the shape of a 7 on his forehead. Dramatic architecture and an array of sculptures gives the feeling of dining in a gallery. Fresh fish, salads and a good choice of local wines are the strong points here.

Day Two: Places of worship

A wide range of wonders, ancient and modern, are accessible from the city of Antalya. Start in the west of the province of Antalya at what is today the city of Demre. At its heart, against a backdrop of mountains: a handsome church with roots deep in the past. In the fourth century AD, this was the Christian city of Myra. The bishop was deeply revered – and later became St Nicholas.

After his death, the relics of the bishop-turned-saint made the church a place of pilgrimage. Old Saint Nick also became the patron saint of seafarers – which explains why his relics, those remains are no longer here. They were taken by Italian sailors in the 11th century.

A century later, the church was actually submerged under mud when a river changed course. Only in the 19th century was it finally excavated and its former glory restored, courtesy of the Russian Czar Nicholas I.

The church of St Nicholas is now a candidate for inclusion on the Unesco World Heritage list – a status which I predict would be widely acclaimed by children, who know the figure better as Santa Claus. A sculpture outside the church shows him hauling a sack of presents, surrounded by adoring children.

Morning glory

There is much to enjoy along the road back to Antalya. To enjoy the Turkish countryside, come to Finike. It is an official Cittaslow – a “slow town” where you can fully appreciate nature. At Turkuaz Köy, which means turquoise village, you could check in for a few nights: activities range from tennis to archaeology. Or, if you are passing through, wander through the orange groves and enjoy a very good Turkish breakfast on the verandah overlooking the river.

Out to brunch

Back in Antalya, and a couple of blocks inland from the shore is a bright and welcoming restaurant with fresh food so tasty you won’t want to leave. The name is Sarı Demlik, which means yellow teapot. I love this place because it’s like eating in someone’s well-cultivated greenhouse. People who eat in glass houses should order the Turkish breakfast, served all day from 8am to 5pm. Locally sourced ingredients are combined to create flavours and textures to savour: with fresh vegetable, regional cheese, fried sausage, omelette and home-made preserves.

Take a ride

The city features some exciting transportation options. To survey the full glory of this part of the Mediterranean, head for Tünektepe. Among the mountains that decorate the coast west of Antalya, it is one of the most impressive: towering nearly 2,000 ft, over 600m, above sea level. From the summit you can appreciate the extraordinary crumpled rock that towers above Antalya.

You could hike up in three hours or so, but the teleferik (cable car) will hoist you to the top in just nine minutes – and down again.

In the city, heritage trams dating from the 1950s and 60s shuttle along the waterfront – providing useful transportation as well as a retro experience. They shuttle from the city centre to the vast collection of antiquity at Antalya Museum.

Cultural afternoon

The rich and varied collection at Antalya Museum was first put on public display just over a century ago. In 1972 the current premises were built – with a design that shows the creativity of Mediterranean civilisations in a fresh light. You can find an entire gallery of Roman emperors, various statues of divinities in a Hall of Gods – and a magnificent collection of sarcophagi, exquisitely carved.

Antiquity is best appreciated in situ, by exploring east of Antalya. Start at Aspendos, simply the best-preserved Roman theatre in the world. Aspendos was once a great port. The Greeks arrived here first, it’s said in the year 1000BC. When the Romans took over, they got to work to create an entertainment venue of immense beauty. In the second century AD, they hired a Greek architect named Zenon to build a theatre to hold as many as 20,000 citizens. The resulting structure has a diameter of over 300 feet (96m), with elaborate decorations. It’s still used for music and drama performances today.

If you prefer your history to be a little rougher around the edges, there’s another theatre a short distance east – at Side, which is also a popular resort and boasts its own impressive theatre.

Side occupies a rocky peninsula pointing southwest into the Mediterranean, and much antiquity is concentrated into an area of less than one square kilometre. As a fitting end to your cultural afternoon, wander to the waterfront and a magnificent punctuation before the Mediterranean Sea begins: the Temple of Apollo and Athena, enduring testimony to the genius of humanity.

Apollo was a particularly high-achieving god, credited with inventing archery as well as warding off evil spirits and slaying the odd giant. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, was held to be the protector of Side. She did a good job.

A walk in the park

Antalya has its own natural park, 10 miles (16km) north of the city centre – rich in vegetation and shade, and an excellent place to escape. A network of trails lead you to encounter nature at her most artistic: a waterfall.

Icing on the cake

My favourite hidden gem in all of Antalya is Borekci Tevfik. It serves borek, the delicious, light pastry perfected here by Tevfik himself – who turns creating food into performance art, bringing extra joy and love to the experience. Straight from the oven, with a fresh dusting of icing sugar to give you that extra bit of energy straight from the oven. Fresh and delicious.