Activities
One of the things I love about Antalya is the fact that there are so many things to do and you can do most of them all year round.
The Beach is the place where I go most often and not just because it's free. LOL. No, it is because it is just a great place to go anytime of year. There are all the usual Watersports available as well as restaurants, snack bars and even a fairground in the Beachpark area.
Antalya also has a large Fairground just opposite Migros Shopping Centre. This is a great place for adults and kids alike and they are adding rides all the time. I must be getting old because there are a couple that I've not went on yet as they look a bit too scary but the teenagers seem to love them, that is if you call screaming at the top of your voice while upside down at 50 feet in the air, a sign of having a good time.
As you probably know Turkish people take their Football very seriously and Antalya has a football team called Antalyaspor who are definitely worth going to see even if its just to watch the crowd which is what I spent most of my time doing.
Antalya has a couple of Golf courses but the main place for Golf in the region is Belek. For those of you who are unaware Belek is THE golf capital of Europe with 11 professional courses all within 20 minutes drive of each other it attracts Golfers from all over the world and with more courses in the pipeline this makes Belek an excellent place to invest in property in as it will go from strength to strength.
The Antalya Region also has quite a few Horse Riding Centres. I know of at least five in the area and the horses are all well looked after and so if you are an enthusiast or even a beginner you will have a great time there as they cater for all levels and even young children cat sit on the horses. The ones I know all have a cafe or restaurant area so you can spend the day there no problem.
As you would expect from a region so rich in culture Antalya has some great Museums with the Archeological one in Antalya itself being the pick of the bunch. Visiting there really is like taking a step back in time and the amount of extremely well preserved artifacts is astonishing. Without doubt it is a 'must do' while in Antalya. I believe there is a good museum in Side as well close to the Ampitheatre but I have not visited that one.
There are some places to go Paragliding in Antalya. I done it a bit further along the coast at Ole Deniz and it was amazing.
Rafting on the other hand is something I have yet to try in Antalya but I will have to make a point of doing it this year. They cater for groups as well as the individual.
I love to Scuba Dive and I am actually a certified one having completed my Advanced Open Water Certificate in the Maldives. However, Turkey is another hot spot for scuba divers and I believe that Side is going to be THE place to go Scuba Diving in the future.
So far I have not yet managed to go Skiing either but I have read reports on the various forums on the internet that say how good it is in Saklikent which is only 30 minutes drive from the centre of Antalya. When the mountains next get some snow I will pay a visit with my camcorder for you to get a glimpse of the fact that you can ski in the morning and then swim in the afternoon here in Antalya.
So far I have only been to the Lower Düden Waterfall in Lara in Antalya but I plan to go next year when my folks visit again. Click the link to watch a small video of it.
I love Waterparks because I am essentially a big kid at heart. I have been to the two large waterparks in Antalya and if I had to choose one I would go for the Düden one just ahead of the Konyaalti Beachpark one but they are both really good.
Unfortunately I have not been on a Blue Voyage ride either. This is something I would love to do as it looks absolutly stunning. I first discovered about the Gulet trips in Turkey when I was working in a Thomas Cook call centre in Scotland and out of all the holidays I sold to people I thought that they looked the best thing to do. Check out my tour section for special archeological tours on the Gulet. Fun and educational at the same time!! Superb.
Dolphinland is a good way to spend a couple of hours. It is located clost to Konyaalti Beachpark and they even give you the chance to swim with the Dolphins at the end of the show although at 100 Euros for 10 minutes my purse strings wouldn't stretch that far, being Scottish and all. Still, it is worth a visit.
Minicity is a very interesting place to visit. There are many highly detailed models of the famous buildings of Turkey and for only a 2 YTL entry fee I treated my whole family to the experience when they visited. LOL. There is a good playground there to keep the kids amused as model houses may not enthrall them too much. You get a little booklet on entering which gives you info about all the buildings so you can really take your time and become famaliar with each building.
There are many other things to see and do in the city of Antalya . One of the most popular areas to visit is the old quarter known as Kaleiçi' which consists of old ottoman houses which have been converted into hotels, restaurants, cafes and shops. This is a place you must visit on your trip to Antalya. There are daily boats trips from the award winning Marina area situated at the bottom of the hill which is where all the streets in Kaleiçi basically lead to.
Please click the links below for more information on each activity.
