By Justin Mays:
Antalya, one of the places you should visit whenever you touchdown Turkey!
The city is one of a kind holiday resort, with a rich history and breathtaking natural scenery. Located on Anatolia's flourishing southwest coast bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the largest Turkish city on the Mediterranean coast with over one million people in its metropolitan area. There are many compelling reasons to visit, ranging from the looming majesty of the Taurus Mountains to quiet beaches that lead to old cities of bygone empires.
With so many foreigners living in Antalya, it’s an indication of how welcoming the city is. Whether you’re a pensioner looking for a retirement spot with a reasonable cost, or you just looking for a place to make friends, Antalya is the right place for you.
Antalya has a well-established foreign community, which makes it easy for expats to settle in and make new friends.
Living in Antalya
The cost of living in Antalya is one of the reasons why people settle and visit this area. People on a budget shop at various discount stores, dine at lokantas (restaurants) and use affordable public transportation. Meanwhile, if you have a lot of money, the options are limitless.
Antalya, like Bodrum and Istanbul, is a multi-faceted destination, although smaller resorts such as Altinkum and Oludeniz rarely provide a high-end luxury experience. The Marden Palace, a five-star plus hotel, as well as worldwide brand name boutiques and luxury restaurants employing the best chefs from across the world, reflect Antalya's upper-scale lifestyle.
Transportation
As Turkey's most important international coastal region and vacation destination, Antalya provides excellent transportation options, including an ultra-modern airport with year-round flights from all over the world. This provides it an advantage over some destinations, where the airport closes during the winter. The location provides short transfer times to places like Belek, Kemer, and the popular tourist beach destinations of Lara Beach and Konyaalti.
In addition to air travel, some of Turkey's largest and nicest yacht marinas welcome visitors arriving by sea. The central bus station sells tickets to locations around Turkey all year, and the main D400 highway, which runs from east to west and through the province, makes it easy to move around by public transportation or driving. Antalya has perfect transportation options, cost, and frequency.
Holiday shopping and Nightlife
Antalya has also shopping malls for those who enjoy shopping sprees. Experience both traditional to modern shopping in Antalya. Souvenirs, clothing, and household goods that outrival American markets can be bought in Antalya’s markets. There are weekly markets for fruits and vegetables that are also available for those who enjoy healthy eating.
When it comes to nightlife, Antalya has everything for everyone. It ranges from quiet and serene to fast-paced usually at seaside dining restaurants, large nightclubs, and roof terrace bars.
Touristic Attractions
There are a lot of places to visit in Antalya and each of these places lives you desiring for more. Antalya accommodates individuals, couples, and families with its various water parks, museums, green spaces, and the famous Aquarium. The cable car ride up to Mount Tahtali makes many holiday makers’ vacations worthwhile. There are many traces of Antalya’s history through its ancient ruins such as Aspendos, Phaselis, Myra, Kekova sunken ruins, Alanya’s red tower, and castle, and many other places to explore. Do not forget Kaleici old town with its quaint collection of Ottoman houses, old mosques, domineering clock tower, and landmark Hadrian’s gate.
Antalya has many hotels with world-renowned chefs bringing different cuisines. Restaurants in the area also deliver great quality services with staff that speaks different languages making Antalya a Cosmopolitan city. Various events such as parties and weddings take place in this area with more than 200 guests who fly in from different countries to enjoy the events and beautiful sceneries of this place.
