Antalya - Car Rental, Paragliding, and Gulet Tour

I was in Antalya for a week last November and am returning next month. Let's see:

1) Car Rental: I did not rent a car, but I did take a few taxis. The Kaleici is actually the center of Antalya, and the beach resorts spread out for miles in both directions. For what it's worth, I stayed at the Akra Hotel, and the taxi ride to Kaleici was no more than a few dollars -- not even enough to register on my radar. The taxi fare from the airport to the hotel was right around $10. Of course, the fluctuating value of the lira and high inflation make the prices challenging to predict.

2) Paragliding: I haven't seen any paragliding in Antalya -- doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. I did see some gentle whitewater rafting around Koprulu Canyon, a reservoir south of Antalya.

3) Gulet Tour: I have been scouting around for Gulet tours in the area, and haven't seen any. Once again, there may be gulet tours, and I just haven't found them. The closest gulet departures that I am aware of depart from Fetiye.

A few things that I done or am interested in doing in Antalya:

• Kaleici and the marina. --- nice place to walk around (and shop). Hadrian's gate and the Roman fortress are must-sees. There is also a very old mosque and a Mevlana museum. If you are a photographer, there's a cool umbrella street just outside Kaleici.
• Archaeological musem -- really, really nice.
• Perge -- very large and well preserved Roman ruins. It's a little way out of town. I found it worthwhile to visit.
• Side and Aspendos -- more Roman ruins.
• Termessos -- more Roman ruins. Required some hiking to get from the parking lot to the ruins. I am hoping to go on this trip. Most folks recommend that you rent a car and plan to be there when it opens. High up on a mountain, and the views are supposed to be gorgeous. (This is a high priority for my upcoming trip.)
• Pamukkale -- a long day trip from Antalya, but a lot of people do it. I will almost certainly do it this trip, but I am going to make it an overnight stay and not try to do it in one day.
• Duden Falls -- on the beach, maybe 3 miles south of Kaleici. You may be able to walk there, depending on where you are staying.
• Phaselis - Even more Roman ruins. Haven't been there, but I have heard good things. They just opened a tunnel to Phaselis, which should cut down on the driving time.
• Sulu Ada -- Grottos just off the coast. You have to take a gulet-type boat to get there. Supposed to be beautiful. (high on my priority list for the upcoming trip)
• Koprulu/Green Canyon -- a large reservoir just south of Antalya. You can arrange boat rides or rafting expeditions. The rafting tours go under a high Roman bridge.

Marie, Thanks for your comprehensive roundup on Antalya. I’ll be there in a few weeks on an overnight coming in from Phaselis after staying in Cirali, and had no idea there is so much to see. Perge wasn’t even on the radar. Will hit the Antalya archaeological museum while staying in Kaleici. There’s also a 600-year old hamam called “Sefa Hamam”in Kaleici that gets raves.
Happy travels!

You are right to try Sefa Hamam. My hotel will be a few blocks away, and I will most likely go there more than once. I love hamams!

Hi! Thanks all for your amazing help! Especially Marie for the recommendations!

I am planning to stay at Perge Hotels and Akra to experience a boutique hotel and a bigger hotel.

For car rental, it sounds like taxi rides are affordable so I may just decide if I would like to rent a car when I am there.

Any recommended places to eat?!!! I would love to try local food! Thanks!!

I am planning to stay at Perge Hotels and Akra to experience a boutique hotel and a bigger hotel.

I have stayed at the Akra twice, once in 2015 and again last November. Both times it was full of Russian and Ukrainian tourists. It will be interesting to what kind of impact the war in Ukraine has had on their clientele.

Any recommended places to eat?!!! I would love to try local food!

I am not much help with food in Antalya. I was there for dental surgery in November, and so my food options were limited mostly to yogurt and protein drinks from the CarreFour grocery down the street from the Akra.

The food situation is a little odd around the beaches (or, specifically, around the Akra). The last thing I want to do in a foreign country is to eat American food. There are a surprising number of American chains, like Burger King and Starbucks. Also, along the beach between the Akra and Duden Falls, there are a lot of restaurants with very western sounding names: things like "Montana Burger Grill", "Joe's Cowboy Palace," "Shakespeare Pub," and so forth. At first I thought they were catering to British tourists, but I eventually began to realize that they might well have been catering to Eastern Europeans. I found it all oddly amusing.

I do have a list of a few inexpensive Turkish restaurants I want to try around Kaleici. I have not eaten at any of them.

• Can Can (mostly pide and kebab)
• Fatma Sultan Restaurant (Turk Mutfagı)* — looks good
• Saye Konak Hotel & Restaurant*
• Fisilti Cafe Ev Yemekleri*

Hi hello! Thanks for all your help!

I am arriving in Antalya today. Wondering if anyone manage to find any paragliding or gulet tours in May?