The Diversity of Antalya in Turkey By Dan Williams At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Anyone travelling to Antalya in Turkey and expecting to find the typical tourist resort will not be disappointed but they will be surprised to find there’s much more to this city that meeting the needs of holidaymakers.

Antalya is an important hub of Turkey’s agricultural industry and the wholesale market in the city provides more half of all the fruit and vegetable requirements of the country.

The older part of Antalya, known as Kalecei, is a warren of narrow cobbled streets flanked by a mix of architecture dating back to various historical periods including the Roman and Byzantine periods.

Like most coastal towns along this Turkish coast, Antalya has a marina, but the one here is not a modern construction rather an older, more charming, harbour dating back to Roman times. It is quite small and seems more integrated into the town itself. There are plenty of cafés and restaurants around the marina where one can relax and watch the world go by.

There are very few beaches to be found near the main town, with some having only private access, so holidaymakers looking for more beach time may want to select a hotel located on either of the Konyaalti or Lara beaches to the west of the town. It is in this area where you will find the larger hotels that cater for many of the tourists visiting the town. The beach along the coast here stretches for almost 5 kilometers with views of mountains dominating the skyline in the south. The beach is a mix of pebbles and different colored sands, with a huge choice of serviced beach areas, so there is plenty of room for everyone.

There are various interesting locations that can quickly be reached from either Antalya or Dalaman airports. One favourite would be Patara with its ancient Lycian ruins. There are also ruins of an amphitheater here and a holiday here can be made complete with lazy days on the lovely beaches in the area. The Patara beach has been voted by some as the best beach in the world, with 18 kilometers of white soft sand to enjoy. Strict conservation laws are in place here and there are no buildings along the coast to spoil this very special beach. If you are lucky enough to be here at the right time of year you may experience the amazing sight of Loggerhead turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs on the beach, although the beaches are highly protected and are often closed to the public during the hours of darkness when the turtles normally come ashore.

Other resorts within reach of a short transfer from Antalya along the Lycian coast include Kemer, Finike and Kas. These towns all lie on the Lycian Way, an ancient footpath that meanders through cedar forests, rocky gorges, mountainside tracks and summer pasture land. Kas is a small coastal town with a picturesque marina. It is located approximately 100 miles west of Antalya and has only a few small hotels, making it a perfect location for a quiet, relaxing holiday. Visitors to Kas normally choose the location for the wealth of ancient monuments in the surrounding area or for its fantastic location as a base for scuba diving. The attractive Kaputas beach sits between Kas and the nearby town of Kalkan. Mass tourism has yet to reach Kalkan although there are quite a few private villa developments around the town that are attracting those seeking a second or holiday home in the area.

Further towards Antalya, the town of Finike owes its history to its past as a trading port and still supplements its economy with its busy yacht marina. Another part of the areas commercial interest is citrus fruit agriculture and oranges and other fruits are exported from the area to all over the world. There are many small beaches and coves along the coast around Finike and several are stopping points of the Blue Cruises that sail along the coast. Like Patana, however there are concerns about protecting the natural habitats of sea turtles which use the beaches to come ashore and lay their eggs. In the hills behind Finike there are a wealth of ancient ruins and monuments to explore and the town itself also has city walls and ruins of a Roman theatre to show its past.

So you can see that Antalya is a gateway to sun and sunshine as well as an abundance of history and ancient architecture. A great mix for a fantastic holiday.

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