Antalya Revisited: the Metropole of the Turkish Riviera

Tuesday 20 July 2010

Antalya Revisited: the Metropole of the Turkish Riviera

Antalya is a mega tourist magnet on the Turkish Riviera. According to one airlines industry report, the airport of Antalya handles more passengers every year than both airports in Istanbul put together. Nobody would doubt this once you see the crowded queues at Antalya airport's departure hall, full of tourists from all over Europe and the Middle East, pushing and shouting their way through the scramble otherwise known as check-in. During the summer months, there are direct flights to some of the most obscure and little-known airports in Europe, known probably only to industry insiders.

I had been to Antalya once several years back, and my first impression upon my return visit is: more new hotels, more posh cafes and restaurants, and prices have become very steep too, especially in the Old Town and the tourist areas.

Almost every house within the Old Town (Kaleici) area is now either a cafe, a restaurant, a hotel or some tourist souvenior shops. Frankly speaking, it is not my cup of tea, but such overtly-touristic developments have become almost universal throughout the entire Turkish coast, there is nothing I could do about it.

The one redeeming feature of the Old Town is the view of the Mediterranean from the Old Castle walls. Before you can get this far, you would have to pass through numerous shops and restaurants who would do their best to lure you into their premises.

The Old Town area is frequented by foreign visitors to Antalya, whereas the local residents and Turkish tourists prefer to go to some other places in Antalya, where the atmosphere is not quite as cheesy and much less touristic.

There are several places of interest within the Old Town area, dating from the Roman period as well as the Ottoman times, the most famous of which is probably the Hadrian's Gate.

There are also plenty of old Ottoman houses within the Old Town area, many of them are actually in quite good conditions thanks to their business and tourism potential.