Antalya, Turkey. The city of Antalya. Map of Antalya (Turkey)

What is the feature, so to speak, a feature of this resort? Antalya (Turkey) caters to all categories of tourists. Here you will find many interesting for yourself connoisseurs of ancient and medieval history, as well as lovers of the spirit of the modern metropolis. Here you can enjoy the Turkish identity and at the same time feel yourself in the real European city. Here it is good to have a rest for noisy youth, for couples with children and for elderly people. In Antalya it's easy to find accommodation: in the city there are countless hotels, from modest hostels to hotels for VIP clients.

This metropolis is not in vain called the capital of the Turkish Riviera. The population of the city, numbering a million people in winter, doubles during the tourist season. Gradually, the surrounding resorts and even quite remote, like Belek or Side, are drawn into the orbit of the megacity of the city. Therefore, this entire region of the Mediterranean is called the Anatolian coast.

City `s history

The King of Pergamum Attalus II founded in 159 BC. E. The village, which he named his own name. Independence of this city on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea did not last long. Already in 133 BC. E. Attalia was conquered by the Romans. Emperor Adrian liked this convenient port so much that he ordered to build his winter residence there. Since that time, the city gates, named in his honor, have been preserved.

Attalia flourished under both the Romans and Byzantium. But with the attacks of the Seljuk Turks, the city lost its land connection with the capital. Basileus John II Comnenus only by military campaigns achieved that Antalya ceased to be an enclave. But not for long. In 1207 the Seljuks conquered the Mediterranean coast of modern Turkey. In the twelfth-thirteenth centuries, Antalya was able to visit the capital of the independent Muslim principality Hamid. But since 1423 the city has become part of the Ottoman Empire. After the Second World War, with fashion on the beach vacation, Antalya is gradually becoming a metropolis. However, the new does not displace the old. The map of Antalya (Turkey) clearly shows how the historical center is separated from the modern regions.

Climate

What made this area so attractive for tourists? Probably, its climate. High Taurus mountains in winter protect the city from cold winds from the north. But for the same reason, the cyclones that have arisen because of the storms in the Mediterranean, can not leave and rain on the Anatolian coast.

The lion's share of precipitation falls precisely in winter, which is why some meteorologists call the local climate "almost monsoon". But the summer is hot here. Although rains fall very rarely, high relative humidity (about 65%) makes it difficult to tolerate heat. But the currents and nature of the day off the coast of Antalya are such that the swimming season begins here in early May, and ends in November. And even in January, if someone does not scare +18 degrees, you can plunge into the sea. Of course, the Emirates and Egypt, rather than Turkey, are more suitable for winter holidays. Antalya, whose weather is cloudless in summer, can boast of the fact that its holiday season lasts 8-9 months. The temperature in the warm season is about +28 degrees.

Hotels in Antalya (Turkey)

5 stars with the system "all inclusive" - this is the most common offer in more remote areas of the city - Kundu and Lara. In Konyaalti, chosen by our compatriots, there is also no shortage of respectable hotels, where all entertainments are inside the hotel. As a rule, they are all one or two multi-storey buildings. Only a few hotels offer guests a villa or bungalow.

Hotels located to the west of the historic center, use the city beach with white coarse gravel. The same ones that stand on the rocks have platforms for sunbathing and descent into the water. The best hotels with their own beach are in the area of Lara-tam sandy coast. But in the old Antalya, many small and inexpensive hotels of urban type. Some of them are located in beautiful old buildings.

Nightlife

The city of Antalya never sleeps. For restless youth here with sunset , many night clubs, discos, bars open. The most popular, one might say, cult place is Olympos. This disco is located on the territory of the hotel "Falez". An open-air nightclub is open at the Club 29 Hotel. And absolutely without brakes have fun on the beach Konyaalti, where you can often hear the Russian speech.

On Wednesdays and weekends at the hotel "Taglia" you can see the professional performance of belly dancing (on Fevzi Jakmak street). Anatolian "Aqualand" at night turns into a water disco, where dancing can be combined with roller coaster ride.

Shopping

For lovers of shopping, we recommend you walk around Ataturk-Juddessi. On this street are the most chic shops of the city. But in other areas there is no shortage of shops with hookahs, haberdashery, jewelry and, of course, Turkish textiles of excellent quality.

In the area of Konyaalti there is a huge shopping center Migros 5M. By the way, it is close to such attractions of the city as Mini City and Aquarium, so you can combine an exciting excursion with shopping. In general, to learn the city better yourself. The so-called "Antalya tour", that is, a bus sightseeing tour, is often a hidden knocking out money from gullible tourists. First they are taken to the "center of the skin", which is a huge warehouse of haberdashery, then to a textile store, and then to a jewelry store. Only at the end of the tired tourists show the waterfall Duden.

Nature attractions of Antalya

There are a lot of them, and they are very different. You can get to the waterfalls of Duden by boat from the port. The lower cascade is visible from the side, and to the top it is worthwhile to rise. Under it there is an entrance to a spacious karst cave.

Excellent beaches are located on a small island of Reshat, near the coast. There are also sent katerki from the port. There are many shady, well-groomed parks in the city. The hill Tyunektepe rises seven kilometers away. At its top, in addition to the observation deck, there is a round building of the restaurant with panoramic windows. From there you can see the whole of Antalya (Turkey), as in the palm of your hand. Photos of the landscapes that open from the hill will be worthy of becoming a computer screensaver. And in forty kilometers from the city there is a real ski slope, where in winter you can ride along the snowy slope. Thirty kilometers from the city there are large and ramified caves of Karain.

Historical places of interest

But even more in the city of Antalya (Turkey) man-made miracles. To see them, immediately go to the district of Kaleychi. This is an old city. Here are the remains of ancient walls, the gate of Hadrian, ancient Byzantine basilicas, medieval mosques, baths. Roman, Greek, Seljuk and Ottoman architecture intertwined on narrow streets. In this area there is also a port with the usual fish market for these places. Be sure to buy and try fish grid. It is found only in the local shores, and its taste is amazing. At your request, the seller will clean and gut the fish.

The symbol of the city is the Yivli Mosque with a beautiful high minaret. It is also necessary to visit the towers of Hıdırlık and Kale-Kapysy, the Seljuk Khan caravanserai, Mehmet Pasha and Iskela mosques. From the museums we recommend visiting the Archaeological and Ethnographic. Also interesting is the Aquarium, where almost all the life of the Mediterranean Sea floats above the tunnel for visitors.

Antalya (Turkey): how to reach

The city is growing at the same rapid pace as Istanbul and Ankara. Therefore, in Antalya, many interesting modern buildings. One of them is the Sabanci pyramid - a grandiose construction of glass and concrete.

To make the arrival and departure of the guests of the city more comfortable, two international terminals were built. By the way, it is very convenient to get to the city of Antalya (Turkey) and from Istanbul on local airlines. A beautiful bus station is served by Japanese minibuses, which have replaced the old dolmushi. It takes twenty minutes to get from the airport to the city.