Insight Guides: Pocket Turkish Coast by Insight Guides

Author:Insight Guides
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Travel, Turkey
Publisher: APA
Published: 2016-04-15T04:00:00+00:00

Antalya

Described by Turkish poet Mehmet Emin Yurdakul as ‘a charming girl watching her beautiful visage in the clear mirror of the Mediterranean’, Antalya r [map] has elicited paeans of praise from visitors across the centuries – including Ibn Battuta and Freya Stark. According to legend, 2nd-century BC King Attalos II of Pergamon chose the spot for the city because it was ‘heaven on earth’. These days, Antalya is a huge city, the eighth largest in Turkey with a population of just over one million and getting bigger all the time. But with its broad bay, backed by the seasonally snow-capped Toros Mountains, and the lozenge-shaped central harbour surrounded by the walled old town, Kaleiçi, it is still incredibly beautiful. It also has a good collection of boutique hotels, excellent restaurants, sophisticated clubs and bars, and excellent shopping.

The town’s closest beach lies to the west in modern Konyaaltı district, backed by hotels, restaurants, parks and entertainment venues. This is also the home of the Antalya Müzesi A [map] (2km (1 mile) west of the town centre; Tue–Sun summer 9am–6.30pm, winter 8.30am–4.30pm; charge), a truly world-class museum, with many of the statues and mosaics from Perge, Aspendos and Xanthos, as well as early prehistoric items found locally, a superb selection of decorative sarcophagi, and ethnographic collections covering everything from carpets to traditional dress and carriages. Look out for the silver reliquary that once held the bones of St Nicholas.

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