Kaleiçi

Kaleiçi is Antalya's walled old town — one of the rare places where Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman traces sit side by side on the same street. Restored mansions are now boutique hotels and courtyard houses have become cafés, yet the cobbled lanes, wooden bay windows and bougainvillea keep the original character intact.

The natural starting point is the three-arched marble gate built for emperor Hadrian in AD 130. From there the streets lead you almost by themselves to the Fluted Minaret, the clock tower and Hıdırlık Tower on the walls. Walk downhill and you reach the old harbour embraced by the fortifications; boat tours from here show the cliffs and Düden Waterfall from the sea.

What makes Kaleiçi special is how short the distances are: every highlight is within walking reach. Ancient gates and museums in the morning, coffee in a shaded courtyard in the afternoon, sunset from Karaalioğlu Park or a terrace on the walls — an easy single-day route. After dark, restaurants and live music give the quarter a completely different mood.