Antalya

#beachvacation Getting There - Lara hotel is located 10 minutes from Lara beach in Antalya city. It is very close to Antalya airport. Attractions - The hotel located right next to the Duden park and lower Duden waterfalls, which is one of the best attractions in Antalya. Hotels - the hotel is on the cliff top and the all rooms have panoramic view of Mediterranean sea. Although the hotel doesn’t have the best facilities, the view is fantastic. The best thing of the hotel is the small private beach. Food & Restaurants - the hotel has a restaurant offering Turkish and European food. I liked every food I ordered. Overall we enjoyed our beach vacation there. #hotelstaycation

From Antalya to Izmir, the hundreds of kilometers long highway has the best looking coastline of Turkey🌊 The D400 highway is definitely worth driving on your own, the scenery along the way is really beautiful, and there is no need for admission tickets, you can go down to see the sea anywhere, and there is an incredibly beautiful beach, just like a wallpaper. Even after the prices have doubled, the cost-performance ratio of sea view rooms is still very high, with an average of around 200 per person, you can stay in a very nice sea view room. Recommended self-driving route is Izmir-Antalya, which can be driven in 2 days, with a stopover in Kaş for one night.

📍Destination: Antalya, Turkey 🌟Highlights: Historical sites, perfect combination of nature and humanities ✨Experience sharing: Antalya, Turkey, a magical place where history and nature intersect. 🏞️Here, I feel as if I have traveled through time and space, immersed in the glory of the ancient Roman Empire. 🏰Every ancient city, every temple, tells a thousand-year-old story. 🏩Accommodation recommendation: In Antalya, I chose a guesthouse in the old town, which is close to various attractions and surrounded by delicious food, allowing me to enjoy a wonderful night. ✨Itinerary recommendation: In Antalya, in addition to the previously shared Antalya Ancient City and Hadrian's Gate, there are several places that can be connected in one day! 🏰🗿The next morning, we chartered a car to the ancient city of Side, which was an important trade center in ancient times and known as the 'City of Pomegranates'. Then, we visited the temples of Apollo and Athena, the Aspendos ancient theater, and the ancient city of Perga. These places not only allowed me to appreciate the charm of ancient civilization, but also deepened my understanding of human wisdom and creativity. 🏛️🏟️ ✨Travel tips: Antalya was founded in the second century BC and is an important port in the Mediterranean. So when planning your itinerary, leave some extra time for this historic city. The ancient city of Side is a city with a long history, with many ancient Greek and Roman buildings scattered around, it is an open-air history museum of Turkey. Walking here is like being in the long river of history. 🏛️🏞️ The Aspendos ancient theater is one of the best-preserved Roman theaters in the Mediterranean region. After more than 1700 years, it still holds concerts every year. The acoustic design here is very unique, which is amazing! 🏟️🎵🎶 In the ancient city of Perga, you can see many ancient architectural ruins. Even if you only see these ruins, you can imagine its past glory and prosperity. It was once one of the richest and most beautiful cities in the world. 🏛️The glory and prosperity on the ruins are amazing!

This trip to Turkey, what impressed me the most, is the towns along the D400 coastal highway. Antalya surrounded by snow mountains, the azure Fethiye, and the lovely town of Kaş, each left a deep impression on me. Especially Antalya, I love Antalya so much, I can't help but want to share every beautiful scenery here with you. Location: Antalya

Antalya is one of the most attractive tourist cities in Turkey because of its unique geographical location on the Mediterranean coast. Antalya has beautiful natural places and historical sites. The region covers 600 kilometres of coastline with gorgeous sandy beaches, hidden coves and beautiful bays. Antalya is the country’s second biggest tourist destination after Istanbul. Antalya is not only about beaches, it is also a classically beautiful city, rich with history and traditional Turkish food. The city is bustling with markets, shopping malls, fancy hotels, cafés, restaurants, bars, beach clubs and etc. There’s so much to discover in this sunny, seaside city such as: Old Town (Kaleici), Old Harbor, Hadrian’s Gate, Perge Ruins, Aspendos Ruins and Theatre, Termessos Ruins, Duden Waterfalls and many more. #historicplaces

Don't take a taxi when you come to Antalya (skip if you're rich), I wanted to take an Uber because I wasn't sure about the location of the hotel, and the price was 488 lira, which scared me a bit, it's only 12-13 kilometers from the city center. Later, I dragged my luggage to take the light rail, a taxi driver tried to solicit business, saying it was cheaper to go to the city center, 800 lira . As soon as you exit from the international department, you can see the light rail, go through a row of small pavilions and take the escalator up. My credit cards couldn't be used, I could only buy a card, and I could only use cash to buy a card. I spent 40 lira to buy a card twice (including card fee). Soon, the car came. If you want to go to Hadrian's Gate, get off at ISMETPASA station. This is the old city area, there are quite a few places to stay. Find a place close to the station to stay, it's convenient to go to the airport in the morning. From here to Hadrian's Gate, there are many specialty shops inside Hadrian's Gate, I just walked around, and soon I arrived at the seaside, there is a viewing platform that is very beautiful. Then I opened the navigation to go back to the hotel, on the way I went to the SOK mini supermarket, bought milk, bread, and cereal, less than 100 meters from the supermarket, I was back, didn't take any detours. In the afternoon, it was really good to go out, the temperature was very suitable, the sunlight shining on the red roofs, mosques, and the sea was really beautiful. This city is suitable for a two-day stay.

I really love this romantic seaside of Turkey. Antalya, on the southern coast of Turkey, Warm sunshine☀️, blue bays, Beautiful yachts and sailboats⛵️, A cup of coffee☕️, I could sit at the port for an afternoon I just adore the feeling of being enveloped by the moist ocean air🌊 🚗Tour route: Kaleiçi Old Town to Duden Waterfalls—Roman Harbor 📌Must-visit spots ◎Kaleiçi Old Town🌆: The town is mainly Ottoman-era buildings, with a must-visit spot—Hadrian's Gate, a beautiful gatehouse that marks the boundary between the old town and the new town, with very exquisite Roman reliefs. ◎Duden Waterfalls I'm so lucky to have seen a rainbow🌈! The river flows down from the cliffs and into the Mediterranean Sea. ◎Roman Harbor⚓️ A very beautiful harbor, with many restaurants and open-air cafes☕️ nearby, where you can enjoy the beautiful🌊bay scenery. ⚠️Travel tips: 🚃From the airport to the seaside old town, you can take the tram directly, which is very convenient. 🍽️It is recommended to stay in the old town area, which is very convenient for shopping and eating. 🍎Highly recommend the freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, cheap, tasty, and healthy. If you want to give your mood a vacation, Antalya is really a great choice~ “✈️Welcome to 🇹🇷 Antalya!”

What's surprising is that the Mediterranean is just below the mountains. The romance of mountains and sea colliding, you will understand when you come to Antalya! My itinerary this time is still the same as the first time I came ten years ago, first to stroll around the old city of Antalya~ Take a break when you are tired, and have a few cups of hot red wine. Hadrian's Gate, located at the entrance of the old city, is an ancient site in Antalya and one of the landmark buildings of the small city. It was built in the second century AD and has a history of nearly two thousand years. Antalya, founded in the second century BC, is located in the south of Turkey~ From the Eastern Roman Empire period, it has been an important port in the Mediterranean, and this status is still the same today. Hadrian is the name of a Roman emperor. In the second century AD, Emperor Hadrian, in order to commemorate his rule over Antalya, ordered the construction of this arch. The name of the arch naturally named after his name. Although it is old, the exquisite carvings on Hadrian's Gate are still clearly visible, and it is a model of existing Roman carvings in Turkey. After strolling around the old city~ Finally, I came to the pier of the old city to watch a sunset, and today's perfect ending! The next morning, I went to the ancient city of Side, 70 kilometers from the east coast of Antalya. This was an important trade center in ancient times. Side (also translated as: Xidai, Xidai, Xidai...) means pomegranate in the local language~ So Side is also called "City of Pomegranates" Side became Persian territory in the sixth century BC, and then became Greek, Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty, Syrian Seleucid dynasty, Eastern Roman Empire, Ottoman Empire territory with the change of times, leaving many ancient sites. As one of the oldest cities in southern Turkey, today's Side is like an open-air history museum, with a large number of ancient Greek and Roman buildings scattered here~ The most famous is the Temple of Apollo and Athena. The temple faces the sea, with tall and elegant five pillars standing~ The temple was built in the second century AD, and it has not been completely destroyed. Many pillar stones have been preserved and re-erected on the original site~ Now it has become one of the most romantic and charming ancient sites in Turkey. Characteristics of Mediterranean climate: hot and dry in summer, mild and rainy in winter. Last time I came to Manavgat Waterfall and River, there was no water, and the water flow in winter is so large! This is a small stop on the way from Side to Aspendos, with beautiful scenery~ It's not bad to take a break! In addition to Hadrian's Gate and the ancient city of Side, the third place not to be missed in Antalya is the Aspendos Ancient Theater built in the second half of the 2nd century AD during the Roman Empire. The entire theater can accommodate up to 15,000 people. It is one of the best preserved ancient Roman theaters in the Mediterranean region. After more than 1700 years~ Now it still holds concerts every year. The unique acoustic design is a highlight of Aspendos. After many years, I am still deeply shocked! The last one is the ancient city of Perga. During the Greek rule in the 2nd century BC, it was once in its heyday~ Perga was one of the richest and most beautiful cities in the world at that time. This magnificent city was famous in history for its architecture and marble sculptures~ Its Roman baths, amazing mosaic floors and horseshoe-shaped stadiums, and the huge theater that could accommodate 12,000 people... Even now, just looking at these ruins, you can imagine its past glory and prosperity.

The promised guide for a self-drive on Turkey's D400 is here❗️ I enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the D400 in the past few days, the Mediterranean is just too beautiful! Many people asked for car rental tips and things to note for self-driving⚠️ 👇I'll share the details in this guide, I suggest reading and memorizing the whole text❗️ 1️⃣Car Rental 🔸I booked online in advance, you can use any domestic platform 🔸Passport, domestic driver's license, translated driver's license, foreign currency credit card 🔸Manual transmission is cheaper, returning the car in a different location is more expensive, we paid 550 (including insurance) for 3 days💰 2️⃣Pick-up and Return 🔸The distance from Antalya to Fethiye is not far, we chose Antalya Airport for pick-up and return, saving about ¥1000 on the fee for returning the car elsewhere 🔸When picking up the car, check the fuel level, take a video of the car body, and confirm the condition of the car 🔸When returning the car, refill the fuel to the same level, and hand over the car after confirming there are no issues on the spot 🔸The car rental company offers a 🆓 ride to the airport 3️⃣Parking and Refueling 🔸Most of the attractions along the D400 offer free parking 🔸Search for 'otopark' for parking lots 🔸There are many gas stations, our total fuel cost was 400💰 🔸Full-service refueling, cash and credit cards are both accepted🉑, and they even clean your car for free 4️⃣Driving Safety 🔸Common signs are seen 🔸No right turn on red❗️This is different from domestic rules 🔸There are many bends on the mountain roads from Ölüdeniz to Kaş, and Antalya is prone to traffic jams due to heavy traffic 5️⃣Self-Drive Route 🔸Counterclockwise is closer to the sea: Fethiye-Kalkan-Finike-Kaş-Antalya 🔸Our route: ▪️D1 Pick up car in Antalya-Aspendos Ancient Theatre-Xanthos Ancient City, Temple of Apollo-🏨Kaş ▪️D2 Stroll around Kaş town, Antiphellos Ancient Theatre-Xanthos Ancient City Ruins-Kaputaş Beach-Butterfly Valley-🏨Ölüdeniz ▪️D3 Ölüdeniz Beach-Kalkan town-Stop and check-in along the way at will-Return car in Antalya 6️⃣Essential Scenic Spots Along the Way ✔️【viewpoint oludeniz】Overlooking Ölüdeniz, the beach is unrealistically beautiful ✔️【konul plaji】A must-visit heart-shaped rock cave ✔️【butterfly valley】The glass sea under the cliff, extremely beautiful ✔️【kaputas plaji】The most beautiful cliff beach ✔️There are also many unknown spots that are very beautiful! Can't help but stop! 7️⃣Accommodation Recommendations 🔹Ölüdeniz oludeniz A super beautiful resort beach, landing spot for paragliding 🔹Kalkan kalkan A holiday town loved by the British 🔹Kaş kas The town, port, and leisurely life are too comfortable