Best Things to Do in Antalya with Kids: Why Visit Antalya, Turkey
Discover the best things to do in Antalya with kids. Depending on your family’s travel style, kid’s ages, and your travel goals, you’ll have some fun options to explore together. Antalya is known for its sunshine, outdoor activities, and adventure. Read on to learn more about all the things to do in Antalya when you travel with kids in Turkey.
Next, we’ll look at why you should visit Antalya with kids.
Table of Contents
Why Visit Antalya with Kids
Easy to Get There
Antalya is the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. So, it has an airport that is easily accessible with a domestic flight from most airports in Turkey. Also, you can find direct flights from the UK and Europe to Antalya. Many flights run daily during the peak travel season. If you have an international flight into Istanbul, you can catch a short 1-hour domestic flight into Antalya.
Best Weather Climate
The Turkish Coast has approximately 300 days of sunshine per year. The late Spring and early Fall temperatures are ideal for being outside, enjoying nature, and swimming. As you move into July and August, it gets hot and humid in the summer. Consequently, this is great if you are going to spend plenty of time in the water. In the fall, from September to November, the temperatures are still nice but without the humidity. On the other hand, the winter months, December through February, are the rainy season on the coast. There are still plenty of sunny days to enjoy, but the rain is often torrential downpours, leaving you inside.
Landscapes and Nature
The province of Antalya runs along the Mediterranean coast backed by the dramatic Tarsus Mountain range. You’ll find beautiful sunsets and dramatic views of the mountains and cliffs dropping off into the sea, waterfalls, and some of the deepest canyons in Turkey. For this reason, we highly recommend spending time outdoors exploring Antalya with kids.
Variety of Destinations on the Turkish Coast
While there are many things to do in Antalya with kids, you can take off either direction of the coast to find a fun day trip or a place to spend a few nights on the coast. Ultimately, whether you’re looking for adventure, hiking, or relaxing for a few days, there are many options for your family.
Affordable Prices
With the exchange for the Turkish Lira at a current all-time high, it makes it affordable to travel to Antalya with kids. In Turkey, inflation is up, but the prices are still affordable and manageable for hotels, transportation, food, and tours.
Diversity and Hospitality
Visiting Antalya with kids will expose you to a diverse population of locals and tourists. You’ll find people from all over the world visiting Antalya. Many visitors come from the UK, Europe, Russia, Australia, and the United States. Exposing your kids to different socioeconomic statuses, languages, and cultures will give them a larger worldview. This helps them develop more compassion and understanding for the world around them. Most importantly, Turkish people will welcome and love your children and show them the wonderful hospitality Turkey is known for.
We’ve got a great list of the best things to do in Antalya with kids young and old. Something special for the parents, sit and enjoy a cup of coffee at a local coffee shop before heading out for the day. Next, we’ll look at some of our favorites.
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Outdoor Activities in Antalya with Kids
Beaches
Visiting the best Antalya beaches is a must when you travel to Antalya with kids. The Antalya province has the most blue flag beaches in all of Turkey. You’ll find beautiful pebble and sand beaches in the city and along the coastline. Konyaalti Beach is the longest pebble beach in the city of Antalya, on the west side of the city. It is backed by beautiful views of the Tarsus Mountain range that surrounds the city. Along the coast on the east side of the city is Lara Beach, a fun public sand beach for the kids.
Chasing Waterfalls in Antalya with Kids
Next, chasing waterfalls in Antalya with kids is a fun adventure. There are several waterfalls in the Antalya province, all are kid-friendly, with some easier to get to than others. The easiest to get to are the Upper and Lower Duden Waterfalls, and Kursunlu Waterfalls. The parks for these falls all have restrooms, paved paths, and great areas for the kids to explore. If you’re looking for an off-the-beaten-path waterfall, head to Uncansu waterfall. It’s one of the biggest falls of all of the Antalya waterfalls.
TRAVEL TIP: You’ll see that Manavgat Waterfalls are mentioned as a waterfall to go see in the Antalya area. We suggest skipping this waterfall. It is not that impressive and is mainly a tourist destination with many shops and cafes. Spend your time at one of the other waterfalls in Antalya with your kids.
Next, we’ll look at which boat trip you can take to see the Lower Duden Waterfall from the sea.
Boat Trip
When you travel with your kids to Antalya, one of the top things you can do is go on a boat trip. From the city center, head to the Kale Ici Harbor and you can find many options for daily boat trips. Starting in late April you’ll have daily tour options. We suggest taking a boat trip down the coast towards the Lower Duden Falls. The boats typically will turn around at the falls and you can enjoy the cliffside views of the city.
Antalya Museum
If you like museums, the Antalya Museum is a great stop when visiting Antalya. You’ll see all of the major artifacts from historical sites in the Antalya province. Also, they have a few interactive exhibits for the kids to enjoy!
Historical Sites
The Antalya province is full of historical sites to explore with your kids as you make your way down the coast. Above all, focus on sites close to Antalya that your kids will have fun exploring.
Perge
A short 20-minute drive from Antalya is the ancient city of Perge. The city has plenty of ruins and pathways to explore. It’s a perfect easy site to go to when you travel to Antalya with your kids. We’ve got all the details in our guide to Perge. Next, would look at an ancient city that is right down the road from Perge.
Aspendos
Aspendos is about 35 minutes from Antalya. The great Roman theater is the attraction at this site, with main other trails and ruins to explore. Our kids loved climbing to the top of the theater. Afterward, head back on the dirt trails to explore the rest of the ancient city.
Next, we’ll look at an ancient city and beach that was a favorite of Alexander the Great.
Phaselis
About an hour west on the Mediterranean coast, you’ll find the ancient city of Phaselis. What makes this site so great is you get to explore an ancient city and swim at its beach too. Phaselis has 3 bays, and you can set up a nice day at the beach after you explore the site.
Kale Ici & Old Town Harbor
Lastly, you’d be remiss if you didn’t go wander through the Old Town of Antalya. See the fascinating ancient city walls and harbor. There are many shops, cafes, and restaurants to enjoy as you wind your way down to the harbor. In addition, if you’ve got small children, there is an elevator you can use to visit the harbor.
Hiking in Antalya with Kids
If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, there are many options for hiking in Antalya with kids. The Lycian Way is a hiking trail that runs down the Mediterranean coast from Antalya to Fethiye. You can hike a section, or if you have experienced hikers in your family, it takes about 30 days to hike the entire trail. Some of our favorite kid-friendly hiking trails include historical sites to explore. A few of our favorites include:
- Termessos
- Tazi Canyon
- Eternal Flame
- Saklikent Gorge
- Tunek Tepe (You can hike OR ride the cable car up)
Adventure Sports
All in all, when you travel to Antalya with kids, the main attraction is the adventure sports along the coast. Depending on your kids’ ages and how adventurous they are there are many different options. In the local canyons, you can go rafting in the cool mountain rivers or hike back and go canyoning. There are several places such as Goynuk or Koprulugu Canyon to enjoy these outdoor activities. To give paragliding a whirl, head to Mt. Olympos about an hour from Antalya to fly from the mountain top.
If you want to enjoy beach activities, you’ll find jet skis, boating, and parasailing opportunities on most beaches. If you’re looking to dive, the best places are to head up the coast to Kas or Oludeniz.
There are many amazing adventure activities in Antalya and the Mediterranean coast.
Add-ons and Day Trips on the Turkish Coast
Once you’ve spent some time in the city of Antalya with your kids, head up the coast to see what else the Antalya province has to offer. We promise it will not disappoint! Next, let’s look at some favorite destinations on the Turkish coast:
Phaselis & Mt. Olympos Teleferik
About an hour down the coastal road D400, you’ll find the ancient city of Phaselis with beaches and ruins to explore. Subsequently, this can be a day trip from Antalya or a stop on your way to another destination down the coast. The backdrop of Phaselis is Mt. Olympos, the tallest mountain in the area. You can ride the cable car up to the top to see breathtaking views of the Mediterranean or try paragliding.
Goynuk Canyon
Another 30 minutes down the road in Kemer is Goynuk Canyon. Goynuk is a fun place to try canyoning your kids. There are daily canyoning tours in the summer months. Accordingly, they’ll provide all the gear you need!
Cirali
2 hours from Antalya is the laid-back beach town of Cirali. So, add on a few days to your trip to Antalya with your kids, and stay at one of the local pensions. Take a boat trip and explore the ruins of Olympos. In addition, stay up late and watch the sea turtles come up on the beach to lay their eggs in the summer. For this reason, Cirali beach is a protected beach for sea turtles.
On the way from Cirali to Kas, stop and see the ancient city of Myra and the St. Nicholas Church in Demre.
Kas
From Antalya, make the 3-hour drive to Kas and stay in one of the villas out on the peninsula or the mountainside. Kas with kids is a great place to have an extended stay to slow down or make it easy to take day trips out to all kinds of fun places in the Antalya province with kids. Some of our favorites are visiting the sunken city of Kekova and the ancient city of Simena. Don’t miss the best Antalya beaches, like Kaputas Beach and Patara Beach.
Saklikent Gorge
45 minutes from Kas, you’ll find Saklikent Gorge, the largest gorge in Turkey spanning 18km and 300m deep at some points. Also, this is the 3rd largest gorge in Europe. This is an excellent day trip for the kids to hike back through the shallow water, sometimes merely a trickle.
Oludeniz
Oludeniz sits right on the Antalya and Mugla province border in Turkey. The trip takes about 2 hours from Kas, but well worth it. Oludeniz Beach is one of the favorite places for paragliding in the Antalya province. You can enjoy the beach, paddleboard, go boating, paragliding or even take a hike overlooking Butterfly Valley.
Ultimately, you can’t go wrong if you visit Antalya with your kids. There are many different things to do based on your family’s preferences and travel style. Where you have 3 days or 2 weeks, visiting the Mediterranean coast will help round out your Turkey trip.
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