TRAVEL | EXPLORE | ANTALYA | TURKEY
Exploring the Cliff Tops of Antalya
Our favorite thing to do.
Antalya's stunning location along the Mediterranean Sea is certainly its primary feature. The city of fewer than 2 million people sits high atop cliffs that drop straight down into the water below. The cliffs are what make Antalya unique, and they certainly give it that Mediterranean vibe.
Like all cities that we have explored in Turkey so far, the waterfront is available for all to enjoy. This means that there are vast parks and trails that wind along the cliff tops. On any given day, people will be walking the trails, kids will be playing in the parks, and others are simply sitting and watching the world go by.
We stayed in Antalya for 5 weeks and spent much of our spare time exploring the cliffs that extend out from the marina, which is located in the city center below Kaleiçi, Antalya’s old town.
Heading southeast, you can walk along the tops of the cliffs for literally hours. The entire way is connected by trails and parks, and each corner you come around offers more incredible vistas.
We watched many people fishing from the tops of the cliffs, and also from the rocks below. Occasionally there are stairs built that allow people to descend to the water safely.
As usual, in all of Turkey, there are many ruins along the way. Turkey is so rich in history that it is hard to even comprehend. These structures remind us that people have lived in these parts for thousands of years.
Heading in this direction, and after more than 2 hours of walking, you will be rewarded by coming across Düden Falls. These waterfalls spill right out into the sea and are truly breathtaking. The coolest part is that they come from an underground river!
Turkey has an incredible amount of fresh water running through it, and we saw many small waterfalls along the cliffs where the water would finally reach the sea, but Düden Falls is certainly the most significant display.
Don’t worry! If you don’t feel like walking back after all this time, Antalya has a great public transit system and you can take an affordable bus or a metered taxi back to the city center.
Looking towards the west we can see a shorter section of cliffs that lead away from the city center, and end on Konyaalti Beach.
This section has less of a developed park-like feel and is a little more raw and rugged. It also has quite a few restaurants that hog the prime real estate, but present stunning views.
It was only after a couple weeks that we discovered that we could access this section. The road going down is not obvious, but once you find it it opens up a whole new world of exploring.
This is surely the place where you take your partner for a romantic dinner on a warm summer evening.
Like it is in all places in Turkey, the cats run the show. These clifftops are the ultimate playground for them and they exist in great numbers. The residents of Antalya take good care of the stray animals, and most of them are fed very well.
This section of the cliffs has fewer safety features and people are free to climb up and down any section that they wish. But there are also areas that have stairs and platforms that descend to the water.
Of course, we also saw many men fishing along this section of the cliffs as well. On one occasion one of the fisherman was feeding the sparrows some bread and he had a whole cloud of them swirling around him. It was very sweet.
It is lovely to sit at the top and watch the boats go by. Many of these boats ply the shoreline taking tourists on sightseeing trips.
At the end of your walk, which can take anywhere from 30 minutes to well over an hour, depending on how many times you stop to enjoy the view, you will arrive at a 14 km-long Konyaalti Beach.
Konyaalti Beach is the main beach in Antalya and is frequented by sun worshippers during all months of the year.
Antalya is flanked by the Beydaglar Mountains to the west. Their prime location means that they set the scene for some pretty beautiful sunsets every evening. As much as possible, we would find ourselves down at the cliffs looking west, to take in the stunning event each day.
Of course, there were always many locals that were also doing the same.
Having just left Antalya means that I am already mourning the loss of these stunning cliffs that would bring so much joy to our days. But, we are also excited to be in a new and different place and look forward to doing some exploring in yet another beautiful part of Turkey.
If you have been considering visiting Turkey, we highly recommend it!
And for more reading about our time spent in Turkey, I have compiled my articles into a list:
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