💎 Hidden gems remaining: 8
One of the biggest cities in Turkey, and definitely the largest one on the coast, Antalya is known for mass tourism, especially young flesh, searching for cheap party life. Contrary to the largness of the whole city, the Kaliçi (Old town) is much smaller and much more pleasant to spend time in. Being streched around the old harbour, with many cute restaurants and fishing boats floating on the water, it emits romantic vibes and gives you a piece of paradise to escape the noisiness of the life.
Once again we booked a FlixBus (Kamil Koç) due to its reliableness. Some views of nature along the way reminded of those in America. Upon arrival to the main bus station, we faced the same problems as always. There was no way of buying a public transportation card (Antalyakart). Although it uses the same underlying system (Kentkart), our Müglakart was said to be unsupported. Our second best choice was to take a Taxi as the disposable cards were more expensive. This was a unique experience: as the driver spoke no English, instructions had to be given with bare hands only.
A walkie-talkie to call a Taxi
Our host awaited us in front of our building, thanks to WhatsApp location sharing. We were accommodated at the top of the skyscraper with no lift, of course. It was a long time since our days of gymnasium.
It was a shared appartment once again, but this time we had a lovely and lonely four-footed friend Tito. Not to confuse with Josip Broz, Tito was tameable.
Tito's Residence
Tameable Tito
Help me find the light switches
Since the temperatures may rise as high as 35 °C in shade during the day (but there is close to no shade in the city), keep in mind that you will probably want to have a siesta between noon and 6 pm
The harbour of Antalya used to be of much importance in the past. Now it offers a aesthetically pleasing view. With a panoramic lift, which connects the city above with the sea level, you can see it from above and from below.
Thanks to many restaurants near the coast, the harbour stays alive during the night.
Old Harbour
Being of significant importance in the past, today it is just another ruin that tourists can visit during the day. No, we are just kidding. Like many other old cities located on the coast, Antalya had its defence system consisting of a wall and multiple bastions (defence towers). like these were used for city access. Today only certain parts of the defence systems are preserved, one of them being these gates you can see while walking the narrow streets of Kaleiçi.
Hadrian's Gate
Known for its unusual colourfulness, the Umbrella Street will bring you joy. You will have a hard time dancing in the rain though, as it rarely rains here. So you may rather want to dance in the shade under the sun.
Flying umbrellas
Trees in parks cast a cool natural shade on the ground and running water brings cold air with it. Sit down on a bench and relax.
Walking along the parks, you will ecnounter many scenic view platforms. See the vastness of the sea and the immensity of the city, all in one.
Santorini vibes
Long awaited Döner Kebap
The weather was so hot in Antalya that it took the hunger away during the day. Still, there were so many good restaurnats to be tried that we would not let-off any opportunity to try local cousine. The first day, we were too late for lunch, but we made it up with a dinner. We thought we had not eaten enough Döner Kebaps by this point (zero in Turkey, to be exact), so that was where we were headed. We chose menus with included drinks – Žan tried some kind of Yoghurt and I sticked to the refreshing cola. We were surprised by spiciness, but liked it at last.
Tripadvisor had always been our friend during trips and we listened to him again. Unsurprisingly we did not regret the choice when we entered the compound of the Dikkat Et restaurant in the centre of Antalya. It is such a lovely family-run restaurant with its dining area furnished with such great taste you really feel like home.
We were immediately marked as Russians and therefore recommended with food that "Russians love". Žan went for Russian ravioli (they were recommended all-over reviews on Tripadvisor) and I decided for curry-cream flavoured chicken. Not to be mentioned, both were mouth-watering even before taking a bite. We rounded it all up with a cold and refreshing rice pudding.
Our lunch at Dikkat Et
In the evening, we returned to the old town, but this time we turned to the Yummy Yummy restaurant. We were amazed by the ambient once again. To try a broader variety of food, we ordered multiple dishes and split them evenly. The prices did not prevent us doing that, either.
We started with Mücver, an egg-and-vegetables omlette, topped with some yoghurt. Continuing with Köfte Izgara (Meatball grill), which came with pasta and salad, it was topped with a spice which reminded us of . Our meal was nicely finished with a Mantı, which reminded us of the Russian Ravioli we ate earlier, but dipped in a juicy sauce.
As the name of the restaurant suggests, it was very yummy! 😋
Mücver
Köfte Izgara
Mantı