The legend goes that in the 2nd Century B.C., King Attalus II of Pergamon sent his men in search of 'heaven on earth'. They discovered the place where Antalya now lies, he founded the city, called it Attaleia and based his powerful fleet there. Although continually harassed by pirates, seeing different rulers come and go, the place invariably flourished through the ages, and bears the charm of many civilizational layers.

Sheltered by mountains on the north, with 300 sunny days a year, Antalya is a great beach destination. Thematic hotels are a local specialty: they imitate Topkapi Palace, Venice, Moscow cathedrals. These high-category hotels are centered in the Lara district which also has one of the longest sand beaches in Turkey and a beach park packed with cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs, sports facilities and an amusement park. Konyaalti is another popular beach area with good facilities, just west from the old city.

The historic old town (Kaleici) between the yacht harbour and the new quarter is full of nicely restored old houses, hotels and tourists shops. A gate dedicated to emperor Hadrian and a clock tower have been preserved from the Hellenistic era. Yivli Minaret is one of the city's architectural landmarks. The fluted structure was erected in 1230 to adorn a mosque built over an earlier Byzantine church. The original mosque was destroyed and a new six-domed one was built in its place. The building, beautifully decorated with dark blue and green tiles, is now home of the city's Ethnographic Museum. Antalya also has a remarkable archeological museum, one of the best in the world. Worthy examples of Islamic architecture are Iskele Mosque, Hidirlik Tower, Karatay Medresesi, Murat Pasa Mosque, Evdir Inn, etc.

The city's rich cultural calendar includes an international film festival (the Golden Orange) and an international music festival in September, a folk music and dance festival and an opera and ballet festival in August,  a piano festival, a painting festival and a rock music festival.