Antalya Entertainment

A pleasant way to enjoy the evenings in Antalya would be to stroll along the streets enjoying the sights, window shopping or hitting the shops and markets with an intention to purchase, and of course, enjoying the local cuisine while listening to traditional music. Occasionally, there will be live performances at one of the theatres around the city.

Eating out

On every street and in every nook and cranny in Antalya there is a restaurant, caf, bar or stall selling food. The eateries satisfy romantic couples, party-goers and older couples, and everyone will find somewhere they enjoy. Food in Turkey is relatively cheap, but prices do go up during summer. Kaleici in particular has many trendy restaurants and bars. Most of the restaurants serve Turkish food, but there is also a McDonalds in Antalya if you get a craving for a burger.

Local cuisine

The Turks usually begin their meals with starters called meze. Kebabs and fish dishes are generally what are on the menu for main meals. Gozleme, a dough filled with either meat or goats cheese and cooked on a steel plate, is a favourite with Turks. The Turks love sweet food and so there is always a large selection to choose from when ordering desserts. The more common desserts are lokma and sutlac, Turkish puddings. To cool down in summer, have a drink of ayran, which is a mixture of water, yoghurt and salt. The favourite alcoholic choice of the locals is raki; be careful with raki, it is potent!

Theatre and music

Live music is available in many hotels and bars, but generally Antalya itself is not a city that caters to theatre and music lovers. There are restaurants and tourist industry-generated venues that offer a night of traditional music, but the performances do not highlight the best of Turkish music.

Shopping

Shops are everywhere in Antalya and it has often been called a shopping paradise because of the fair prices and the variety of goods. At the Dogugaraj market, shoppers will find everything they could possibly dream of including traditional Turkish items of gold and copper, textiles leather goods, carpets and of course, a variety of souvenirs. Do not forget to bargain when shopping at the market. If you do not like market shopping, head for the famous Migros shopping malls or browse the quaint shops in the Old City.