A number of hotel-based travel agencies and shopfront outfitters in Kaleiçi offer day trips to the surrounding natural and historic sites, sometimes combining the two into one full-day excursion. You can tackle Perge, Aspendos, and the Kursunlu Waterfalls (49€); visit the ancient city of Myra, the St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) Museum, and take a boat ride on the spectacular Kekova Bay (49€); or day-trip to Termessos and the Düden Waterfalls (45€). If you're stuck for whom to go with, try Mithra Travel, Kiliçarslan Mah. Hesapçi Sok. 70. (tel. 0242/248-7747; www.mithratravel.com). Resources for independent activities follow.
Diving -- In addition to a wide variety of colorful plant and sea life, the Gulf of Antalya is also a graveyard for several unlucky World War II fighter planes and at least one groundbreaking shipwreck. Maybe the Meltem, the winds that blow in from the Caucuses, or the rocky coastline have something to do with it, but the results are some of the most fascinating dive sites along the coast. Dive concessions are on-site at all the major hotels and resorts all up and down the region's coastline. You don't have to be a guest to sign up but a day's notice is generally necessary. Yunus Diving, located within the Beach Park near the entrance to Konyaalti Beach (tel. 0242/238-4486; www.yunusdiving.com), offers a 2-hour discovery dive, 2-hour licensed dives, and wreck dives starting from around 40€ (not including equipment rental but including the oxygen tank).
Golf -- Although a relatively new phenomenon in Turkey, the game of golf has caught on like wildfire, up to 21 courses from only 11 in 2005. (Three are in Istanbul, while the remainders are in Antalya.) Several clubs have created their very own sweet spot along the shores east of Antalya, in the secluded hills of Belek. To get to any of these, take the Antalya highway east and watch for signs for Belek on the right. All of the clubs and resorts are clearly signposted. You can book in advance by contacting the golf clubs individually, or by booking (often at a discount) through www.bookyourgolf.net. Book Your Golf also has a comprehensive listing, with descriptions of the courses along with promotional greens fees, on its site.
The most popular of the Antalya courses is the PGA Sultan Course at the Antalya Golf Club, in Belek (tel. 0242/725-5970; www.antalyagolfclub.com.tr) -- a par-71, 450-yard "challenge" designed by European Golf Design and David Jones.
The Gloria Golf Club (tel. 0242/715-1520) was the first and only resort to have its very own golf course. Michel Gayon is responsible for the design of two 18-hole championship courses; there's also a 3-hole practice course for beginners.
The 27-hole Nick Faldo Course at Cornelia Golf Club (tel. 0242/710-1600; www.corneliagolfresort.com) opened in 2006. It's got a dune ridge running through the course, and there are three different 18-hole combinations.
Turkey's first seaside golf course is LykiaLinks, opened in September 2008 (tel. 0242/754-4343; www.lykiaworldantalya.com). Stunning scenery and constant breezes coming off of the Mediterranean, the Perry Dye-designed course provides seasoned golfers with the challenges befitting a 110€ greens fee course (check for special packages and rates).
The golf-obsessed may also want to check into the Kempinski Hotel The Dome (Uckumtepesi Mevkii, Belek; tel. 0242/710-1300; www.kempinski-antalya.com), sister property to the esteemed Çiragan Palace in Istanbul. It's a palatial retreat with two PGA-endorsed courses, and plenty of luxurious tidbits (including a ridiculously decadent spa, beach, and kids' club) for non-golfing companions.
Hiking/Camping -- Kate Clow, a British woman based in Antalya, turned a labor of love into a hiker's dream. She's mapped and marked a comprehensive network of ancient dirt roads and blissfully solitary footpaths. The first long-distance trail, called the Lykia Yolu (Lycian Way), connects Antalya and Fethiye; Kate has created a companion guide by the same name to go along with it. The second network of trails begins along the coast east of Antalya and heads over the Toros Mountains into the Lakeland around Egirdir and on up to Antioch in Pisidia, in some cases trodding the ancient Roman roads used by St. Paul on his missionary journeys through Asia Minor. For more on the trails or for information on a DIY trekking trip, log on to www.lycianway.com or www.stpaultrail.com. If you want the security of trekking in tandem, you'll have to sign up with an adventure outfitter for a multiday trip. Offering tailor-made tours of as few as two days on St. Paul's Trail, Middle Earth Travel (tel. 0384/271-2559; www.middleearthtravel.com) is led by some of the most experienced and rugged guides around, including Kate Clow herself. Their "Treasure Hunt" tour is great fun and a surefire way to repair feuding families or build company morale.
On the Water -- The amazing caves and waterfalls around Antalya are accessible on 2-, 4-, or 6-hour boat excursions. Crews begin hawking the next day's tours early in the evening, or you can show up at the last minute for a boat that's about to disembark. Longer tours make trips to nearby beaches and may include a guided tour of the lovely and pine-shaded ancient harbor city of Phaselis, which includes a three-island tour. Not all boats are created equal, though; if it's quiet you're after, ask if the crew will be blasting music all day. Captains offer boat trips at the harbor from around 10TL per person per hour, with a full day (6-hour) excursion costing up to 50TL, including lunch.
Kayaking/Rafting -- The mountainous geography and numerous rivers in the Antalya region create exhilarating white-water rafting appropriate to all levels. The Manavgat River flows through a series of lengthy gorges, but the Grades 4 and 5 rapids are accessible to experienced paddlers only.
The Köprü River, located halfway between Antalya and Side with Grade 1 and Grade 3 rapids, is no less breathtaking but a bit more suitable to beginners. This is an ideal family day out, even if you have no experience whatsoever. Medraft Turizm, Yesilbahçe Mahallesi Portakal Çiçegi Bulvari, Hüseyin Kuzu Apt. 14/3, Antalya (tel. 0242/312-5770; www.medraft.com.tr), organizes day trips for all levels, as well as 3-day or longer excursions, with top professional and experienced guides, from 20€ per person per day, depending on the tour.
Alpine Rafting Company (tel. 0534/301-9536; www.turkeyrafting.com) runs a full day on the water, and lunch, and with pickups for day tours at the furthest-flung corners of Greater Antalya for 20€ and up per person.
A Trip from Sea to Sky -- Antalya beckons with that rare experience where it's possible to choose between a beach tan or the ski slopes. To make this even more of a reality, in 2006, Turkey inaugurated the new Tahtali cable car, which cuts a vertical beeline from the resort of Tekirova (near Kemer) up to the summit of Tahtali Dag, 2,363m (7,753 ft.) above sea level. In 2007, the summit restaurant opened, but it'll take a bit longer before the ski slopes are complete (construction began in April 2008). So for now, the cable car's the thing, along with the breathtaking vistas that open up to passengers of the cable car during the almost 10-minute ride up the mountain -- itself a protected area. The cable car runs every half-hour in both directions from April through October, hourly in winter. The cost round-trip is 40TL per person.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.