Kaleiçi, Antalya

Kaleiçi is the old town of Antalya, enclosed by the remains of its walls on the cliffs above the old harbour. Its narrow lanes are lined with restored Ottoman houses with wooden bay windows, many of them now small hotels, cafés and shops, and the quarter is calmer and greener than the busy modern city around it.

The town was founded around 150 BC by King Attalus II of Pergamon as Attaleia, and Kaleiçi grew inside its walls through the Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman periods. The main sights are Hadrian’s Gate, a triple marble arch built for the emperor’s visit in 130 AD; the Seljuk Yivli Minaret from the 13th century, with its fluted brick shaft; the Broken Minaret (Kesik Minare) of a Byzantine church that became a mosque; the round Hıdırlık Tower from the 2nd century; and the clock tower at Kalekapısı Square, part of the old walls, which received its clock in 1901.

Below the walls, the old harbour has fish restaurants and boats for trips along the coast to the Lower Düden Waterfall. Two or three hours are enough for a walk, but the best way to enjoy Kaleiçi is to wander without a plan, stop for Turkish coffee in a shady courtyard and come back in the evening, when the lanes are lit up. The quarter and Hadrian’s Gate are free to visit, and the Kalekapısı and İsmetpaşa tram stops are on its edge.