With kids · Antalya · Turkey
Antalya with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Joe Wallace, CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answer
Antalya is one of Turkey's most family-friendly destinations, with resort hotels designed around children in Lara, Belek, Kemer and Side, city beaches with playgrounds, boat trips to waterfalls and a large aquarium. The summer heat is the main challenge. Top picks: Old harbour boat trip, Lower Düden Waterfall and Antalya Aquarium. Families usually base themselves in Lara.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 7
- Best area for families
- Lara
- Rainy-day options
- 1
- Busiest months
- July–August
Best things to do with kids
Experience · Kaleiçi
1.Old harbour boat trip
From the old Roman harbour, wooden tour boats run short trips along the cliffs to see the Lower Düden Waterfall pour into the sea, plus longer cruises with swimming stops in bays to the west. The views back to Kaleiçi and the Taurus Mountains are one of the best ways to understand the city's setting.
Agree the route, duration and price on the quay before boarding; one-hour trips to the waterfall are enough for most people.
- Time needed
- 1–5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Views
- Couples
- Outdoors
Nature · Lara
2.Lower Düden Waterfall
The Düden River drops about 40 metres from the cliffs straight into the Mediterranean at Lara. A clifftop park gives views over the falls and the spray, and boat trips from the old harbour show them from the sea.
Visit the clifftop park late in the afternoon, when the sun lights the spray and the falls face the light.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Views
- Photo spot
- Kids
Aquarium · Konyaaltı
3.Antalya Aquarium
A large aquarium near Konyaaltı Beach with themed tanks and a long walk-through tunnel with sharks and rays overhead. The complex also includes extra attractions such as a snow-themed hall, sold as combined tickets.
Check which zones are included before buying; the basic aquarium ticket is enough for most families.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Rainy day
Beach · Konyaaltı
4.Konyaaltı Beach
A 7 km sweep of pebble beach west of the centre, backed by a beach park with cafés, playgrounds and cycle lanes. The water is clear and deep close to shore, and the Taurus Mountains rise straight up across the bay.
Bring water shoes for the pebbles, and use the free public sections between the paid sunbed areas.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Views
Beach · Lara
5.Lara Beach
A long, sandy beach east of the city with gently shelving water, lined mostly by resort hotels with a few public stretches. It is the city's best option for small children who want sand.
Use the public beach sections near the start of the strip if you are not staying in a Lara hotel.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
Theme park · Belek
6.The Land of Legends
A large theme park in Belek with roller coasters, a water park, a shopping boulevard and an evening show with fountains, lights and fireworks. It is the main family day out on the Antalya coast.
Stay for the evening show; many hotels in Belek and Lara run transfers.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- After dark
- Active
Viewpoint · Konyaaltı
7.Tünektepe cable car
From the western end of Konyaaltı, a cable car climbs to the top of Tünektepe hill, about 600 metres up, with a viewing terrace and a revolving restaurant. The panorama takes in the whole curve of the bay, the city and the Taurus Mountains.
Ride up an hour before sunset to see the city lights come on below.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Kids
Rainy-day ideas
- Antalya Aquarium — Check which zones are included before buying; the basic aquarium ticket is enough for most families.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for families, luxury and beach
Lara
Lara stretches east from the clifftop Lower Düden waterfall to a long sandy beach lined with large all-inclusive hotels, some built in themed architecture. It is about 15 minutes from the airport and 20–30 minutes by taxi from Kaleiçi. Shopping streets and restaurants run along the inland avenues.
- Good
- Sandy beach with gentle shelving; Close to the airport; Resort hotels with pools and kids' clubs
- Watch out
- Hotel-centred, with little street life; A taxi ride from the old town
- Nearby
- Lower Düden Waterfall, Lara Beach, Antalya Airport
Family travel tips
- Choose Lara or Belek for sandy beaches; Konyaaltı is pebbly and drops off quickly.
- Visit ancient sites early in the morning in summer; there is very little shade at Perge or Aspendos.
- Turkish restaurants are very welcoming to children, and high chairs are common in hotels.
- Pack water shoes for pebble beaches and rocky swimming spots.
- Many resort hotels have kids' clubs and children's pools; check the age ranges before booking.
Day trips for families
- Aspendos (About 45 minutes by car) — Aspendos is famous for its Roman theatre, built in the 2nd century AD and one of the best-preserved anywhere, with its stage building almost intact and seating for thousands.
- Side (About 1 hour 15 minutes by car or bus) — The ancient harbour city of Side sits on a peninsula with a large Roman theatre, colonnaded streets and the seafront columns of the Temple of Apollo, now surrounded by a resort town.
- Köprülü Canyon (About 1 hour 30 minutes by car) — A national park where the Köprüçay River runs through a gorge spanned by a Roman stone bridge; it is the region's main white-water rafting spot, with gentle stretches suitable for beginners.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–June and September–October. July–August are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Antalya good for kids?
Antalya is one of Turkey's most family-friendly destinations, with resort hotels designed around children in Lara, Belek, Kemer and Side, city beaches with playgrounds, boat trips to waterfalls and a large aquarium. The summer heat is the main challenge.
+What can kids do in Antalya?
Old harbour boat trip, Lower Düden Waterfall, Antalya Aquarium, Konyaaltı Beach and Lara Beach.
+Where should families stay in Antalya?
Lara: Sandy beach strip of large resort hotels east of the city.