Antalya

Nurdan’s United Travel Services DMC ( UTS ) - Turkey

Antalya with UTS Services “In Style”

Antalya is the jewel of this beautiful land of 300 days of sunshine,crystal clear waters, spectacular mountains, featuring excellent hotels, resort areas, and world class meeting facilities. Yachthing, golfing, rafting, mountain trekking, skiing are some of the sports activities possible, while Greco-Roman antique sites lie almost next to each other along the Mediterranean shores of the area at Side, Perge, Phaselis, Olympos, Myra(the birthplace of St.Nicholas) and the sunken cities of Kekova to name but a few of them.

An Antalya experience

From Antalya’s exquisite harbor, backed by the soaring peaks of the Lycian mountains and overhung by one of Turkey’s finest Ottoman old quarters, we make our way to the Greco-Roman city of Perge. Like the other cities of the Pamphylian plain, Perge was extremely wealthy, and its citizens could afford to build on the grandest scale. Among the many attractions at the site are an ornate theatre, a remarkably well preserved stadium, a city gate flanked by high towers, two monumental bath-complexes, a supremely elegant agora, and a long, colonnaded street with a water channel running down its centre. From Perge we move on to the world-renowned theatre of Aspendos, which is in such great condition that it is still used for concerts and operas. The afternoon will be spent exploring Antalya, including its fine Archeological Museum.

A Full-day shore excursion to PHASELIS, OLYMPOS (from/to the pier of Antalya)

This excursion takes us to Phaselis and Olympos, two of the most romantic and atmospheric ancient sites in Turkey’s south coast, and the unique natural phenomenon known as the Chimera. The ruins of Phaselis stand on an unspoilt, pine-forested promontory surrounded by three harbors. They include a well-preserved aqueduct, a theatre, three agoras and an Arch of Hadrian, but the most impressive feature of the site is a magnificent paved street flanked by steps and statue bases.

Unlike Phaselis, the ruins of Olympus are hidden in a narrow valley that opens out onto one of the finest beaches in Turkey. As well as a theatre, a Roman bath and an impressive temple dedicated to the emperor Antoninus Pius, there is a highly unusual early Byzantine structure with floor mosaics and frescoes, which was probably a bishop’s palace. But it is the Chimera that makes Olympos truly remarkable. Here, on a bare mountain side above the charming village of Çıralı, at least half a dozen bright orange flames break from crevices in the rock, heating the air and attracting cats and tame birds. The place derives its name from a fire-breathing monster that was defeated and driven underground by the hero Bellerophon riding his winged steed Pegasus, but you do not need to know anything about ancient mythology to find it magical.