The city is above the sea, not beside it
⭐ Antalya sits on a travertine shelf, so for much of its length the city ends in a cliff with the Mediterranean at the bottom. That is why a river can fall off the edge of it, and why the beaches are at the two ends rather than in the middle.
Konyaaltı and Lara
Konyaaltı, west of the center, is gray pebbles with the Beydağları mountains at the far end. Lara, east, is the sandy one and is where most of the big hotels are.
⚠️ Konyaaltı is pebbles, and large ones — bring something to lie on and consider shoes for getting into the water.
Public and private
Both beaches alternate between free public stretches and concessions renting loungers and parasols. The water is the same; what you are paying for is the furniture and the shower.
The signs at each entrance are the authority on which stretch is which, and the arrangement changes by season.
Swimming season
The sea here is warm far later in the year than most of the Mediterranean, and early autumn is the best swimming of the year — warmer water, thinner crowds. See when to come.
