Kaleiçi
The old town: restored Ottoman houses turned into small hotels, the harbor below, everything walkable. The most atmospheric and the most touristed, and sound carries in those lanes at night.
Around the clock tower and Muratpaşa
Just outside the walls, where the old town meets the ordinary city: the shopping streets, the Muratpaşa mosque, and the best everyday eating. Convenient without being a stage set.
Konyaaltı
West, along the pebble beach: newer, more spread out, the museum and the aquarium at hand, mountains in the windows. Good for a beach stay that is still in the city.
Lara
East, where the sand and the very large hotels are. It is a resort strip rather than a neighborhood, and the old town is a taxi ride away.
Inland
The city climbs away from the coast into ordinary Turkish suburbs. Cheaper, hotter, and a long way from everything in this guide.
