Antalya
The Capital of Turkish Tourism
Antalya (Adalia) is a large, modern city on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, with an enchanting pebble beach stretching to the base of the Bey Mountains.
Situated on a steep cliff, Antalya is surrounded by mountains, forests and numerous ancient Greek ruins. On your MSC cruise, you will have the opportunity to visit this extraordinary place where there is a piece of history around every corner.
The city's Archaeological Museum, for example, boasts one of the five most important collections of historical artifacts in Turkey including urns, statuettes, mosaics, silver plates, coins and friezes. A visit to this museum deepens your understanding of the ancient and Greco-Roman history of this small region, which in ancient times was called Pamphylia. The pieces on display in the museum are mostly from Perga and are presented to the visitor scenographically, as if they were in the gallery of the gods where the statues of classical deities look down on the spectators.
Perga, 15 kilometers from Antalya, is one of the “must-sees” on your journey with MSC Cruises. It is a settlement that was inhabited uninterruptedly from the time of prehistory, of which plentiful evidence remains dating back to two thousand years ago: the thermal baths, the stadium, the theater, the agora, the Hellenistic and Roman gates, the imposing colonnaded street and a Bronze Age acropolis.
Your immersion into the culture and history of Antalya will continue with a visit to the old part of the city where you will find mosques, elegant Ottoman houses, Byzantine churches, ancient city walls and famous Hadrian's Gate. The latter is an elegant arch celebrating a Roman triumph, which has remained intact to this day. The structure, made of white marble, is made of three arches and was completed in 130 AD to celebrate the arrival of Emperor Hadrian to the city. On each side of it stand towers that give the attraction, and the entire historicalcenter of Antalya, an unmistakable charm.
The gate is also the ideal backdrop for taking unforgettable pictures of your trip to this beautiful Turkish city. All around it, there are vast lawns filled with trees and at the right time of year, flowers of a thousand colors.