Antalya, Turkey

Antalya is Turkey’s fifth most populous province and the capital of Antalya Province, spread along the Mediterranean coast below the Taurus Mountains. The urban core of Konyaaltı, Kepez and Muratpaşa held 1,335,002 residents in the 2024 estimate, while the wider province reached 2,777,677 in 2025. The city is a port, a university centre and the main city on the Turkish Riviera, with an economy that runs on tourism, agriculture and construction.

Daily life in the centre is compact. Two modern tram lines, T1 and T3, connect the old town, the bus station, Akdeniz University and the airport, and buses fill the gaps; the heritage T2 tram has been suspended since 2026. Antalya Airport sits 13 km northeast of the centre, with the T1A tram running to Fatih. The climate is Mediterranean: July and August average highs near 34°C, January averages 6°C to 15°C, and most of the 1,032 mm of annual rain falls between November and March.

The foreign-resident population is large and varied, with Russian, Kazakh, Ukrainian, Kyrgyz and German residents forming the biggest groups. English is common in Konyaaltı, Lara and the tourist parts of Kaleiçi, but Turkish remains necessary for public offices and everyday bureaucracy. Healthcare is a strength: the province has 17 state hospitals, 29 private hospitals and 2 university hospitals. The old town wraps around the Roman harbour, and the city spreads east toward Lara and west toward Konyaaltı. The practical catch is the summer heat and the city’s air quality, which sits well above the World Health Organization guideline for PM2.5.