Ninety seconds on Antalya Old Harbour
Kaleiçi's harbour, enclosed by the old sea walls, is where you board a boat to watch the lower Düden falls pour off the cliffs into the sea, and where you come back at sunset to sit on the pier.
The harbour is a small semi-circular basin below the Kaleiçi cliffs, with an entrance 110 metres wide between the ends of its walls. The sea walls stand on Hellenistic foundations. At the two ends, where the walls meet the open sea, towers once held a chain that closed the port.
Inside the walls, gulets and excursion boats line the quay, moored end to end. Every day-trip boat here sails a fixed route set by the authorised cooperative, out along the cliffs and caves of the coast. When the sun starts to set, local families jump in from the harbour edge and swim with their children.
East along the coast, the Düden river falls 40 metres off sheer cliffs straight into the sea. The falls are best seen from a boat cruise out of this harbour.
From Cumhuriyet Square, ride the free glass lift down the cliff to the marina, or walk down through the stepped lanes of Kaleiçi. On the quay, the authorised boat cooperative posts each route, its length and its fare at the boarding points, so read the board before you choose a boat.
The one-hour route runs past Hıdırlık Tower, the Pirate Cave and the cliffs and turns back. The two-hour route carries on past the Phosphorescent Cave and the lighthouse to the lower Düden falls. The six-hour route adds Sıçan Island and Konyaaltı beach.
Back on land, walk the quay out to the pier. Sit on its edge for the sunset, then take the lift or the steps back up to the old town.
You need no guide here, because the boats are the tour and they keep to the cooperative's fixed routes. If you only want to see the lower falls, a public bus from the Kaleiçi area reaches Düden Park, which is free to enter. Take the boat when you want to see the falls from the water.
Come in the low season or winter for smaller crowds and more water going over the falls. Keep a spare day in your plans in case the sea is too rough to sail.
After the boat, pick up the municipality's Old Town Culture and Tourism Map. Its three numbered walking routes, the Long Tour, the Roman-Byzantine Tour and the Ottoman-Seljuk Tour, lead you back up through Kaleiçi.
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