Ninety seconds on Termessos
Termessos sits above 1,000 metres on Güllük Dağı, and you walk its walls, tombs and theatre almost as they fell, in a city Alexander the Great likened to a hawk's nest and could not take.
Termessos is one of the best-preserved ancient cities in Turkey, and almost none of it has been dug. A first excavation began in 2025 in one zone of the site; the rest of the city lies where it fell.
The city was abandoned after an earthquake broke its water supply, and it sat too high and too far out for its stone to be carted away. That is why so much still stands: the walls and towers, Hadrian's Gate, the gymnasium, the agora and the odeon.
Save your longest stop for the theatre, which seats 4,000 to 5,000. Climb to the upper rows, where the whole bowl seems to float among the mountaintops.
Look for the five large cisterns that held the city's water. Out on the slope, the west necropolis spreads monumental tombs across the hillside, among them the Lion Tomb, the tomb of Agatemeros and the Tomb of Alcetas, where a horseman is carved in relief.
One famous piece has left the mountain. The Dog Sarcophagus from Termessos is on show in the Antalya Museum, so add the museum to your day back in town.
Before the heat builds, pay the park entry on the way in, then drive on up the road to the car park at the top.
The path starts with a short, steep climb through the old city walls. Past the walled-city entrance, continue about ten minutes through the ruins to the sign pointing left for the theatre.
See the theatre first, while it is quiet, then work back through the agora and the cisterns. Finish among the rock tombs and the Tomb of Alcetas before you walk down to the car park.
On the way out, the park's visitor centre holds a small interactive natural history museum, beside a day-use area with picnic tables, water fountains and toilets.
There is nothing to buy at the ruins, so carry all your water and food for the day. The café and small museum at the entrance may be closed if you arrive early.
Loose rock covers the upper paths, so wear shoes with a firm sole; the climb is harder than the photographs suggest. Phone signal is weak or absent inside the park, and signage on the site is thin, so download a map and read up before you leave Antalya.
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