<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBoth Bodrum and Antalya are very touristy. Antalya being a big city, it obviously has its own “normal” local life, but chances are you’ll be staying in a resort outside the city, typically making only short visits to the city itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bodrum is less of a mass tourism<\/strong> place than Antalya, and the various towns in the area are far smaller. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBodrum is very different from other Turkish coastal cities. It’s quite stylish with its blue and white houses and picturesque architecture. It boasts a very nice harbor area<\/strong> and marina with shops, and a gorgeous castle. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBodrum castle & marina (3)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nYou can easily walk through the narrow streets and alleys of the old town to the seafront for a swim. The town has a mix of modern and old buildings with stunning views far out over the bay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are lots of souvenir shops (selling fake goods) and restaurants, but you normally won’t get harassed by merchants as is the case elsewhere. Most travelers find the people in Bodrum exceptionally friendly, including in restaurants where a laid-back atmosphere prevails. There are other commercial areas with cheap bars but these are a walk away from the town center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While some travelers appreciate the town and harbor, others view Bodrum mainly as an area of resorts with fewer activities and sights compared to Antalya. They are more attracted to the Antalya region (1-hour driving radius around the city) due to its many water parks, miles of beaches, and several beautiful natural parks (Duden waterfalls) with scenic views on the sea and mountains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Antalya also has many modern shopping malls and great restaurants. The Antalya old city has a lot of cultural sights and historic buildings. The city is often described as laid back (for a city this size) with relatively light traffic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you’re traveling with kids, Antalya has an aquarium, a zoo, the Luna Park theme park, and the Sandland park – a major attraction with sand sculptures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Bodrum or Antalya: sights & culture<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nMyra Greek\/Roman theater near Antalya (4)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nBoth the Bodrum and Antalya regions have great historical sights. Antalya has an exceptional archaeological museum<\/strong> (though some say not as great as others in turkey) while Bodrum has the wonderful Saint Peter Castle<\/strong>, built by the piratical Knights of Rhodes, which also has an excellent underwater archaeological museum with treasures from ancient shipwrecks.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAntalya also has a very small but interesting old town with some nice old buildings surrounding a small harbor – though perhaps not as attractive as Bodrum’s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Antalya old harbor (5)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Bodrum area has some ancient sites including the ruins of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – the Mausoleum of Mausolus<\/strong>, as well as some ancient Greek archaeological sites. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhile the city of Antalya itself does not really have historic ruins, there are many great ancient sites accessible on a short day trip from the city, including some remains from the city’s past as a major Roman port. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emperor Hadrian’s Gate<\/strong> and the Hidirlik Tower<\/strong> are two renowned examples. Antalya has 8 archaeological sites, the Atat\u00fcrk house turned into a mini-museum and an art museum with ancient Greek statues. <\/p>\n\n\n\nLess than an hours East of Antalya, the town of Side <\/strong>is built around ancient Roman cities, with am awe-inspiring Roman amphitheater at Aspendos<\/strong>, built around 170 AD. The archaeological site of Perge <\/strong>is another major sight, a 3000-year old city with a forest of columns. Side itself is a compact old town with nice historic sights.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhile there are quite a few ancient sites on the Bodrum peninsula, they’re generally not as impressive as others in Turkey, including in the Antalya area. The sights around Antalya are not so easy to access by public transportation, contrary to those on the Bodrum peninsula. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Bodrum or Antalya: nature & outdoors<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAntalya mountains (6)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAs mentioned above, Antalya has great nature in its surroundings, with lots of outdoors activities. Just outside the city are several mountains<\/strong> with cable cars that take you to the top for exceptional views and treks. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThere is abundant greenery in the area. Waterfalls, rivers, and canyons combine with ancient ruins to make great treks<\/strong>. If you’re an outdoor person, you can easily stay in the region for 10 days and not run out of activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn Bodrum, while the town beaches may not be the best for holiday sunbathing and swimming, you can take a bus to Gumbet<\/strong>, about a mile from the city center, which has a nice pleasant beach. You can also easily catch a dolmus (public buses) to one of the many coastal resorts<\/strong> all around the peninsula. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBitez<\/strong>, 15 minutes by bus from Bodrum, has a beautiful large beach around the bay with mostly shallow sea (great for kids). It’s a great place for windsurfing and watersports. Camel Beach<\/strong>, about 40 minutes by bus from Bodrum, is also one of the best beaches on the peninsula. Note that Bodrum has very cold sea temperature all year, while Antalya has warmer waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLarge hotel resorts in both Bodrum and Antalya have very good nearly-private beaches. As mentioned, Antalya has excellent public beaches<\/strong>, the best ones being Lara, midway between city center and airport, and Konyaalti south of the center. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBetween Bodrum and Yalikavak (a 20-minute ride by dolmus or taxi), there is also an aquapark <\/strong>where you can take your kids for the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Bodrum or Antalya: food & nightlife<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAntalya being one of Turkey’s largest metropolitan areas, it has excellent restaurants<\/strong>, especially in the old Kaleici district<\/strong>. It also has many popular clubs around the old harbor. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhile Bodrum was considered a party resort 15 years ago, it’s no longer the case today and most of the partying and night fun has moved to Gumbet<\/strong>, 10 minutes West of Bodrum center. Families staying in Bodrum are able to enjoy their time without being bothered with any partying if they choose to.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn Bodrum town, though, the nightlife mostly concentrates around the bars and clubs of the mile-long Cumhuriyet Caddesi strip<\/strong>, with at its end the enormous Halikarnas dance club which has a capacity for 5.000 people. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBodrum has lots of good places for eating fish, namely sea bass and bream, as well as for lamb kebabs and mezze dishes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For travelers staying at Antalya’s beaches, much of the nightlife takes place inside the all-inclusive hotels, with less of the nightlife happening in the city itself compared to Bodrum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turkish cuisine is quite rich with a lot of things to try out. There are Nusr-Et (aka Salt Bae, a famous Turkish steak house chain) restaurants 40 minutes from Bodrum at the port and in Marmaris within the D Maris Bay hotel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Generally speaking, since Bodrum is mainly a tourist place, it’s a bit harder to find truly authentic cuisine than in Antalya city during the tourist season- in Antalya, you need to know where the locals go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n