The Roman Empire's eastern frontier: Day trip from Antalya

The Theatre of Aspendos is the best-preserved Roman theatre in the world, a 12,000-seat auditorium built in the 2nd century CE that still hosts opera and ballet performances today, with every tier of seating intact.

What to see

• Explore the theatre itself: two stories of arched gallery, a five-door stage building, and 39 rows of seating arranged in a perfect semicircle
• Wander the wider Aspendos archaeological site, including the remains of a Roman aqueduct, basilica, agora, and nymphaeum spread across the hilltop
• Visit the small museum at the site entrance, with finds including coins, ceramics, and architectural fragments from the excavations

What to do

• Climb to the top tier of the theatre for the full sense of its scale and the views across the Pamphylian plain to the Taurus Mountains

Take note

• Open daily year-round; the site is most comfortable in the early morning before the midday heat
• If visiting during the Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival (June-July), check for evening performances at aspendosfestival.gov.tr

A wide, shallow waterfall on the Manavgat River, the Manavgat Selale is one of the most visited natural sites in Turkey for its extraordinary width, volume, and the turquoise clarity of the water.

What to see

• The waterfall itself, stretching almost 200 feet (60 meters) across in a single broad sheet, is particularly impressive in spring when the river is high
• The riverside park and tea gardens along the banks, where locals come to escape the coastal heat under the shade of plane trees
• The small town of Manavgat nearby, with a colorful daily market and fish restaurants on the river What to do
• Walk the riverside path from the car park to the waterfall and upstream along the bank What to eat
• Fresh river fish, particularly trout, at the waterside restaurants in the park