Antalya and Iskenderun -- port reviews

Since these ports are not commonly visited, I had a hard time finding good information on them prior to my trip. Hopefully this will help some other travelers, as I have a feeling that stops at Antalya -- and possibly Iskenderun -- will become more frequent. Turkey is such a lovely country. I have visited on a land trip as well as a couple of previous cruises, but one of the things that attracted me to the recent HAL cruise I took was 4 stops in Turkey, including an overnight in Istanbul. Although neither Istanbul nor Kusadasi was new to me, the other two ports were.

Antalya -- Antalya is the more developed of the two ports. It is a gorgeous city, larger than I had expected (over 1 million people, and growing), with mountains in the distance and lovely beaches all along the coast, including just by the town. In fact, the area is known as the "Turquoise Coast" presumably for the lovely water as well as for turquoise stones. Larger ships dock at quite a distance from town in the commercial Port of Antalya; it's not walkable. Taxis were waiting at the port, and there was a sign that advertised a one-way ride to Antalya at 18 euro (yes, euro) per taxi. Not a bad deal if you could split with another couple.

Private tours are offered by some of the same groups that offer them in Kusadasi. I contacted Ekol, who offered a few options, but I ended up just booking a ship tour as I was a party of one and was already arranging several other private tours. There are several options on how to spend the day:

1) As I mentioned the beaches are nearby; a cab ride would probably cost about the same as a trip into town.

2) The old town of Antalya offers some attractions including a mosque (Mehmet Pasa Camii), a few Roman ruins (e.g., Hadrian's arch or gate), and an archeology museum that is supposed to be quite nice. There is also an old port where yachts now anchor, and some nice shopping areas.

3) For lovers of ancient ruins, the southwestern coast of Turkey is a paradise. I opted to go on a tour of Perge and Aspendos.

Perge (pronounced "Per-geh") was supposedly founded by the Hittites in 1500 BC. The ruins are extensive, and most date from the era after the city became part of the Roman empire. Oddly, our guide gives us a lot of information about the fact that a woman was once the highest official in town during the Roman years (equivalent of a mayor); pretty unusual in those days. You can see the remains of a theatre, stadium, Roman baths, an agora, city gate, and a beautiful wide street lined with columns.

The tour continued on to Aspendos, where one of the best preserved theaters from ancient times can be seen. Even more interesting to me was the remains of the old Roman aqueduct behind the theater. There is a story I'd read about the ancient King of Aspendos offering his daugher in marriage to the person who could create something with the greatest civic value in a year's time. One person built the theater and another, the aqueduct. The theater-builder won the Princess's hand -- but I'd have chosen the aqueduct engineer.

Iskenderun -- Iskenderun is the southernmost port city in Turkey; it is located very close to Syria. It was once known as Alexandria (one of more than 20 cities founded by Alexander the Great and given his name), but after the Alexandria in Egypt became a thriving large city, this one became known as "Alexandretta" or "little Alexandria". It is also very close to the ancient city of Antioch, now known as Antakya, which was once second only to Rome in size. Unfortunately, there is not much left of the old city due to a devastating earthquake around 500 AD.

Currently the number of cruise ships that stop here is few indeed. I think HAL only stops here twice a year, and perhaps one or two other, smaller lines. I was not able to locate anyone in advance that could offer a private tour here. The facilities are not really geared for mass tourism, and the locals are still a little shy and awed (not yet having realized they should be looking to part tourists from their last lira before we sail on to Israel....).

The port area, again, is commercial and there is not a lot to be seen nearby. Some taxis were available at the dock for hire to take you into Antakya.

The main draw, for me, was the Mosaic Museum, full of incredible mosaics that were taken, mostly intact, from the villas of rich and famous Romans in a nearby idyllic "summer home" location called Daphne. (And by the way, Daphne is another name for laurel; I bought several bars of the local Daphne/laurel soap and it's quite good and fragrant.) Mark Antony and Cleopatra passed time here in one such villa. I can just imagine the rich wives of the tax-forming Antiochian Romans picking out the latest in mosaic designs for their summer villas.... In all seriousness, the mosaics are some of the best I've ever seen.

Another place worth visiting is the cave or grotto church where both St Peter and Paul supposedly preached, which is known as the world's oldest Christian church. The site is not grand, but it does have a lichened and mossy charm. The remains of a tunnel that was perhaps used by the faithful to escape persecutors look tortuous and make one ponder the lengths to which early Christians had to go to practice their faith.

Some of the ship's tours also visited an old Ottoman Mosque in Antakya, but I did not choose that option. It was not a long day in port and I wanted mainly to see the mosaics. It did not appear that there were any beaches nearby. We saw lots of smiling and waving schoolkids, and the vendors were remarkably laid back; most did not speak English and would beg our tour guide to translate for them and tell us about the good deals available. I did see some nicely worked tableclothes, napkins, and the like but didn't buy anything other than the soap.

I saw quite a long line of folks at the shore excursion office following our departure from Iskenderun. It seems a number of people were really dissatisfied with this port. I found it charming, unspoiled, and uncrowded and I hope HAL will not take it off the occasional itinerary as it is well worth seeing.

Hi Cynthia ... great info which will certainly be of help to those preparing for stops in those two ports, and to others who might be considering a cruise with stops in some of the smaller ports in Turkey. Our 5 stops in Turkey (Istanbul, Canakkale, Bodrum, Fethiye and Antalya) were the highlight of a 2 week Med cruise that we took with Azamara. In Antalya we also did the ship's tour to Perge and Aspendos (we arranged all other port days on our own, but with a lack of other options here, the ship's tour proved to be convenient and enjoyable.)

Enjoyed reading about Iskenderun, particularly regarding the mosaic museum...would love to see that one. Two places where the mosaic collections stand out in my mind are Pathos, Cyprus (Roman era, 2nd-4th century AD), and the much more recent (and stunning display) at the Golden Hall of Stockholm's City Hall.

I see that you are off on another adventure soon ... enjoy, and will look forward to even more trip reports from you.:)

wonderful report, Cynthia. I totally agree with you about Turkey. We were lucky enough to stop at Istanbul, Kusadasi, bodrum, fethiye and Antalya last year. They were all wonderful. We took a private tour to Perge and Aspendos. You are right about the aquaduct. We also had time to wander around the old city. I just wish we could have had more time.

Susan, we were lucky enough to see the mosaics in Pathos last year too. They were the best we saw and that includes Herculaneum and the Terrace Houses (Ephesus).

So I need to add Iskenderun and of course Stockholm to my ever growing list!

Hi Cynthia ... great info which will certainly be of help to those preparing for stops in those two ports, and to others who might be considering a cruise with stops in some of the smaller ports in Turkey. Our 5 stops in Turkey (Istanbul, Canakkale, Bodrum, Fethiye and Antalya) were the highlight of a 2 week Med cruise that we took with Azamara. In Antalya we also did the ship's tour to Perge and Aspendos (we arranged all other port days on our own, but with a lack of other options here, the ship's tour proved to be convenient and enjoyable.)

 

Enjoyed reading about Iskenderun, particularly regarding the mosaic museum...would love to see that one. Two places where the mosaic collections stand out in my mind are Pathos, Cyprus (Roman era, 2nd-4th century AD), and the much more recent (and stunning display) at the Golden Hall of Stockholm's City Hall.

 

I see that you are off on another adventure soon ... enjoy, and will look forward to even more trip reports from you.:)

We are stopping at Cyprus on my upcoming Voyages to Antiquity cruise, but at Limossol, not Paphos. I just looked up the mosaics there and they do look nice! We will be seeing Kourion....

Also, I neglected to mention that I will be visiting Antalya again in November (what are the chances...?), and I plan to just do the city, so maybe I will be able to add some more information to my review.

wonderful report, Cynthia. I totally agree with you about Turkey. We were lucky enough to stop at Istanbul, Kusadasi, bodrum, fethiye and Antalya last year. They were all wonderful. We took a private tour to Perge and Aspendos. You are right about the aquaduct. We also had time to wander around the old city. I just wish we could have had more time.

 

Susan, we were lucky enough to see the mosaics in Pathos last year too. They were the best we saw and that includes Herculaneum and the Terrace Houses (Ephesus).

 

So I need to add Iskenderun and of course Stockholm to my ever growing list!

Thank you, by the way, for the information you emailed me a few months back. It really helped me make some decisions on what to see and do.

You are welcome. Many people, including you, have helped me.

That's great you are getting back to Antalya.

We docked in Limassol too and hired a driver and van to take us to Paphos.

You are welcome. Many people, including you, have helped me.

 

That's great you are getting back to Antalya.

 

We docked in Limassol too and hired a driver and van to take us to Paphos.

How long would you estimate it took you, roundtrip, from Limassol? I think I may have a half day free there and I'm curious if that would be enough time to see the mosaics?

We were there for a half day too. The drive was maybe an hour, perhaps less. We stopped to see Aphrodite's Rock, and on the way back, went to Kourion to see the theatre and more mosaics. We also had a quick stop to peek at the outside of the castle at Kolossi.

We were at Paphos a bit over an hour. We even had time to buy a few postcards.

We were there for a half day too. The drive was maybe an hour, perhaps less. We stopped to see Aphrodite's Rock, and on the way back, went to Kourion to see the theatre and more mosaics. We also had a quick stop to peek at the outside of the castle at Kolossi.

 

We were at Paphos a bit over an hour. We even had time to buy a few postcards.

Thanks for the info -- maybe I'll be able to get there!

Hi Cynthia,

I had a look at my notes from our trip 2 years ago ... we left the port in a shared van, arranged at the TI office at the port, and arrived at Paphos 1 1/4 hours later (picked up a couple of other people along the way, and did a drive by at Aphrodite's Rock.) There was enough to keep us entertained wandering around the archaeological park for almost two hours, and then a quick glimpse of the waterfront area where the restaurants are. There's also a nice walkway along the waterfront that extends quite a ways (for jogging, walking, etc) away from the restaurant area, between the shoreline and archaeological site.

Our trip back was 45 minutes by taxi (a direct run.) We had planned to return with the shuttle, but it was a 'no show' .... fortunately there was no shortage of taxis in Pathos, although 65 euros back to the port.

If you have 4-5 hours to spare, I would highly recommend going.