Although most tourists who choose Antalya as their destination spend most of their travel time in this glamorous city’s beautiful beaches and nature, Antalya has a great collection of historical sites and museums valuable to the city’s history. The historical side of Antalya is an underrated part of this charming town’s attractions.
Top 7 Museums of Antalya
Suppose you get tired of Antalya’s natural sights and outdoor attractions. In that case, we’ve made a collection of the best museums of Antalya to explore on your trip to Antalya. Keep reading for further information about the great museums of Antalya.
- Antalya Archeology Museum
- Antalya Toy Museum
- Ataturk House and Museum
- Suna and inan Kirac kaleichi museum
- Sandland Open-air Museum
- Antalya Marine Biology Museum
- Side Underwater Museum
Antalya archeology museum
Antalya Archeology Museum is one of the most excellent archeology museums in Turkey. It is also the most essential and well-known museum in Antalya, known as the Antalya Museum.
The Antalya Archeology Museum has an extensive collection of remaining statues, sculptures, coins, sarcophaguses, and ruins from the surrounding ancient cities. You can travel back in time and see the glory of Antalya city and Turkey throughout history.
The Antalya Archeology Museum houses old pieces and provides information about distinct aspects of culture in the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods—some pieces date back to 3000 years.
Antalya Archeology Museum has over 30,000 square meters of land space, 14 display halls, several galleries, and an outdoor sculpture garden.
- Address: Bahçelievler, Konyaaltı Cd. No:88, 07050 Muratpaşa/Antalya, Turkey.
- Timings: every day from 8:30 am to 6 pm.
Antalya Toy Museum
Antalya Toy Museum is one of the most interesting museums in Antalya, even Turkey. You may think that this museum is only for children and that adults might find it boring, but I can assure you that you are wrong.
Antalya Toy Museum is the ultimate fun. Entering the museum almost feels like traveling to the homeland of your childhood fairy tales. There are numerous sculptures and figures of famous characters from popular animations, such as Cinderella, the Smurfs, Aladdin, Micky Mouse, etc.
Exploring this museum is a reminder of your sweet childhood memories. Despite the nostalgic vibe of the Antalya toy museum, there is a collection of old toys, some of which date back to the 18th century. This museum also has some handmade Russian, Japanese, and German toys.
- Address: Selçuk Mah Yat Limanı Sok. No:112, 07000 Muratpaşa/Antalya, Turkey.
- Timings:
- Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm.
- Closed on Mondays.
Ataturk house and museum
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is the founder of modern secular Turkey and one of Turkey’s most essential and famous public figures. In 1919, he repaired his house and turned it into a museum exhibiting all his furniture.
In Ataturk’s house and museum, you can see the lifestyle of Kemal Ataturk and get a glance at his routine life in his house, as well as his influence on the politics of modern Turkey. This museum has three floors and a courtyard, and its interior spaces are filled with Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s personal belongings.
- Address: Ĺžekerhane Mah., Anzaklar Sok., 07400 Alanya/Antalya, Turkey.
- Timings: every day from 10 am to 5 pm.
Suna and Inan Kirac kaleichi museum
Suna and Inan Kirac Keleici Museum are some of Antalya’s smallest but most precious museums. Suna and Inan were two people interested in the history and culture of Turkey who decided to open a museum about this country, mostly Antalya’s heritage.
A grand collection of ancient pieces from the 19th and 20th centuries exists. In the villages of Turkey, you can see the lifestyle and traditions of Turkish people during the early years of modernization.
The founders of this museum wanted to preserve Turkish traditions and their traditional lifestyle from Modern changes. That’s why they tried to focus most of the pieces on the typical lifestyle and not the nobles.
The Suna and Inan Kirac Museum is easily accessible due to its location in the Kaleici neighborhood. You can visit it after or before your Kaleici tour.
- Address: Barbaros Mah. Kocatepe Sok, Civelek Sk. No: 25, 07100 MuratpaĹźa/Antalya, Turkey.
- Timings:
- Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm.
- Closed on Mondays.
Sandland, Antalya
Sandland is an open-air museum in Antalya, one of its exciting attractions. This museum is a collection of spectacular sand sculptures. One of the world’s most significant sand events is held in Antalya Sandland. Ten thousand tons of sand are used by 25 or more masters of sand sculpture to create more than 100 enormous sand sculptures in this museum.
If you get bored by museum tours and would rather have an outdoor experience, visit Sanland. Sandland is one of the most interesting museums in Antalya city. Unlike a boring museum, exploring it is more of an excursion than a small tour.
- Address: Guzeloba Mahallesi Lara Caddesi Lara Birlik Halk Plajı, 07230 Muratpaşa/Antalya, Turkey.
- Timings: every day from 9 am to 11 pm.
Antalya Marine Biology Museum
Antalya Marine Biology Museum is Turkey’s only museum focused on Marine lifestyles, endangered marine species, and the Mediterranean Sea. This museum has more than 5,000 aquatic species, 15 of which are endangered.
This museum’s primary purpose is to inform visitors about the lifestyle of marine species in the Mediterranean Sea and show them the beauty of this sea’s underwater life. You shouldn’t miss visiting this exciting museum on your trip to Antalya because you won’t see such a great collection elsewhere.
- Address: Selçuk, Tuzkapısı Sk., 07100 Muratpaşa/Antalya, Turkey.
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Side Underwater Museum
The Side Underwater Museum is probably Antalya’s and Turkey’s most exciting museum. As you may have figured out from the name, this museum is located under the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, near Antalya city.
Side Underwater Museum is a submerged museum that exhibits about 110 sculptures under the waters of Lanzarote Beach. The sculptures are divided into several sections: plants, historical objects, animals, daily human activities, and fighters.
You must scuba dive to explore and visit this museum and have a scuba diving license to do so. Do not worry if you don’t have the license. You can take a short training lesson on the same day and dive with a professional diver.
The number of visitors to the side underwater museum is limited, and many people plan to visit this museum. That’s why it is recommended that you book your ticket a couple of days in advance.
Final words about Antalya’s museums
Antalya is mainly known for its picturesque natural sights and gorgeous scenery. Despite its many natural attractions, there are some great museums in Antalya, and we have named some of the best ones in this article.