Things to do in Antalya between appointments
A treatment week has gaps: days when you are waiting for teeth to be made or healing between visits. Antalya is a good city to fill them gently. Here are ideas that suit a recovering patient.
Medically reviewed by Dt. Hüseyin Yavuz Özbek, implant surgeon · Updated October 2026Between appointments, choose things that are calm, shaded and close to your hotel: a slow walk around the old town (Kaleiçi) and Hadrian’s Gate, an hour in Antalya Museum, the clifftop gardens of Karaalioğlu Park, or a café on the Konyaaltı seafront. Avoid strenuous trips, long hours in the sun, swimming and alcohol in the days after surgery or extractions, and keep your phone on in case the clinic needs you.
One of the reasons people choose Antalya for dental treatment is that it is a pleasant place to be while you wait. Implant and crown treatment involves gaps: a day or two after a scan while the plan is finalised, rest days after surgery, waiting days while the laboratory makes your teeth. You will spend some of that time resting in your room. The rest can be spent enjoying one of the Mediterranean’s most attractive old cities, gently.
This article suggests things to do that suit a patient between appointments: nothing too strenuous, much of it in the shade, and close to most of the clinics. For trips further afield, see day trips from Antalya after treatment.
First, the ground rules
- Follow your dentist’s advice. After implant surgery, extractions or gum surgery, the first 24 to 48 hours are for rest.
- Keep your phone on. Clinics sometimes move appointments, especially try-ins that depend on the laboratory.
- Stay close. Choose things within a short taxi ride of your hotel and clinic.
- Avoid heat, sun and exertion in the days after surgery. Go out early or late.
- No swimming, steam rooms or alcohol until your dentist says it is fine. See what to avoid after treatment.
Kaleiçi, the old town
Antalya’s old town sits inside walls that date, according to the Turkish tourism authority, from the Hellenistic to the Ottoman periods, and holds around 3,000 houses with tiled roofs. It is a maze of narrow lanes, restored wooden houses, small hotels, craft shops and cafés, sloping down to the old harbour. An hour’s slow wander here, stopping for a drink in a courtyard café, is the perfect outing for a rest day.
The streets are cobbled and some are steep, so wear good shoes and take it slowly. Go in the morning or late afternoon in summer.
Hadrian’s Gate
The main entrance to Kaleiçi is Hadrian’s Gate, built around 130 AD in honour of the Roman emperor Hadrian. It is one of the best-preserved Roman monuments in the city and stands on a flat street, so it is easy to reach.
The Yivli Minaret
The fluted Yivli Minaret, from the Seljuk period, is one of the symbols of the city and stands at the top of the old town, near the clock tower. It is part of a complex of historic buildings including a mosque and a former dervish lodge.
The old harbour
The historic marina below the old town is lined with restaurants and boats. Boat trips leave from here to nearby cliffs and waterfalls; they are better saved for after your treatment, when you can enjoy them without worrying about sea spray, sun and a sore mouth.
Antalya Museum
If you only do one indoor thing, make it Antalya Museum, on the western side of the centre. Founded in 1922 and in its current building since 1972, it has 14 exhibition halls and is known especially for its Roman sculptures from Perge. It is cool, quiet and calm, which makes it ideal for a hot afternoon or a day when you do not feel like walking far. The museum is near the tram line and a short taxi ride from most hotels.
Karaalioğlu Park and the clifftop
Just outside the old town walls, Karaalioğlu Park is a large green space of gardens and shaded paths along the top of the cliffs, with terraces looking out over the sea to the mountains. The 14-metre Hıdırlık Tower, from the second century, stands at the corner of the old walls inside the park. The paths are mostly flat, there are benches, and the sea breeze makes it more comfortable than the streets on a warm day. It is a lovely place to watch the sunset.
Konyaaltı seafront
To the west of the centre, Konyaaltı beach runs for several kilometres, backed by a promenade with cafés, playgrounds and parks. Even if you cannot swim yet, a slow walk or a seat in a beach café with a view of the mountains is a pleasant way to spend an evening. If your clinic or hotel is in Konyaaltı, this is your doorstep.
Eating out while you heal
After surgery or extractions, you will need soft, lukewarm food for a few days. Turkish food has plenty that fits: lentil soup (mercimek çorbası), yoghurt dishes, soft rice, mashed aubergine, omelettes and milk puddings. Avoid very hot drinks, spicy food, nuts, seeds and anything crunchy at first. After crowns or veneers, your dentist may advise care with hard or sticky foods for a while. Our sister site topdentalclinicantalya.com has more on food in the days after treatment.
Shopping and markets
The streets around the old town and the clock tower are full of shops selling textiles, ceramics, spices and souvenirs, and there are large modern shopping centres around the city if you need anything practical. Markets are lively but can be crowded and hot; on a rest day, a short visit early in the day is enough. Bargaining is normal in small shops and markets, but not in supermarkets or pharmacies.
Rest days at the hotel
Many hotels in Antalya have gardens, terraces and pools. A shaded sunbed with a book is a fine way to spend a recovery afternoon, as long as you stay out of the water until your dentist says it is safe, avoid the strongest sun and keep drinking water. A hotel with a quiet garden or a sea view can matter more during a treatment week than one with a busy entertainment programme. If you are booking your own hotel, choose with rest in mind.
For a quiet half-hour, the small parks and tea gardens dotted around the centre are good places to sit in the shade with a glass of tea once it has cooled a little.
Evenings
Antalya comes alive in the evening, when the heat fades. The old harbour, the clifftop parks and the Konyaaltı promenade are all pleasant places to sit and watch the light change over the mountains. If you are on a soft diet, a bowl of soup in a harbour restaurant or a milk pudding in a café is a good excuse to be out. Bars and clubs are best left until after your treatment: alcohol slows healing and can interact with the medicines you may have been given.
Whatever you choose, keep outings short in the first days and build up as you feel better.
A sample week
| Day | Appointment | Gentle idea |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival | Settle in; short walk near the hotel |
| 2 | Consultation and scan | Hadrian’s Gate and a slow wander in Kaleiçi |
| 3 | Surgery | Rest in your room |
| 4 | Check-up | Rest; a short, shaded walk in the evening |
| 5 | None | Antalya Museum |
| 6 | Fitting | Karaalioğlu Park at sunset |
| 7 | Final check | Konyaaltı seafront café |
Every treatment plan is different, so ask your clinic for your appointment schedule before you plan anything.
If you are not feeling up to it
There is no obligation to sightsee. Many patients spend most of their treatment week in the hotel, reading, sleeping and watching television, and that is fine. Swelling usually peaks a day or two after surgery and then settles. If you feel unwell, have a fever or the pain is getting worse rather than better, contact your clinic; see emergency numbers and hospitals if you need urgent help.
Common questions
Can I go sightseeing after dental implant surgery?
Not on the day itself, and gently for the next day or two. Follow your dentist’s advice. Short, shaded outings are usually fine once the first swelling settles.
Is Antalya Museum worth a visit?
Yes, it is one of the main museums in Turkey for Roman sculpture, much of it from nearby Perge. It is indoors, so it is a good choice on a hot day.
Can I swim between appointments?
Not after surgery or extractions until your dentist says the wounds have healed. After crowns or veneers without surgery, ask your dentist.
What should I eat while sightseeing?
Soft, lukewarm food after surgery. Antalya cafés serve soups, yoghurt dishes and soft pastries; avoid very hot drinks, spicy food and anything crunchy at first.
Sources
Checked October 2026. Where we give our own view as a clinic, we say so.
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