Antalya, with its stunning beaches and rich cultural heritage, is a beautiful place famous for various fascinating landmarks. If you are a history buff or interested in Turkish traditions, then museums in Antalya are the best destination for you. These museums with a collection of local archeological artefacts and various art exhibitions will give you reflection of the magical history. Apart from enjoying several alluring natural attractions, you can enhance your knowledge about Greek gods and goddesses, Ottoman architecture, Lycian civilization and much more in these historical museums. So, get ready to have a fascinating glimpse into the rich history of this divine city.
Best Museums in Antalya: Let the Cultures of the Past Rejuvenate You
Museums are the best way to explore the past events, wonders and tragedies. This gives you a complete picture of the rich history with its amazing artefacts. Museums in Antalya are one of the most astonishing places in the world with numerous sculptures, statues, and coins of the ancient world. These are a complete heaven for all the history enthusiasts by mirroring the rich culture and history of Turkey. So, below we have listed some of the most famous museums of this beautiful city for an astonishing experience.
- Sandland Open Air Museum
- Antalya Muzesi
- Ataturk House Museum
- St. Nicholas Memorial Museum
- Antalya Toy Museum
- Snow World Ice Museum
- Antalya Marine Biology Museum
- Museum of Lycian Civilizations
1. Sandland Open Air Museum
Sandland Open Air Museum is dedicated to the beautiful sand sculptures. Here you will get an opportunity to have a fun discovery with a combination of art, creativity and fun. This is one of the popular museums in Antalya Turkey where you will find out various sand sculptures made by different artists from all over the world. This Sandland covers about 10,000 square-meters on the world’s most popular Lara beach. Here you will find splendid sculptures which are made of sand with a new theme every year.
Location: Guzeloba Mahallesi Lara Caddesi Lara Birlik Halk Plajı, 07230 Muratpaşa/Antalya, Turkey
Top Attractions: Sand sculptures, exhibitions and finest sand artists
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2. Antalya Muzesi
Known as one of the Antalya’s largest museums, Antalya Muzesi is the place where you can discover several archaeological treasures. This museum was first opened in the year 1922 and is exhibiting over 12,000 artifacts which are related to the history of Anatolia’s Mediterranean and Pamphylia regions. It’s a world known Antalya’s archaeological museum where you can explore the 13 galleries including prehistoric artifacts, mosaics, potteries, statues, open air sculpture gallery and much more.
Location: Bahçelievler, Konyaaltı Cd. No:88, 07050 Muratpaşa/Antalya, Turkey
Top Attractions: 12,000 artifacts, 13 galleries, mosaics, potteries, statues and open air scultptures
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3. Ataturk House Museum
Known as the most famous national museum in Antalya, Ataturk House Museum is a place dedicated to the visits of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk to Antalya. It's one of the best places to visit in Antalya and is located in a two-storey Ottoman house, which was restored back to its original features and character. There are several furniture and personal objects placed in the house that are authentic, and the missing items are replaced with others from Top Kapi and Kemal’s mausoleum in Istanbul.
Location: Haşimişcan, Fevzi Çakmak Cd. No:11, 07100 Muratpaşa/Antalya, Turkey
Top Location: Two-storey Ottoman house, authentic furniture and photographs on the wall
4. St. Nicholas Memorial Museum
St. Nicholas Memorial Museum is a ruin of a church which was bombed by the Allied forces during the Operation Gomorrah. It's dedicated to Saint Nicholas who was the patron saint of sailors and was erected in the 12th century on the banks of the Alster river. Exploring this impressive memorial with the 12th century wall paintings depicting the scenes of St. Nicholas are one of the best things to do in Antalya. This museum has a vast collection of archaeological artifacts that one must explore for a life time experience.
Location: Bahçelievler, Konyaaltı Cd. No:88, 07050 Muratpaşa/Antalya, Turkey
Top Attractions: Paintings depicting scenes of St. Nicholas and archaeological artifacts
5. Antalya Toy Museum
This museum is located near the pier in the Kaleici area, which is next to the panoramic elevator. Here you can explore several domestic and foreign characters making this place one of the best attractions in Turkey. From The Smurfs, Aladdin and Mickey Mouse to Cinderella and much more, here you can explore the toys of various popular cartoon characters. Everything around in this museum is decorated with trees, animal sculptures and characters from your favorite fairy tales.
Location: Selçuk Mah Yat Limanı Sok. No:112, 07000 Muratpaşa/Antalya, Turkey
Top Attractions: Toys of various cartoon characters like Aladdin, Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and much more
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6. Snow World Ice Museum
Snow World Ice Museum is a funniest indoor snow zone of Turkey with an area of 1500 square meters. Featuring house of St. Nicholus, igloos and cafes, this place will give you an astonishing experience. This museum in Antalya, Turkey is a place where the visitors can enjoy the snow with special protective clothing because of the low temperature inside the museum. They produce natural snow with the help of machines producing spray of tiny drops of water and these drops freeze just like the real snowflakes.
Location: Arapsuyu, Antalya Aquarium, Dumlupınar Blv. D:No:502, 07030 Konyaaltı/Antalya, Turkey
Top Attractions: Igloos, cafes, St. Nicholus house, sliders and snowballs
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7. Antalya Marine Biology Museum
Antalya Marine Biology Museum has been established by the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality. This place will help you to know the sea creatures, especially endangered species to protect your natural heritage. This Antalya underwater museum introduces the beautiful marine life and is built on an area of approximately 100 square meters. It has 500 species of sea creatures like flat shark, bony fish, sponges, corals, shrimp, lobster and much more.
Location: Selçuk, Tuzkapısı Sk., 07100 Muratpaşa/Antalya, Turkey
Top Attractions: Sea creatures such as bony fish, flat shark, sponges, corals, shrimp and lobster
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8. Museum of Lycian Civilizations
The Museum of Lycian Civilizations will help you to explore the ancient cities of Lycia. It's near the Demre harbour in Antalya province and is situated among the ruins of Andriake port. This museum in Antalya, Turkey with plethora of historical artefacts is known for reflecting the rich Lycian Civilization, their local traditions and unique tomb architecture. Also, the museum gives clues about the religious beliefs, social and economic life of the Lycian people.
Location: Büyükkum, 07570 Demre/Antalya, Turkey
Top Location: Plethora of historical artifacts with rich Lycian Civilization
So, delve into the cultural heritage of Turkey with incredible collections of artifacts. The museums in Antalya gives you several reasons to enjoy these wonderful places. Here you can also find out inscriptions, military cannons, ancient burial chambers and other archaeological excavations. These are also one of the leading museums in the world with several historic attractions. Also, you can avail yourself of the best Turkey tour package to explore the bustling cities, historic ruins, beautiful beaches, shopping and excellent food. This is a wonderful country with several breathtaking sceneries, intricate architecture and much more giving you an astonishing holiday experience.
Museums in Antalya - FAQs
There are several amazing museums in Antalya that you must explore for a beautiful experience. Below we have listed some of those museums.
- Sandland Open Air Museum
- Antalya Muzesi
- Ataturk House Museum
- St. Nicholas Memorial Museum
- Antalya Toy Museum
The location of Sandland Open Air Museum in Antalya is Guzeloba Mahallesi Lara Caddesi Lara Birlik Halk Plajı, 07230 Muratpaşa/Antalya, Turkey. This museum is dedicated to the sand sculptures which is a combination of art, creativity and fun.
The top attractions of Antalya Muzesi in Antalya are 12,000 artifacts, 13 galleries, mosaics, potteries, statues and open-air sculptures. This is a one of the largest museums where you can discover several archaeological treasures.
Hagia Sophia Museum is one of the most famous museums attracting several visitors. This is one of the most historical and place of Turkey and is famous for its highly admired building which has been constructed by ten thousand workers.
The location of Antalya Toy Museum is Selçuk Mah Yat Limanı Sok. No:112, 07000 Muratpaşa/Antalya, Turkey. Here you can explore several domestic and foreign characters making this place a famous tourist attraction.
The top attractions of the Antalya Marine Biology Museum are sea creatures such as bony fish, flat shark, sponges, corals, shrimp and lobster. This museum was established by the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality.
Antalya is a complete heaven because of its beautiful beaches, historical landmarks, museums, mosques, shopping, alluring landscapes and much more. This is an old town with lots of stores and restaurants as well.
Antalya is popularly known as the Turquoise Coast of Turkey because of its fresh blue waters that mesmerizes every traveler. It’s the most popular touristic city due to its unique geographical location.
