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Visiting Antalya in December

BySunMed Guide

Visiting Antalya in December

Weather in December: Average high 14.9°C, 188.8mm rainfall.

# Antalya in December: What It’s Actually Like

Let’s be straight with you: December in Antalya is not the turquoise-water, sun-lounger experience the brochures sell. The Mediterranean coast has proper winter weather now, and you need to know what you’re walking into.

That 14.9°C average sounds reasonable until you factor in the wind coming off the sea and the rain. Nearly 190mm of rainfall in a single month is significant — that’s more than London gets in December, which should tell you something. You’ll get genuinely lovely sunny stretches, sometimes several days in a row, but you’ll also get grey, wet, cold days where the old city feels pretty bleak and half the cafés have draped plastic sheeting over their terraces.

**The crowds question is simple**: there essentially aren’t any. The resort strip of Lara Beach looks like a film set between productions. Major hotels are either closed, running skeleton staff, or hosting Russian tour groups on cut-price packages. Kaleiçi, the old town, functions normally because actual people live there, and that’s genuinely worth seeing without summer’s sweaty masses.

**What’s open**: The archaeological museum is excellent and fully operating. Hadrian’s Gate, the old harbour, the bazaar — all accessible and far more enjoyable without queues. Day trips to Perge or Aspendos remain possible, though you’ll want to check individual site hours.

**Who should actually come in December**: Budget travellers who want history and food without the tourist circus. Anyone who genuinely likes off-season travel — that slightly melancholy, real-city feeling. Couples who’d rather have a good restaurant to themselves than wait forty minutes for a table.

**Who shouldn’t**: Families expecting beach holidays. Anyone whose mood depends on guaranteed sunshine. People who booked expecting the Turkey they saw in Instagram reels.

**One practical tip**: Pack layers and a proper waterproof jacket, not just a light one. You will be cold in the evenings, and the rain here comes sideways sometimes. Accommodation is cheap enough that you can afford a central Kaleiçi guesthouse — stay there rather than the deserted resort strip.

It’s honest value for the right traveller.

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