People are attracted to Antalya's beaches and nearby ancient ruins. In addition to tourism, light industry is important, as is agriculture, particularly the harvest of citrus fruits. Antalya's airport is the busiest on the Turkish Mediterranean cost, with direct flights to many European cities. Roads connect Antalya with nearby towns and with larger cities over the rugged Taurus Mountains to the north.

The Antalya region has been occupied since prehistoric times. The earliest artifacts, found in Karain Cave about 25 km (about 16 mi) away, date to 30,000 BC. Attalus II of Pergamum founded the city in the 2nd century BC and named it Attaleia after himself. It later became a Roman city and was visited by the Emperor Hadrian in AD 130. Antalya became part of the Byzantine Empire (330-1453), but was taken by the Seljuks in 1207. The city was a principal southern terminus on the Anatolian caravan trade route during the first half of the 13th century. Antalya was taken by the Ottoman Empire in 1391. Following World War I (1914-1918), the city was occupied by Italy for a short period before its liberation in 1921 by the Republic of Turkey.