Moving to Antalya
Make Antalya feel like home.
Smileys pairs practical local knowledge — the Handbook, written by members who went through it — with an in-person community, so you can sort out the paperwork, choose where to live, and build a real social life once you arrive.
Your move, step by step
What to read, and when — from the Handbook guides Antalya already has.
Before you arrive
I'm planning my move
Residence permits and where to live — the decisions to make before you land.
Open this stageYour first week
I just arrived
Get a working phone, a transport card and a way to pay — the first-week essentials.
- Antalyakart: One Card for the Bus and the Tram
- Getting a SIM Card and Home Internet in Türkiye
- Opening a Turkish bank account as a foreigner
Your first month
I'm settling in
Healthcare, a longer-term home, family life and the everyday systems that make a city work.
No Antalya guide for this stage yet.
Once you're settled
Build your life here
Paperwork done — now the part that makes a city home: people.
The practical side
Member-written guides from the Antalya Handbook. Where a guide links official sources, those are the requirements; the rest is lived experience.
Residence permits and legal status
1 guideResidence Permit (Ikamet): Your first application, without the panic
Last reviewed 10 August 2026 · Links official sources
Banking and money
1 guideOpening a Turkish bank account as a foreigner
Links official sources
SIM, home internet and essential apps
1 guideGetting a SIM Card and Home Internet in Türkiye
Links official sources
Transport
1 guideAntalyakart: One Card for the Bus and the Tram
Links official sources
Safety, scams and emergencies
1 guideScams & Tourist Traps in Türkiye: How to stay safe without becoming paranoid
Last reviewed 10 August 2026 · Links official sources
Find your neighbourhood
Where Smileys members in Antalya live, and where things are happening.
Muratpaşa
The working centre — markets, tramline, real life
5 Smileys members live here · 1 upcoming event
Konyaaltı
Beach promenade, mountain backdrop, expat hub
5 Smileys members live here
Kaleiçi
Ottoman lanes, the old harbour, pension courtyards
3 Smileys members live here
Liman
Marina-side, sunset walks to the free beaches
1 Smileys member live here
Hurma
Konyaaltı's quiet west end, new blocks near the sea
Lara
Long sand, cliff parks, the east side's good life
Build your life here
Start with an event marked first-timer friendly — picked by the team as an easy one to come to on your own.
Upcoming events
1 on the calendar in Antalya.
Clubs
36 active clubs — hiking, language, food, film and more.
Meet the hosts
The members who run events and clubs.
Community guidelines
How members look after each other — worth reading before your first event.
Ask people who've done it
Flatmates, an English-speaking doctor, schools, a lawyer or accountant, a vet, a reliable handyman — members ask each other on the Antalya community board.
Answers are members' own experiences, not recommendations or endorsements by Smileys.
Open the community boardArrive knowing people.
Joining is free. You only pay for events you choose, and the price is shown before you RSVP.