
International & Erasmus students in Antalya
You're here. Now make it count.
Smileys helps international students experience Antalya, meet people outside their campus and build a social life early — alongside members from all over the world and locals.
Your first week in Antalya
Five steps, roughly in this order — save this page before you fly.
Get connected
A working phone number first: maps, banking codes and every group chat depend on it.
SIM and mobile internetLearn the city
Get a transport card, work out your commute, and save the emergency number before you need it.
Transport card and getting around Emergency numbers Scams and staying safeEat and explore
Spend your first free afternoons finding out what Antalya is like — much of it costs little or nothing.
FoodieMeet people
Pick one event and go — plenty of people come on their own.
See upcoming eventsFind your rhythm
Something every week is how acquaintances become friends. Find a regular activity, and the part of the city that suits you.
Neighborhoods Clubs
Your semester, stage by stage
A semester goes faster than it looks from week one. What to do when.
Before arrival
Check how long you can stay, and ask your university’s international office what your program needs for a residence permit — and whether it has an ESN (Erasmus Student Network) section.
Entry rules and stay limits How residence permits workWelcome week
Get in from the airport, get a SIM and a transport card, and go to one event on your own.
Your first week, step by stepFirst month
Go back to something you liked the first time. Join a club or a weekly activity — the faces you see every week become your friends.
Antalya clubsMake the most of it
Try the parts of Antalya that aren’t on the first-week list, and bring a classmate to something new.
Slow days
Your first event
Nothing is marked first-timer friendly right now — here is everything on in Antalya.
Explore Antalya
Experiences from the Antalya Guide, by what you're in the mood for.
The practical side
From the Antalya Handbook.
Entry rules and how long you can stay
Entering Türkiye: Visa-Free Stays, e-Visas and the 90/180 Rule
How residence permits work
Residence Permit (Ikamet): Your first application, without the panic
SIM, eSIM and mobile internet
Getting a SIM Card and Home Internet in Türkiye
Transport card and getting around
Antalyakart: One Card for the Bus and the Tram
Money and bank accounts
Opening a Turkish bank account as a foreigner
Scams and staying safe
Scams & Tourist Traps in Türkiye: How to stay safe without becoming paranoid
Emergency numbers
Emergency Numbers in Türkiye: Call 112 and Other Numbers Worth Saving
How healthcare works
Retiring in Türkiye: Healthcare and Later Life
Practical guidance, not legal advice. Residence permits and other paperwork depend on your nationality and your program, and the rules change — your university's international office and the official sources each guide links to are where to confirm your own case.
Who you'll meet at the door
Members run every event and club in Antalya. These are some of the hosts — say hello, they'll introduce you.
Nate
Rupert
Olga
Before you join
- International students — Erasmus, exchange or a full degree — are welcome. You apply like anyone else, with no university details asked.
- Anyone can browse this page, the events calendar, the Guide and the Handbook. Members can RSVP, join clubs and meet other members; some events are for members only, and their cards say so.
- Joining is free. You only pay for events you choose, and the price is on every event before you RSVP.
- A person reads every application, within 24 hours — it keeps events safe to walk into on your own. The form explains why it asks for each detail, and your phone number is never shown publicly. Privacy policy.
Questions students ask
Can Erasmus and exchange students join Smileys?
Yes. Erasmus, exchange and full-degree students are all welcome. You apply like anyone else, and no university details are asked.
Is it free?
Joining is free. You only pay for events you choose, and the price is on every event before you RSVP.
Do I need to speak the local language?
No, but check the event: every event shows the language it runs in.
Can I go to an event on my own?
Yes — plenty of people do. Events marked first-timer friendly are the ones picked as easy to come to alone.
Is this instead of my university’s Erasmus network?
No. Smileys sits alongside your university’s international office and student networks such as ESN — it is for the people and plans beyond campus.
Meet people beyond campus.
Make your semester in Antalya more than lectures.
