Snow World & Ice Museum Icy play area inside Antalya Aquarium

Other than breath-taking views of snow on the mountain tops in the distance, the Antalya city center doesn’t offer snow and cold weather lovers much to get excited about. This is why the Snow World & Ice Museum at the Antalya Aquarium can be a fun stop (with measured expectations) in any season: it provides a much needed break from the warmth of Antalya. Read on to find out if a visit to Snow World & Ice Museum should be on your list of things to do while in Antalya, and how to make the most of your time there.

What’s there?

On the same level as the entrance to the aquarium you will find the entrance to Snow & Ice World. Inside you will not find a winter wonderland, but you will see a freezing cold small area with ice sculptures, an artificial igloo, two separate slide areas and a rustic chalet-like cafe offering warmth and shelter from the -5 degree celsius temperatures. It is not awe-inspiring, or jaw-dropping, and it was even a bit run-down when we visited (think gray snow and hard icy patches in multiple places), but nevertheless, our kids had fun tubing down the icy “hills”.

There are lockers to store valuables at the entrance. Before you enter the area, they provide adults with coats and kids with pants and coats. They aren’t fancy or brand new, but they do an okay job of keeping you warm. You are also provided disposable booties to cover your shoes and protect the “ice” and “snow” as you walk about.

Various ice sculptures make fun selfie points for older kids and adults, but the highlight for our family was the tubing. At first glance, the hills look kind of small and disappointing, but after trying them once our kids were excited to keep going up and down.

Insider Tips

• Keep your expectations low and just be grateful for a cool place to escape on a crazy HOT summer day. If you don’t come to Snow World thinking it is going to be the most amazing part of your trip, you will enjoy it more.
• It is -5 degrees Celsius/23 degrees Fahrenheit. Wear the coats they provide. We also suggest bringing gloves if you plan on staying awhile and “sledding”. For those of you not used to cold weather like us Antalya dwellers, your fingers will get cold. We actually ended up leaving sooner than the kids wanted to because we were freezing.
• You can save money by purchasing tickets online in advance. If you live in Antalya and have a Turkish residence card, be sure to bring it with you even if you have purchased tickets online. They will check to verify your residency.
• Plan on about 30 minutes to 1 hour in Snow World if you are dressed warm enough. If you have kids and they are old enough to play freely without your direct supervision, go sit in the cafe and enjoy some tea in a warm spot while they enjoy tubing.
• Smaller kids will need help carrying tubes up the stairs and navigating the icy patches in some spots.  They might also need a push to get started down the hills in the tubes.
• Plan on crowds, especially on weekends. For fewer people, go on a weekday. We visited just after lunch on a December weekday for some “holiday fun” and there weren’t too many other people there.
• If you are thinking about paying all that money to visit the aquarium, read our post about it here beforehand.
• After your visit to Snow World, if you are hungry, don’t pay extra for any of the food on site. Instead, head just a bit down the road toward the sea to Sahil Park for every restaurant option you can imagine.
• For more family fun in the area, check out Aktur Park, Konyaaltı Beach, and the Heart of Antalya.

How to Get There