Antalya Day Trips: How to Choose the Right One from Your Hotel

The best day trip from Antalya depends mostly on where your hotel is: from the city, Lara or Belek the Roman sites of Perge and Aspendos are less than an hour away, from Kemer the Lycian coast and the Adrasan boats are closest, and from Side the ruins are almost on your doorstep. Our shared day trips start from $50 per person, and a private Antalya Old Town tour with your own guide and van starts from $90 per person. This page puts the main excursions side by side, shows which ones suit each resort, and explains when a private car is worth the extra money.

The main Antalya day trips at a glance

Most excursions sold in hotel lobbies fall into five groups: the old town and waterfalls, the Roman sites to the east, the Lycian coast to the west, boat days, and outdoor activities. Distances below are one-way road distances from Kaleiçi, the old town, rounded from OpenStreetMap route data. Real driving times are longer once hotel pickups are added.

Prices are our real starting prices. Check each tour page for what is included: some day trips include entry tickets and lunch, others do not.

Start with your hotel: which trips are closest

The Antalya coast is long. From Kemer in the west to Alanya in the east is roughly 180 km by road, so a trip that is easy from one resort can be a long haul from another.

• Antalya city, Konyaaltı and Lara. You are central. The old town tour, Düden Waterfalls, Perge and Aspendos are all short drives. Perge is only about 18 km from Kaleiçi.
• Belek. The best base for the Roman sites. Aspendos is about 17 km from Belek and Perge about 27 km. Side is around 44 km east.
• Side and Manavgat. Side ancient city is in the resort itself, and the Manavgat Waterfall is about 10 km away. Aspendos is roughly 34 km. The Lycian coast, by contrast, is over 200 km away, so Kekova makes a very long day.
• Kemer. You are closer to the west. Demre is about 96 km from Kemer and Adrasan about 51 km, but Aspendos is over 90 km in the other direction.
• Alanya. Everything is far. Side is about 65 km and central Antalya about 135 km. Choose fewer, better trips, or a private car.

Shared tours often run pickups only in selected areas, so check that your resort is covered before you book.

History days: Perge, Aspendos, Side and the Lycian coast

East of Antalya lie three Roman cities that usually come as one tour. Perge has a long colonnaded street and Hellenistic gate towers. The Aspendos theatre is among the best-preserved Roman theatres anywhere, and Side has its Temple of Apollo on the harbour. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Perge and Aspendos open every day from 08:00 to 17:00, with the ticket office closing at 16:30. The ministry also notes that the theatre at Perge is closed to visitors until restoration work is finished, so you see the rest of the city but not its theatre.

Our Perge, Aspendos and Side tour with lunch and Manavgat Falls runs for about 8 hours from $90 per person. Site entrance fees are not included in that one, so carry a card. The Perge, Aspendos and Side day tour with lunch starts from $81 per person.

West of Antalya is ancient Lycia. A Demre day takes in the rock tombs and theatre of Myra, the Church of St Nicholas, and a boat over the sunken ruins at Kekova. It is a long drive, about 145 km each way from the city, but the scenery along the coast road is part of the day. Three versions:

• Demre, Myra and Kekova tour with sunken city boat trip: from $103 per person.
• Kekova sunken city, Demre and Myra day trip with lunch: from $120 per person, with entry to Myra and the church included.
• Private Demre, Myra and Kekova tour: from $140 per person, with your own guide and van.

Inland, Sagalassos is a mountain city with tall Roman fountains and a theatre facing the valley. Our private day there with the Burdur Archaeological Museum starts from $140 per person. Few coach tours go there, which is the point.

Boat days: Suluada, Adrasan and Kemer

Boat trips are the most popular excursions in summer, and they are very different from each other.

• Suluada from Adrasan. A full day sailing to Suluada island, often called the Turkish Maldives, with swimming stops, a photo stop at the Blue Cave and lunch cooked on board. Our Suluada island boat tour starts from $50 per person with hotel transfers from selected areas.
• Porto Ceneviz and the Adrasan bays. Same harbour, different route: quiet bays such as Akseki, Sazak, Porto Ceneviz and Pirate Bay. The Porto Ceneviz boat trip starts from $60 per person.
• Kemer on the Mega Star. A large party boat from Kemer Marina to Phaselis, Cleopatra and Paradise bays, with music and a foam party later in the day. The Kemer boat tour starts from $75 per person. It suits groups of friends and older children more than anyone looking for a quiet swim.
• The city boat. The old town tours include a short boat ride from the old harbour along the cliffs and past the Lower Düden falls.

Adrasan is about 100 km from central Antalya and much closer from Kemer. From Side or Alanya the transfer is long, so a boat day from those resorts is mostly a day on the road.

Waterfalls, canyons and adventure days

Antalya has several waterfalls close to town. The Lower Düden falls drop straight off the cliffs into the sea near Lara, and the Upper Düden falls sit in a shaded park inland. Further east, the Kurşunlu and Manavgat falls are often added to the Roman sites tour. See our Düden Waterfalls guide for the difference between the two.

For an active day, Köprülü Canyon is the place. Our rafting, zipline and jeep safari combo starts from $67 per person with lunch and safety gear, and no previous experience is needed. The shorter quad safari with hotel pick-up lasts 3 to 4 hours from $50 per person, so you are back for an afternoon at the pool.

Long days: Pamukkale, Cappadocia, Fethiye and Istanbul

Some trips from Antalya are possible in a day but are hard work.

• Pamukkale. About 235 km from Antalya, three hours or more each way. Our Pamukkale day trip from Antalya starts from $86 per person. Our Pamukkale tour from Antalya, Side and Alanya page compares drive times from each resort.
• Cappadocia. Too far for one day. It needs at least two nights, by overnight bus or by flight. See our Cappadocia tour from Antalya guide.
• Ölüdeniz paragliding. A full day west to Fethiye for a tandem flight from Babadağ, from $399 per person with our Ölüdeniz paragliding day trip.
• Istanbul. Possible by plane for a long day. Our Istanbul day trip from Antalya page explains how the flights work.

Shared tour or private car

Shared group tours are good value, and for a single traveller or a couple staying in central Antalya they make sense. The catch is time. A coach collecting guests from many hotels can spend an hour on pickups before it leaves the resort, and the timetable at each site is fixed.

A private tour costs more per person but changes three things. You choose the start time, so you can reach a site at opening, before the heat and the groups. You stop where you want. And you are not waiting for twenty other people at lunch. For families with small children, guests in Kemer, Side or Alanya, and anyone who wants a slower day at the ruins, it is usually worth the difference. Our private tours come with a licensed guide, a private van and pickup from your hotel, and you can reach us on WhatsApp to adjust the route.

Weather and timing

Summer on the Antalya coast is hot and dry. Long-term figures from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) give Antalya an average daily high of 34.2°C in July and 34.1°C in August, with almost no rain. Walking around Perge or Myra at midday in those months is tiring, so start early and keep the afternoon for the sea.

Spring and autumn are better for ruins. MGM gives an average high of 21.4°C in April and 26.6°C in October. November is still mild at 21.4°C on average, but it brings more rain, and December and January average around 12 rainy days each. Boat trips depend on the season and the sea, so if a boat day matters to you, ask whether it is running on your dates.

For more on the region, read our Antalya destination guide, our list of things to do in Antalya and the 3-day Antalya itinerary. Families can use our 5-day Antalya plan for Gulf families, and if you are still choosing a resort, the Antalya airport transfer page shows how far each one is from AYT. Combining the coast with the city? See our Istanbul and Antalya holiday guide.

Tours that cover this

• Antalya Old Town Private Tour: Kaleiçi, Hadrian's Gate and Düden Falls: from $90 per person.
• Antalya Old City Tour: Kaleiçi, Waterfalls and Harbour Boat Trip: from $52 per person.
• Perge, Aspendos and Side Tour from Antalya with Lunch and Manavgat Falls: from $90 per person.
• Suluada Island Boat Tour from Antalya: Adrasan, Blue Cave and Lunch: from $50 per person.

Browse every option on our Antalya tours page, or see the wider Mediterranean Turkey guide.

Frequently Asked Questions