Excursions from Antalya: Prices, Travel Times and What to Book

Excursions from Antalya cost from $50 per person for a boat day to Suluada island and from $90 for the classic history tours to Perge, Aspendos and Side or to Pamukkale. Price is not the real difference between them. Time on the road is: the ancient cities east of the city are about an hour away, while Pamukkale and Kekova mean 2.5 to 3 hours in the vehicle each way. All our Antalya tours include pickup from hotels in selected areas. This page covers what each trip involves, what you pay on the day and what travellers from Russia should sort out before booking.

Antalya excursions at a glance

The drive times below are each way from central Antalya, taken from our own schedules. If you stay further out, add the distance to your resort: Belek is about 33 km from Antalya airport, Kemer 45 to 60 km and Alanya 120 to 130 km, which can add two hours to each leg of a long trip.

Group tours are the cheaper choice. Private versions cost more but let you set the start time, which matters on the long days.

Perge, Aspendos and Side: the history day

This is the excursion we recommend first, because the sites are close together and the driving is short. The Perge, Aspendos and Side tour spends about 1.5 hours in Perge, with its gate towers and long colonnaded street, then an hour at the Aspendos theatre, lunch, Side with the Temple of Apollo by the sea, and 45 minutes at the Manavgat waterfall.

Two things to know. First, entrance fees for the archaeological sites are not in the tour price; you pay them at each gate on the day. Second, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism lists the ancient theatre at Perge as temporarily closed for restoration, so the rest of the city is open but the theatre is not. Both Perge and Aspendos currently open 08:00 to 17:00 every day, and the ticket office closes at 16:30.

Pamukkale from Antalya in one day

Yes, it can be done, but it is a long day. The drive is 2.5 to 3 hours each way, with an optional breakfast stop near Korkuteli and a 30-minute stop at an onyx workshop. At Pamukkale you get about 1.5 hours guided in Hierapolis, including the theatre, an hour on the travertine terraces and an hour of free time at Cleopatra's Antique Pool.

The group Pamukkale tour from Antalya includes the Pamukkale and Hierapolis ticket, which costs €30 for foreign visitors. Swimming in the Antique Pool is extra and paid at the pool. Shoes come off on the travertine path, so bring a bag for them. The ministry lists the site as open 08:00 to 18:00, with the pedestrian entrance closing at 17:00. If you want to leave earlier and stop where you like, the private version starts at $180 per person.

Demre, Myra and Kekova: St Nicholas and the sunken city

For many guests from Russia this is the trip that matters most. The church in Demre stands over the burial place of St Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop of Myra known in Russia as Nicholas the Wonderworker. Russian interest in the church goes back to the 19th century, when Tsar Nicholas I paid for restoration work, and the Moscow Patriarchate has held pilgrim gatherings and services here in recent years.

The Demre, Myra and Kekova tour spends about an hour in the church and an hour at Myra, with its rock-cut Lycian tombs and Roman theatre. After lunch comes a two-hour boat trip over the sunken city ruins at Kekova and a short swim. Entry to Myra and the church is included.

Sea days and the city: Suluada, Kemer and Düden

The Suluada boat tour is the best value on the coast. After the drive to Adrasan harbour you get an hour on the island's main beach, a pass by the Blue Cave, lunch cooked on board (for example chicken or fish with salad and pasta or rice) and an hour in shallow bays. Drinks and snorkelling gear are not included. From Kemer, the Mega Star boat tour is a big party boat with a foam party and lunch, starting at $75 per person, which suits teenagers more than quiet couples.

If you have one free day and small children, the Antalya city tour with Düden waterfalls avoids long drives. You see the lower Düden falls, where the river drops straight into the sea, the upper falls in their park, Kaleiçi old town with Hadrian's Gate and the old harbour, and an hour on a boat along the cliffs. One stop is an onyx workshop; you are not required to buy anything.

Boat days depend on the sea. Between November and March, check that the trip runs on your date before you plan the rest of the holiday around it.

Longer trips from Antalya: Cappadocia and Istanbul

Cappadocia is about 540 to 590 km from Antalya by road, so a one-day return trip means more time on the bus than in Cappadocia. Our 3-day option leaves Antalya bus station at 22:00 on an overnight bus. You tour the north valleys on the first morning, sleep one night in a cave or stone hotel and see the red and rose valleys and an underground city before the night bus back. There is no hotel pickup in Antalya and the balloon flight is an optional extra. Compare the options on our Cappadocia tour from Antalya page.

Istanbul works better by plane than by bus. Our guide to an Istanbul day trip from Antalya covers flight timings and what fits into one day.

Practical notes for travellers from Russia

• Visa: Russian citizens with an ordinary passport need no visa for tourist trips to Turkey of up to 60 days, according to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Flights: Aeroflot and Rossiya planned direct flights to Antalya from Moscow and ten other cities for summer 2026, including St Petersburg, Kazan, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk, with up to 63 flights a week at the peak. Turkish Airlines and Pegasus fly from Moscow Vnukovo; the flight takes about 4.5 hours. Aeroflot's winter schedule runs from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027, so check Antalya flights for your exact dates.
• Money: Visa and Mastercard cards issued by Russian banks have not worked abroad since March 2022, and Turkish banks stopped accepting Mir cards in September 2022. Bring US dollars or euros in cash and change them at exchange offices. Ask us about payment options when you book.
• Language: Our group excursions from Antalya are guided in English. If you need a Russian-speaking guide, ask before booking a private tour. In Istanbul we have a dedicated Russian-speaking guide service.
• Pickup: Pickup covers selected hotels in and around Antalya. Send us your hotel name if you stay in Kemer, Belek, Side or Alanya, and we will confirm it before you pay.
• Weather: July and August average a 34°C daytime high in Antalya, which makes Pamukkale and Perge hot work. November averages 21.4°C with about seven rainy days, while December and January are the wettest months at 225 to 251 mm of rain. In winter, plan history days for dry spells and keep a sea day in reserve.

Tours that cover this

• Perge, Aspendos & Side Tour from Antalya with Lunch & Manavgat Falls, from $90 per person.
• Pamukkale & Hierapolis Tour from Antalya with Lunch & Tickets, from $90 per person; the private Pamukkale tour from Antalya is from $180.
• Kekova Sunken City, Demre & Myra Day Trip from Antalya with Lunch, from $120 per person; the private Demre, Myra and Kekova tour is from $140.
• Suluada Island Boat Tour from Antalya: Adrasan, Blue Cave & Lunch, from $50 per person.

For active days, the rafting, zipline and jeep safari combo is from €59 per person. The 3-day Cappadocia tour from Antalya is from €208 per person.

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