Antalya Airport→Antalya City Center

Antalya Airport (AYT) lies east of the city, close to the Aksu district, and Antalya City Center is one of the nearest places you can reach from its terminals. The distance is 13 km. The drive takes about 20 minutes. For many holidaymakers this is the shortest transfer of the whole trip, and it suits a first night in Antalya very well. You land, you meet your driver, and a short ride later you stand at the door of your hotel, apartment or guesthouse.

The short distance still deserves a plan. After a long flight, the airport exits, the city traffic and the street layout of the old centre can tire even experienced travellers. A pre-booked private transfer removes those small decisions. You do not compare taxis, read bus signs or look for the right tram stop. One driver takes you in one car, from the terminal to the address you gave when you booked.

Antalya Airport has two international terminals, T1 and T2, and a domestic terminal. All three connect along the same access road. Your terminal depends on your airline, so check your booking before you fly.

After passport control and baggage collection, walk into the arrivals area. Your driver waits there with a name sign. We track your flight number, so the driver knows when you land. If the plane arrives early, the driver is already there. If it arrives late, or if your suitcases are slow on the belt, the driver waits for you. You do not need to rebook for an ordinary delay.

From the meeting point it is a short walk to the car park, and you are on the road within minutes. In peak season a taxi rank can build a long queue when several flights land together. A pre-booked car lets you skip that wait.

Keep your booking details and the driver's contact information on your phone, not only in your checked luggage. If you need a SIM card or a pharmacy, tell the driver. A short stop on the way into the city is possible.

The route leaves the airport on the main airport road and heads toward the city. As you near the centre, the Beydağları mountains rise on the horizon to the west. On a clear day they look impressive.

The ride takes about 20 minutes for the 13 km. That is a normal time for a quiet moment on the road. The time changes with the hour:

• Early in the morning and late at night, the road is open and the drive is quick.
• In the middle of a summer day, the traffic thickens as you approach the centre.
• In the morning and evening rush hours, the last few kilometres run slower.
• On festival weekends and busy summer days, the roads near the centre fill up. Allow a little more time.

The city centre is compact, so even a slow day does not turn this into a long ride. If you head for the old town, the narrow streets near the walls add a few minutes at the end. Your driver watches live traffic and chooses the fastest road for that hour.

You travel in a private, air-conditioned car. There are no shared stops and no other passengers' hotels to visit first. After a flight in July or August, the cool car is a welcome change from the heat outside the terminal.

Public buses and the Antray tram do reach the city. However, you carry your luggage between stops and sometimes change lines. With small children or heavy cases this is hard work. A taxi on the meter can climb in price when traffic is slow, and few drivers speak much English. A private transfer avoids both problems, and your driver already knows the awkward entrances and the side streets near your address.

Where the drive ends depends on where you sleep. Each part of the city has its own drop-off style.

Kaleiçi is the historic walled quarter. It has Ottoman-era wooden houses, narrow cobbled lanes, hidden courtyards and a Roman harbour. Many streets are pedestrian-only or too narrow for a car.

If your hotel is inside Kaleiçi, the driver brings you as close as the streets allow, usually near the edge of the old town. The driver then shows you the way on foot to your entrance. A small wheeled case rolls well on smooth paving but not so well on old stone, so pack light if you can. If you carry several big bags, ask your hotel in advance whether staff can meet you at the nearest point.

The grand entrance to the old town is Hadrian's Gate, also called Üçkapılar. It is a triple-arched marble gate built for the visit of Emperor Hadrian in AD 130, and it still stands almost whole. A short walk away stands the Yivli Minaret, the Fluted Minaret. This brick minaret has become the unofficial symbol of Antalya.

Expect the trip to the Kaleiçi entrance to take a little longer than 20 minutes. Some guides quote 25 to 30 minutes, because the last streets around the old town are busy.

Konyaaltı lies west of the centre. It is a long pebble beach district under the Beydağları mountains. If you book an apartment or hotel along this seafront, the driver takes the coastal approach and brings you directly to your building. There is no walk at the end.

Lara Beach lies on the eastern side of the city. Its shoreline is sandier than Konyaaltı, and beach clubs and hotels line it. The airport is east of the city, so Lara sits on your side of town on arrival.

Some guests stay in the everyday part of the centre, around Cumhuriyet Square and the shopping streets. Shops, cafes and transport are close. The Crowne Plaza Antalya is one hotel here that we serve often. It suits business travellers and families, because it lies close to both the city centre and the beach.

Give us the exact address when you book. The driver then follows the door-to-door route.

Antalya city centre is really two cities in one. One is the layered history of Kaleiçi. The other is the daily rhythm of a modern Mediterranean city with beaches, parks and a working harbour. Choose your base by the kind of holiday you want.

Kaleiçi suits travellers who want atmosphere. You wake up inside the old walls and walk to the harbour, the gate and the minaret in minutes. The trade-off is the narrow streets. Luggage is harder, and some lanes are lively at night near the restaurants.

Konyaaltı suits travellers whose priority is the beach. The long promenade is good for walking and cycling, and there are many beach cafes. It is more spacious and relaxed than the old town.

The modern centre suits travellers who want convenience, such as business visitors and families who like ordinary city comforts.

Distances inside the city are short. From Kaleiçi to Konyaaltı, Lara or the Düden waterfalls, a taxi usually takes 10 to 20 minutes. You can sleep in one place and visit the others easily.

West of the centre, Konyaaltı Beach runs for kilometres along its pebble shoreline. The promenade is wide and suits an easy morning walk, a bicycle ride or a long lunch at a beach cafe. The mountains behind the beach make it one of the most photographed views of the city.

East of the centre, Lara Beach is the sandier choice. Both beaches are about a 15 to 20 minute taxi ride from the centre.

Right above Kaleiçi, on the cliff edge, lies Karaalioğlu Park. It is a good place at any hour. Palm-lined paths lead along the edge, and you look straight down onto the harbour and the sea. Many visitors go there on the first evening, because it is a short walk from the old town and a gentle way to stretch your legs after the flight.

Further east, near Lara, the Lower Düden Waterfall drops straight into the Mediterranean. A boat trip lets you see it from the water, and it is one of the more memorable things to do here. The Upper Düden Waterfall is a separate spot further inland, more of a forested picnic area around the falls.

Toward Konyaaltı you find the Antalya Archaeological Museum, one of the most important museums in Turkey. It holds statues and mosaics excavated from the ancient cities nearby, such as Perge, Side and Aspendos. It makes a good plan for a hot afternoon, because it keeps you out of the midday sun.

The Tünektepe cable car climbs to a viewpoint above the city and the bay. At the top there is a cafe and a viewing terrace. The view shows you how Antalya sits between the sea and the mountains.

Inside the old town, the Clock Tower and the Kesik Minaret, the Truncated Minaret, are two more landmarks that fit easily into a walk. ## Eating, shopping and evenings

The old Roman harbour is lined with fish restaurants. It is also the departure point for most of the boat tours around the bay. A sunset drink here, overlooking the yachts, is a classic Antalya evening. On your first night, a walk down to the harbour is an easy start to the holiday.

Kaleiçi has its own lanes of small shops. For bigger shopping trips there are malls such as TerraCity and Mark Antalya, and the streets around Cumhuriyet Square. The centre feels like a real working city, so local people share the restaurants and promenades with visitors.

The short ride suits families. Twenty minutes is easy for a tired child, and you avoid waiting at a bus stop with luggage.

• Request a child seat when you book, so the right seat is in the car when you arrive.
• Tell the driver if you need a pharmacy for medicine or sun cream. A stop on the way in is possible.

Once you settle in, the centre offers easy family plans. Karaalioğlu Park gives children space to run. The Antalya Aquarium is a popular choice for families staying in the centre. The beaches at Konyaaltı and Lara are both simple half-day trips. In Kaleiçi, remember that the narrow lanes are crowded in the evening and a pushchair is harder to push on uneven stone.

Whatever time your flight lands, including late at night, your driver waits in the terminal with your name on a sign. The driver carries your bags and takes you straight to your hotel door.

Late arrivals bring two practical points:

• Tell your hotel or apartment host your landing time. A private apartment may need a code or a person to open the door.
• Keep your booking reference and the host's phone number ready before you leave the airport.

At night the roads are clear, so the ride is often quicker than the daytime figure. The final streets near the old town are still narrow, though. If you arrive at two or three in the morning, the lanes are quiet, but the walk from the drop-off point is still on cobbles.

After an early-morning landing, your room may not be ready at once. Ask your hotel in advance whether staff can store your luggage. Then you can walk to the harbour or the park for breakfast and leave your bags at the desk.

The same short distance helps you on the return journey. The ride is again about 20 minutes, but plan your pickup time with more care than on arrival. A missed flight costs far more than an extra half hour at the terminal.

Use this simple plan:

1. Check your flight time and the check-in opening time for your airline.
2. Decide how early you want to reach the terminal. For international flights, many travellers arrive well ahead of departure.
3. Add extra time for traffic. The summer road to the airport can be slow in the middle of the day.
4. Add a margin if you stay in Kaleiçi. The driver may wait at the edge of the old town, and you must walk to the car with your bags.

If you stay inside the old walls, tell your hotel the pickup time the night before, so staff can help you carry bags to the meeting point. If you stay in Konyaaltı, the driver comes to the door of your building. On the day, the driver tracks the traffic and tells you if an earlier start is wise.

Show the driver your flight details, so the drop-off is at the right terminal, whether that is T1, T2 or the domestic terminal.

Antalya has a Mediterranean climate with more than 300 days of sunshine. Summers are hot, often 35 degrees Celsius or more. Winters are mild, around 15 degrees. The sea season runs from April to November.

• Spring and autumn are good for sightseeing. The weather is warm, the beaches are open, and a walk through Kaleiçi or a visit to the museum is comfortable.
• Summer is the peak beach season. The heat is strong in the middle of the day, so plan old-town walks for the morning or evening. The airport roads are busy, so allow a little extra time on transfer days.
• Winter is quiet and mild. The Archaeological Museum, the old town and the cafes still work well. It is a good time for a city break when you want culture more than the beach.

Whatever the season, the transfer stays simple. You land, you meet your driver, and in about 20 minutes you are at your door. Antalya City Center rewards a longer stay, because its old town, parks, beaches and museum sit close together.

Antalya works well as a base, because the ancient sites of the Pamphylian plain lie east of the city, in the same direction as the airport. You can see them in half-day or full-day outings and sleep in the same hotel each night.

• Perge is the closest. This ruined Greco-Roman city has a long colonnaded street, a stadium and the remains of city gates. It is a short drive from the centre, so it fits a morning before the heat builds.
• Aspendos is further out. Its Roman theatre is one of the best preserved in the Mediterranean world, and the stage building still stands. Plan a half day.
• Side is the longest of the three. Its temple of Apollo stands beside the sea, and the old town sits on a small peninsula with a harbour and a long beach. Plan most of a day, and add the Aspendos theatre if you want a full classical tour.

West of the city, the coast road leads toward Kemer and the Beydağları foothills. The D-400 highway can be busy in summer, so leave early and return before the evening rush. If you prefer a single driver for the whole day, ask when you book. A private car lets you stop for photographs and leave a site when you are ready.

Antalya has a local kitchen that differs from the rest of Turkey, and you can taste it within a few streets of the old town.

• Piyaz is the city's famous white bean salad. Cooks dress it with a tahini sauce, onion, parsley and egg. Locals eat it as a starter or as a light lunch.
• Hibeş is a smooth tahini and chickpea spread, served with bread. It is a classic meze here.
• Fish is the harbour speciality. The restaurants around the Roman harbour serve the catch of the day, usually grilled with salad.
• Citrus and fresh juice are everywhere. Orange groves surround the city, and juice stands are easy to find on warm days.

For a quieter meal, walk the lanes of Kaleiçi away from the harbour. Small courtyard restaurants there serve traditional dishes at a slower pace than the waterfront.

For breakfast, look for a cafe near Cumhuriyet Square. Turkish tea arrives in small glasses and refills are normal. A simple breakfast of bread, tomato, cucumber, cheese and olives is a good way to begin a sightseeing day.

Antalya is a popular base for families, friends travelling together and sports visitors. The route is short, but the vehicle still matters. Seven people with seven suitcases do not fit in a saloon car.

• Tell us the exact number of passengers when you book, so we send a car with enough seats.
• Count your large items: golf bags, bicycle boxes, surfboards, prams and diving cases. These take far more room than ordinary suitcases.
• Large groups can book more than one vehicle. Give each driver the name of the lead traveller, so everyone finds the right car in the arrivals hall.

If you stay inside Kaleiçi with bulky gear, plan the last stretch. The car stops at the edge of the old town, and you roll your bags over uneven stone. A bicycle box or golf bag is awkward there. Ask your hotel whether staff can meet you at the drop-off point, or choose a hotel on the Konyaaltı or Lara side, where the driver reaches the front door.

The distance from the centre to the airport is only 13 km, so an evening flight leaves you a whole day in Antalya. Plan it in three steps.

1. Morning. Check out of your room, and leave your bags at the hotel desk. Most hotels hold luggage for departing guests, but confirm this the night before.
2. Afternoon. Choose one place in the centre. Walk Karaalioğlu Park, visit the museum, or ride the Tünektepe cable car. In summer, the museum is a cool choice at midday.
3. Late afternoon. Collect your bags, change clothes if you need to, and meet your driver at the agreed time.

Keep the beach for the morning if you can. A swim and a shower leave little time before the pickup, and salt water in a suitcase is a poor start to the journey home. If you stay by the sea, a short walk along the Konyaaltı promenade is a calm last memory.

Buy your last gifts before the day of travel. Spice, tea and sweets from the shops around Cumhuriyet Square pack easily.

Tell the driver which terminal your airline uses, so you reach the correct departures door.