Antalya Airport→Sorgun

An Antalya Airport to Sorgun transfer finishes under stone pines rather than in a town. Sorgun is a strip of beachfront hotels set in a protected dune forest on the Manavgat coast, immediately east of the ancient city of Side. Most guests arrive here with children, buggies and a fortnight's luggage, so the practical side of the journey matters as much as the destination. The vehicle is yours alone. The boot is loaded once at the terminal and emptied once at your hotel, and nobody else's stop adds time to your day.

The route covers 75 km and takes about 75 minutes. That is long enough to settle the children, to watch the landscape change from the airport plain to the coast, and to arrive with the holiday already beginning. The sections below follow the journey in order: the meeting at the terminal, the road, the forest hotels, the beach and the lake, then the practical questions about late flights, family groups and the trip home.

The driver waits at the arrivals door of your terminal with a name board. The wait starts from touchdown and lasts for up to 60 minutes. That is usually longer than the passport hall takes, even in August, when the queues for passport control grow long. You do not need to hurry through baggage reclaim, and you do not need to worry that the driver will leave while you wait for a late suitcase.

If the flight is delayed, the driver follows the delay and waits. You do not pay anything extra for that. If you cannot find the name board, do not walk the length of the terminal with a loaded trolley. A message to +90 551 086 83 68 solves any confusion faster. Send your name and your flight number, and the driver comes to you.

Tell us the party size honestly at booking, and we send the right class of vehicle. Six passengers with six large cases fit the smallest vehicle. Ten, thirteen and fifteen-seat minibuses take the family groups that fill these resorts.

The road runs east on the D400 through Aksu and Serik farmland. The first part of the drive is flat, open country with greenhouses, orchards and fields on both sides of the highway. This is the Antalya plain, and it is the working side of the coast. You see very little of the sea at this stage. If you have just stepped off a plane, this is the moment to drink some water, put the phones away and let the children look out of the window.

Near the coast the driver leaves the highway and threads down past Side towards the shore road. From this point the landscape changes. The fields give way to pine trees, the air smells different, and the signs begin to name resorts instead of villages. Side, with its ancient temple and theatre, lies just to the west of the final stretch, and many guests see their first glimpse of the old town from the car as they pass.

The standard journey takes about 75 minutes. In the quiet months the road is clear and the drive is steady. In high season, and especially on summer weekends, the D400 carries more traffic. Many holidaymakers arrive and depart on the same days, and the number of coaches and cars on the highway rises. In that case the journey can run longer than the usual time. You can plan your first evening around the standard time, but it is wise to allow some extra margin if you have a restaurant booking on the day you arrive.

The last part of the drive is the memorable one. The road becomes narrow and runs under old pines. There is shade even at midday. Resort gates appear between the trunks, and there is sand on the verges. It feels more like a forest road than a holiday strip, and many first-time guests say it is the first moment when the trip feels like a real holiday.

Hotel entrances here are set back from the road. After dark, unlit signs look alike, and the gates of neighbouring resorts can look nearly the same. For this reason the driver takes the hotel name and not a district. Please check that the hotel name on your booking is spelled as it appears at the gate. If the barrier is closed late at night, the driver calls the gate so that the security staff open it, and you do not stand with your luggage in the dark road.

The large resorts here sit inside gardens that can be very big. The driver takes you to the lobby entrance and not to a car park somewhere in the grounds. This matters when you carry children and bags, because you do not have to drag suitcases past other hotels to find yours. At the lobby, the hotel porters take the cases, and you can start check-in while the children sit down.

Hotels on this stretch carry names that mix two places, and our tariff follows the zone in which the building stands. The wording above the door does not decide the fare. Voyage Sorgun is quoted on the Sorgun fare. Sueno Hotels Beach Side, Turquoise and Robinson Pamfilya sit on the Titreyengöl zone, even though many guests describe all of them as Sorgun.

The simple advice is to check the name of your hotel on the Titreyengöl hotel list on our site, or to ask us by name before you pay. If your booking turns out to be in the old town of Side and not on the forest strip, the Side hotel pages carry that fare. A short message with the hotel name solves this before the day of travel, and it prevents any surprise at the end of the journey.

Sorgun's hotels stand in a dune forest of red and stone pine. The forest is unusual enough that the trees, some of them centuries old, and the plants beneath them are being fenced off from off-road traffic. That is why the area still feels quiet. There is no town centre here, no main street with shops and bars, and no nightlife at the door. What you have is shade, space and a long beach.

The hotels are large, all-inclusive resorts set in gardens among the pines. Many guests choose Sorgun because they want a holiday where the hotel is the centre of the day: the pool in the morning, the beach after lunch, a walk under the trees in the evening. If you want shops, bars and old stone streets within walking distance, Side is a better base, and the Side hotel pages cover it. If you want quiet and shade, the forest strip is the better choice.

The beach behind the trees is long and open. It is mostly Blue Flag, and the entry into the sea is gentle and shallow, which makes it an easy choice for families with small children. A pine forest that runs down almost to the sand means that even a midday walk to the water stays shaded for much of the way. For anyone who wants an afternoon away from a hotel lounger, there is the Çamiçi public beach.

At the eastern end lies Titreyengöl, a still stretch of water that is really the Manavgat river widening before the sea. The name means roughly "trembling lake", after the way its surface ripples in the breeze. There are cormorants and ducks on it, and a walking path goes around the edge. It is a favourite for an early evening walk away from the beach crowds, and a few hotels sit directly on its shore.

Sorgun suits families more than almost any other part of the Side region. The beach has a gentle, shallow entry, the pines give shade, and the hotel gardens are quiet enough for children to sleep early.

For the transfer itself, a few small habits help. Tell us if you travel with a baby seat. Keep the passports, the booking details and one change of clothes in the cabin bag. If a child falls asleep on the flight and wakes at the terminal, plan a drink and a snack before the car. The 75-minute drive is comfortable, but a hungry child makes it feel long.

On an all-inclusive board, most guests eat at the hotel, and the evening is spent in the garden or on the terrace. This is part of what the strip offers: a holiday where the day has a slow rhythm and nothing requires a car. If you want a change, Side offers harbourside restaurants and a walk among the lit temple columns, and the Manavgat river landings have restaurants beside the water. The waterfall near Manavgat also has riverside restaurants, and it makes a pleasant lunch stop on a day trip.

Almost every guest that we drive to the old town mentions the sunset behind the temple columns of Side. Side is about 10 to 15 minutes from Sorgun, so an evening there is an easy plan. Ask your hotel reception to arrange the ride back, or book a return trip with us, so that you do not look for transport late at night.

Side's temple, theatre and museum are close enough to make an easy first evening. The seafront Temple of Apollo columns, the Roman theatre, the agora and the harbour all sit within a compact area, so you do not need a long day to see them. The street market at the entrance to the town fills every Saturday.

Inland, the people's market in Manavgat runs on Mondays and Thursdays. It is worth the trip for the food alone, and it is a good place to buy fruit, olives and spices to take home. If part of your group is staying in Manavgat itself, our Antalya Airport to Manavgat transfer covers that town. Boats from the river landings drop down to the Boğaz, where the Manavgat river meets the sea. A swim can be taken in fresh water and salt within a few strokes.

From any hotel in Sorgun, the best-known sights are close enough for a half-day or full-day taxi trip. We also run day trips that pick you up at the hotel and bring you back the same evening. Here are the approximate times.

• Side's old town: about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Manavgat waterfall and the town of Manavgat: roughly 15 to 20 minutes. The waterfall is wide and gentle, with riverside restaurants.
• Aspendos: about 30 to 35 minutes. It is one of the best-preserved Roman theatres anywhere, and in summer it is still used for opera and ballet performances.
• Land of Legends: roughly 30 to 35 minutes. The large water park, aquarium and show complex near Kadriye and Belek is a popular full-day trip for families.
• Köprülü Canyon: about 45 to 50 minutes inland, for rafting or a walk through the gorge.

None of these places is simple to reach by public dolmuş without changing routes, which is why a private car works well for a day out.

Many flights into Antalya land late at night or very early in the morning. We meet every arrival, and the driver tracks your flight. If the flight is late, the driver waits, and there is no extra fee for the waiting. This matters on the Sorgun road in particular, because the forest strip is dark at night and the hotel gates are hard to read.

For a night arrival, send us the name of your hotel and, if you have it, the phone number of the reception. The driver will call the gate if the barrier is closed. At an early morning arrival, you may reach the hotel long before the room is ready. Ask the reception to store your luggage and use the breakfast room, the pool and the beach. Most families are happy to spend the first morning on the sand, and the room is ready by the afternoon.

The drive from Sorgun to the airport takes about 75 minutes under normal conditions, and the distance is the same 75 km. Plan the pickup time from the flight time and not from the check-in time alone. A good rule is to leave the hotel early enough to arrive at the terminal with a comfortable margin before check-in closes. Summer weekends, when many holidaymakers go home on the same day, need the biggest margin, because the D400 carries more traffic.

We book your return transfer in the same way as the outbound transfer, timed to your flight. For a return trip, the driver arrives at the hotel lobby at the agreed time, loads the cases once and takes you to the airport without any other stops.

Sorgun is a summer beach destination, and the pine shade makes the hot months easier than on a bare coast. In July and August the beach is busy, the hotels are full and the road is at its busiest, so the arrival day needs more patience. In the shoulder months the beach is calmer, the walks around Titreyengöl are more pleasant in the cooler air, and day trips to Aspendos and Köprülü Canyon are more comfortable. The Mediterranean sea is warm for a long season, and many families choose early summer or early autumn to avoid the peak crowds.

If you have a question about the hotel name, the vehicle size or the timing, write to +90 551 086 83 68 before you travel, and we will answer it before you reach the terminal.

Sorgun draws more than family holidays. Extended families booking three rooms side by side, golf parties and diving groups all use this coast, and each brings different luggage. Settle the number of bags before you fly, not only the number of people.

When you book, count items as well as travellers. A buggy, a golf bag and a diving bag each take the floor space of a person. Long items travel better when we know about them in advance, because then we send a vehicle where they lie flat and nothing sits on top of a suitcase.

• Golf parties: The golf courses of Belek lie on the same coastline, west of Side. If you fly with full bags, say so at booking.
• Divers: Fins and gear bags are bulky. Tell us if each person carries more than one.
• Wedding and reunion groups: If guests land on different flights, book one vehicle per arrival. Each driver then meets that flight, and nobody waits at the terminal for a late connection.
• Ten to fifteen people: The ten, thirteen and fifteen-seat minibuses keep a large family in one vehicle.

One habit helps every group. Photograph the luggage tags before you leave the baggage hall. If a suitcase has not arrived, you can report it at the airport before the drive begins.

Most guests here stay on an all-inclusive board, so one or two meals outside the hotel become a small event. The area around Side and Manavgat offers a simple local table.

• Gözleme: Thin flatbread folded around cheese, spinach or potato and cooked on a round hot plate, often in front of you at market stalls.
• Köfte: Grilled meatballs with salad, onion and flatbread are the everyday lunch in the towns inland from the coast.
• Pide: Boat-shaped baked flatbread with toppings, closer to a Turkish pizza than an Italian one. Order one to share.
• River fish: Restaurants beside the Manavgat river serve fish. Ask what is fresh that day instead of choosing from menu photos.
• Fruit and olives: Citrus, melons, figs and olives come from the Antalya plain you cross on the way from the airport. The Monday and Thursday market in Manavgat is the place to taste them.
• Çay and Turkish coffee: A tea glass is offered almost everywhere. Turkish coffee arrives with a glass of water.

Antalya also has its own cold dish, piyaz, a bean salad dressed with tahini and lemon. If the hotel kitchen does not serve it, a restaurant in Side probably does.

Side sits on a small peninsula, so it has a beach on each side of the old town. The western side looks over the harbour and the temple columns. The eastern side is a wide, open stretch where the sea is often livelier. If one bay is busy, walk across the old town to the other in a few minutes.

For a longer day, the coast continues east towards Alanya, with its castle above the harbour, and west towards Antalya, with the old quarter of Kaleiçi. Both are full-day outings. Ask us about timing at booking, because the return depends on how long you stay and the right vehicle depends on your group.

Many families check out in the morning and fly in the evening. The gap between those two moments is a pleasant part of the holiday if you plan it, and the longest part if you do not.

1. Morning: Check out at the normal time and ask reception to store your luggage. Keep swimwear, a towel and sunscreen out of the cases.
2. Late morning: Take a last swim and a slow walk under the pines. On a Monday or Thursday, visit the Manavgat market for olives and spices, which pack easily.
3. Early afternoon: Eat lunch at the hotel and ask whether a changing room is available for departing guests. Arrangements differ from hotel to hotel.
4. Pickup: The driver arrives at the lobby at the agreed time and loads the cases once, as on arrival.

Because the drive takes about 75 minutes, do not fill the last hours with a trip further than Side. Aspendos and Köprülü Canyon suit a middle day of the stay, when the return time does not matter.

Before you leave the room, check the safe, the bathroom and the pool bag. Keep passports and boarding passes in a pocket, not at the bottom of a case. Then the last stretch of the holiday is only the drive out through the pines.