Dalaman Airport→Avsallar

You land at Dalaman Airport (DLM) on the Turquoise Coast, and your hotel is in Avsallar, the quiet beach town on the western side of Alanya. Between the two lies a real journey: about 264 km, which we plan as roughly 278 minutes, or just under four and a half hours behind the wheel before any stops. We will not dress that up as a quick hop. It is a long road day, and the best way to enjoy it is to treat it as the first scenic leg of your holiday, not as a chore between the plane and the pool.

A private Turkey Transfer car suits this distance because everything is handled in one piece. Your driver meets you at the airport, loads the bags, and takes you straight to your hotel door. There are no changes of vehicle, no waiting at a bus station, and no sharing the seats with strangers who are heading to different hotels. This page walks through the whole trip: the drive, the stops, the arrival, what Avsallar and its neighbours are like, and how to plan the journey back to Dalaman when the holiday ends.

Before the details, one honest point. Avsallar is much closer to Antalya Airport (AYT), which is about 90 km away and normally takes around 1 hour 10 to 20 minutes. In busy summer traffic on the coastal D-400 road that can stretch to about an hour and a half. If your flights are not booked yet and you can find a sensible connection into Antalya, it is the easier choice for a stay in Avsallar.

Plenty of travellers still land at Dalaman for good reasons:

• They found a direct flight from their home airport that suits their dates and budget.
• They spent the first days of the trip around Fethiye, Ölüdeniz, Dalyan or Marmaris and are now moving on to the Alanya side.
• They are a family or a larger group who want one car for the whole distance and no luggage changes on the way.

If one of these is you, this transfer fits well. If you are not sure, message us before you book and we will tell you plainly whether a flight into Antalya would save you a day of travelling.

The route heads east from Dalaman along the Mediterranean coast. For a large part of the trip the sea is never far away, and the scenery changes every hour. The first stretch belongs to the Lycian coast, where pine-covered mountains drop steeply toward bays and small coves, and the road climbs and bends along the hillsides. Further east the landscape opens out around the great curve of Antalya Bay. Beyond Antalya, the flatter coastal plain leads on through the Manavgat and Side area and then into the last stretch toward Alanya. The Taurus Mountains stand along the northern side for much of the way, and in spring they often still carry snow on the highest summits while you ride past orange groves and greenhouses on the plain.

Our guide figure of 278 minutes is driving time in ordinary conditions. In practice the real day is longer, because a family on a four-and-a-half-hour drive stops. Add a coffee break, a meal stop, and a quiet half hour for children to run around, and the door-to-door day comes closer to five or even five and a half hours. We suggest you plan around that, and not around the pure driving time.

Typical times. Early morning and mid-morning are the calmest periods on the coastal road. Traffic is lightest before the day-trippers and excursion coaches fill the lanes, and the sun is not yet at its strongest. Late afternoon in July and August is when the road can slow around the larger towns, especially where coastal roads pass through built-up areas near Antalya and Manavgat.

Busy times. Peak summer weekends and the changeover days at hotels put more cars on the coast. A local driver reads these patterns every day and chooses when to stop and when to push on, so the busy sections cost you less time than they would cost a visitor with a rental car and a navigation app.

What the driver does for you. The driver watches fuel, rest and road conditions so you can look out of the window or sleep. The car is air-conditioned, which matters a great deal in summer when the afternoon temperature along this coast is high. If the cabin gets too warm or too cold, just say so.

Dalaman has a single terminal, so finding your driver is simple. After your flight lands and you collect your bags, you come out through arrivals and your driver is waiting with a sign showing your name. We track your flight number, so a delayed arrival does not leave you stranded and does not ruin the plan. The driver adjusts to the real landing time.

Because the drive is long, a few small habits help a lot:

• Use the airport restroom before you leave the terminal. It is a long time to the next planned stop.
• Tell the driver at pickup if anyone in the party gets travel sick, so that the front seat or the stops can be arranged.
• Share your hotel name and your arrival time at the hotel, if it matters, when you book, so the driver can plan the day.

If you need child or infant seats, note them when you book and they will be ready in the car. For families with young children this removes one of the biggest worries of a long ride.

You set the pace. You can ask for a stop at any sensible place: for the restroom, for tea or coffee, for a meal, or just to let the children out of the seat for a few minutes. The service stations around Manavgat make a natural halfway-to-the-end break, because they are close enough to Avsallar that the last part of the trip feels short once you are back in the car. Turkish roadside stops are generally easy to use. Many have a small shop, a grill or a snack counter, and clean restrooms.

If you land in the afternoon, think about a proper evening meal stop on the way. Many travellers prefer a seated dinner somewhere along the road, not a hurried snack, then arrive at the hotel tired but fed. If you land in the morning, a late lunch is easier. Tell your driver what you prefer and the day will be shaped around it.

Avsallar sits on the coast about 25 km west of central Alanya. It is a small town stretched along the shore, with the hotels spread along the beach side and the village centre a short distance back. When you reach the area, the driver takes you directly to your hotel entrance. We do not stop at a central point and ask you to walk or find another taxi.

Many guests here stay in the big all-inclusive resorts. Among the hotels our drivers regularly bring guests to are Granada Luxury Beach, Pegasos Royal, Utopia Resort & Residence and Grand SunLife. Our drivers know the entrances, the drop-off points and the driveways of these hotels, so you do not spend the end of a long day circling the road while the driver searches a map. If your hotel is a smaller apart-hotel, give us its name and address when you book, and add a map location if you can.

Some practical points for arrival:

• Check-in time. Hotels commonly have a standard afternoon check-in. If you arrive very early after a morning flight, you may need to wait for your room. Ask the reception to hold your luggage, and spend the first hours at the beach or by the pool.
• Late-night arrival. If you reach the hotel after midnight, tell the hotel in advance, so the night reception expects you and your room is ready.

Avsallar is a calm place on purpose. It is far from Alanya's busiest nightlife streets, and it appeals to people who come for a long beach, a pool and a slow pace. Below is a quick guide to the places around it and the kind of traveller each one suits.

Avsallar village centre. The village still feels like a real Turkish town and not a resort bubble. It has a weekly market, pharmacies, small supermarkets and an evening high street where you can walk, shop and eat. It suits travellers who like to leave the hotel in the evening for something simple and local.

İncekum Beach and Günnücek Nature Park. İncekum means "fine sand", and the name fits. The beach sits inside Günnücek Nature Park, about five to ten minutes by taxi from Avsallar. A path through the pine forest leads down to a cove with fine sand and clear shallow water. It suits families with small children, couples who want a quieter swim, and walkers who like shade.

Türkler and Konaklı. East of Avsallar, toward Alanya, you pass through Türkler and Konaklı. They share Avsallar's relaxed rhythm of beach, hotel and low buildings. They suit travellers who want to be a little closer to Alanya town while keeping a resort feel.

Okurcalar. West of Avsallar, toward Antalya, lies Okurcalar. It has a similar style, and many guests choose it for the same reasons: space, sand and a calm setting. If your booking is in Okurcalar, Türkler or Konaklı, the same transfer works there too, so mention your hotel when you book.

Central Alanya. If you want the castle, the harbour, the old shipyard and a livelier evening scene, central Alanya is the place, and it is easy to visit from Avsallar. Many people stay in the quiet area and travel into town for a day or an evening.

The beach is the main reason to be here. Avsallar's own beach is long and fine-grained, and in many places hotel gardens come right up to it. The hills behind the town are covered in pine, and the setting feels green and open, not packed with high-rises. For a change of scene, İncekum Beach in its nature park offers a cove with forest shade.

Syedra. On the hill directly behind Avsallar lie the ruins of Syedra, an ancient Roman and Byzantine city that many visitors never hear about. You can see a colonnaded street, baths and an agora, with views of the sea on one side and the Taurus foothills on the other. Entry is free, and it is a ten to fifteen minute taxi ride up from the town. It makes a good late-afternoon visit when the light is softer.

Alanya Castle and the old town. About 25 to 30 minutes toward Alanya you reach the castle, which rises over the peninsula, and the Kızıl Kule (Red Tower) beside the historic shipyard. Cleopatra Beach is also in this area. Damlataş Cave is known locally for the air inside, which people say eases asthma symptoms. Together these sights make a full day.

Dim Cave and the Dim River. Roughly 30 to 35 minutes away in the valley is Dim Cave, said to be Turkey's longest stalactite cave open to visitors. Riverside fish restaurants stand nearby, and in summer there is river tubing on the Dim River.

Side and Manavgat Waterfall. In the other direction, roughly 35 to 40 minutes toward Manavgat, you find the ancient ruins of Side and the Manavgat Waterfall. Both are easy day trips.

Avsallar is a good place to eat well without making an event of it. Most hotels here offer all-inclusive dining, so many guests eat at the resort for most meals. But the village and the coast road have fish restaurants, grills and small family places for the evenings you want a change. The evening high street in the village centre has the feel of a real town: shops stay open, people walk after dinner, and the pace is gentle.

For a more local experience, visit the weekly market in Avsallar. It is where residents shop for fruit, vegetables and household goods, and it is an easy way to see the ordinary side of the town. Market days vary, so ask your hotel reception which day it falls on during your stay.

If you want nightlife, central Alanya is the place; Avsallar itself stays calm in the evenings, which is exactly why many guests choose it. You can ask your driver to take you into town for the evening and bring you back, and we can arrange that as a separate trip.

After a long transfer day, a good tip is to keep your first evening simple. Eat at the hotel, take a short walk along the beach, and sleep. You can explore properly the next day.

A 278-minute drive is long for young children, so a little planning helps a great deal.

• Seats. Mention child or infant seats when you book. The car is then ready when you arrive at the airport, and you do not need to carry your own seat across Europe.
• Timing. If your child sleeps at a regular time, try to plan the drive around it. Many parents like a mid-afternoon or evening drive so the child sleeps in the car.
• Stops. Do not hesitate to ask for extra stops. The driver has no schedule pressure and knows the safe places to pull in. A ten-minute run around a service-station garden resets a restless child.

When you reach Avsallar, the family-friendly beaches pay off. The shallow, clear water at İncekum is a favourite with small children. Many hotels in the area have children's pools, play areas and kids' clubs. Large groups and families with several suitcases can ask for a spacious vehicle when booking, so everyone arrives in one car.

Dalaman has many holiday flights, and some land late in the evening or at night. If your flight lands at 11 pm or after midnight, the long drive would put you in Avsallar in the early hours. Think about whether that is the best plan for you and your family.

Options to consider:

• Drive straight through. This works well if you can sleep in the car. The roads are quieter at night, and you wake at the hotel. Inform the hotel of your late arrival so the reception stays open.
• Break the trip. If you prefer, spend the first night near Dalaman or Fethiye and travel in the morning. Then you see the coast in daylight and arrive fresh. Tell us if you want to plan the transfer for the next morning.

For an early-morning flight from Dalaman at the end of the holiday, the same logic applies in reverse, and the next section explains the timing. Whatever the hour, we track the flight and the driver is on time, because for us a 2 am arrival or a 5 am departure is an ordinary job.

Going home needs more planning than arriving, because you must reach the airport on time and the road has the same 278-minute driving time in the other direction.

A simple method works well. Start with your flight time. Subtract the time you want to be at the airport, and for international flights most people choose to arrive well ahead of departure. Then subtract the driving time of about four and a half hours, and add a margin for stops and for traffic. That final figure is your pickup time at the hotel.

For example, for an afternoon departure at 3 pm, you would want to be at the terminal around noon at the latest, so you leave the hotel in Avsallar early in the morning, well before breakfast time at many resorts. For a flight late in the evening, you can enjoy a relaxed morning at the beach, check out, and leave in the afternoon. In peak summer, add extra time, because the coastal roads are busier.

Some points to remember:

• Check-out. Hotels usually ask guests to leave their rooms by a set time late in the morning. If your car leaves earlier, tell the reception the evening before.

Because the drive is long, many guests turn it into part of the holiday. Some stop for an hour at a viewpoint or beach on the way. The Antalya Bay stretch has several places to stop for a walk and a coffee, and the Manavgat area is a good place for a meal. If you want a longer break, talk to your driver in advance and we can plan a stop of an hour or more.

Once you are in Avsallar, the day trips described above are all within reach by taxi or private car:

• Syedra, for a quiet morning among ruins.
• Alanya Castle, the Red Tower and the harbour, for a full day in town.
• Damlataş Cave and Cleopatra Beach, for a short sightseeing and swimming combination.
• Dim Cave and the Dim River, for a cool break from the summer sun.
• Side and Manavgat Waterfall, for ancient history and a riverside lunch.

The western side of your trip also deserves a mention. Around Dalaman you find Ölüdeniz and its blue lagoon, Butterfly Valley, Saklıkent Gorge, the old village of Kayaköy, and the Dalyan area with Kaunos ruins, the mud baths and İztuzu turtle beach. If you have time before the transfer, they are worth a visit. Many guests spend a few days there first and then take this transfer to the Alanya side to finish the trip on a long sandy beach.

Spring and autumn. April, May, September and October bring comfortable temperatures for sightseeing, and the long drive is more pleasant in milder weather. The sea is warmer in autumn than in spring. In spring, the mountains inland may still be snowy, and the coast is green.

Summer. June to August is the main beach season, with long, hot days. The air conditioning in the car matters, and we suggest early-morning or evening departures when you can. The roads are busiest, so allow extra time. Sea swimming is at its best, and the beaches and resorts are at their liveliest.

Winter. Winters are short and mild, and the road is quieter, but daylight is shorter and some seaside facilities run reduced hours. Ask your hotel what is open.

When you book with Turkey Transfer, give us your flight number, the hotel name, the number of passengers and the number of suitcases. Tell us if you need child seats, and tell us about any stops you want to plan. We track the flight, the driver waits at arrivals with your name on a sign, and the car takes you to the hotel door in Avsallar.

For a trip of this length, clear information beforehand makes the day smooth. If you want to compare it with a flight into Antalya, or you need the return trip or a day trip planned, write to us on WhatsApp and we will help you decide. Then all that is left is to land, sit back and watch the coast go by.