Lara→Dalaman Airport

The last morning of a holiday is usually the tensest one. The bags are packed, you are standing outside the hotel on the Lara coast, and one question keeps coming back: will we make the flight? Lara to Dalaman Airport is a journey of 178 km, and the drive takes about 187 minutes, which is a little over three hours with no stops. That is not a short hop to the terminal. It is a full leg of your travel day, and it deserves to be planned backwards from your departure time rather than left to chance.

This page is written for guests who are staying in Lara, the long golden beach district on Antalya's eastern side, and who fly home from Dalaman rather than from Antalya Airport. Many people end up in this position after a trip along the Turquoise Coast. Some spend the first week in an all-inclusive resort in Lara and the second week in Fethiye, Ölüdeniz or Göcek. Some book a cheaper flight from Dalaman. Some simply finish a road trip and want to be dropped at the right airport. Whatever the reason, a private transfer from Lara to Dalaman Airport turns a long, tiring day into one calm, seated journey with your own driver and your own luggage space.

On this route Turkey Transfer collects you from your hotel door in Lara and takes you to the departures area at Dalaman. The car is yours alone. It does not loop around the coast collecting other passengers, and it does not stop at a coach station. The sections below explain what the drive is like, how to choose your pickup time, how the Lara hotel zones differ, and what to do with the hours around the transfer.

Because the drive is about 187 minutes, the pickup time matters more on this route than on almost any other airport run from Lara. The simplest way to plan it is to work backwards from your departure.

• Start with your flight departure time.
• Subtract the time you want to spend at the airport. Most holidaymakers allow two to three hours for check-in, baggage drop, security and a coffee.
• Subtract about 187 minutes for the drive.
• Subtract a buffer for a comfort break, a slow stretch of road, or a late start from the hotel.

For most flights this means a pickup roughly five to six hours before departure. A 14:00 flight, for example, usually means leaving Lara in the early morning, around 08:00 to 09:00. An evening flight gives you the luxury of a relaxed breakfast and a late check-out, but it also means you will be on the road through the afternoon heat of the coast in summer. An early-morning flight is different. It means a pickup in the middle of the night, and we cover that case in its own section below.

Send us your hotel name, your flight number and the number of passengers when you book. We use the flight number to track your departure. If the airline moves your time, we move the pickup with it. The aim is simple: you walk into the terminal with a comfortable margin, not in the last half hour.

Your driver collects you at the hotel entrance in Lara, loads the luggage and heads west. The first part of the journey crosses the city of Antalya, passing the Lara and Kundu seafront, the Düden area and the busy ring roads that lead to the western side of the bay. Early in the morning this section is quick. Later in the day it is slower, because Antalya is a large city with a lot of local traffic.

Once you clear the western edge of the city, you join the D400, the coastal highway that hugs the Mediterranean for much of the journey. It takes you past Kemer, where pine-covered mountains drop almost directly into the sea, and then on towards Kumluca and Finike. This is the part of the drive that most guests remember. The Taurus Mountains rise on one side. On the other side the water changes colour from deep blue to bright turquoise. Orange groves and greenhouses appear on the flat plains, and the road climbs and falls through a series of bends along the cliffs.

Further along, the road continues through the area of Demre and Kaş, with their ancient Lycian history, and then on towards Kalkan, Patara and Fethiye before the final stretch to Dalaman. The route is scenic but it is also long and winding. That is exactly why a comfortable seat, air conditioning and a driver who knows the road matter. A bus or a shared shuttle will make this journey too, but it will do it with other passengers, other drop-offs and a fixed timetable that may not suit your flight.

The coastal road is not a motorway for its whole length. It has long, smooth stretches, and it has bends where the driver must slow down. On mountain gradients, heavy vehicles slow the traffic behind them, and passing is not always possible. In the busiest summer months, the traffic through the resort towns can slow the journey, and in the quieter months the road is calmer and the drive tends to be closer to the 187 minutes on this page.

Our drivers know the road and adjust their speed and their breaks to the conditions. You do not need to navigate or to worry about road tolls and parking. You can look out of the window or sleep. If you are travelling with children or older relatives, tell the driver at the start, and a short stop at a roadside cafe is easy to arrange.

Early morning is usually the easiest time to drive this route. The roads in Antalya are quiet, the resort towns are still waking up, and the sun is low over the mountains. Late morning and early afternoon bring more traffic, especially in July and August when families and day-trippers are moving between beaches. Late afternoon can be slow around the larger towns as locals return home. If your flight leaves in the evening, a mid-morning or early-afternoon pickup normally works well, but we will always check the timing against your actual flight.

The route between Lara and Dalaman takes you through some of the best-known places on the Turkish Mediterranean. You will not stop at all of them on a departure day, but it helps to know what you are looking at from the window. If you have a day or two in hand, it can also help you decide where to break the journey.

• Kemer is a resort town surrounded by pine forest and mountains. It is known for its marina, its pebble beaches and the green backdrop of the Taurus range.
• Olympos and Çıralı lie off the main road near the coast. They are known for treehouse-style pensions, the ruins of the ancient city of Olympos and the Chimaera flames that burn on the hillside and glow at night.
• Kumluca and Finike are working agricultural towns with orange groves and greenhouses. The scenery here is quieter and more local.
• Demre is associated with the ancient city of Myra and the church of Saint Nicholas, one of the best-known historical sites on the coast.
• Kaş is a small harbour town with whitewashed houses and bougainvillea, popular with boat trips and diving.
• Kalkan and Patara are known for upmarket villas and for Patara's long beach and ancient ruins. The sands at Patara are a favourite for walkers and nature lovers.
• Saklıkent Gorge is reached by a side road inland and is known for its cold water and narrow rock walls.
• Fethiye and Ölüdeniz are among the most famous places on the Turkish coast. Ölüdeniz has a blue lagoon, and Babadağ above it is a famous paragliding launch point.
• Göcek and Dalyan sit close to the airport. Göcek is a yachting harbour, and Dalyan is known for its river, reed channels and the rock tombs carved above the water.

Further north from this corridor, visitors also head for the white travertine terraces of Pamukkale and Hierapolis, or towards Selçuk and Kuşadası for the House of the Virgin Mary and Ladies Beach. Those places are a separate journey from Lara, but they show why many guests combine this airport transfer with a few days of sightseeing before the flight home.

Dalaman Airport is the main gateway for the south-western Turkish coast. It serves Fethiye, Ölüdeniz, Göcek, Marmaris, Dalyan, Sarıgerme and the surrounding resort areas. In the season it handles a large number of charter and scheduled flights, so the departures hall can be busy in the middle of the day and in the early morning.

Your driver takes you to the departures area at the terminal and helps with the luggage. From there, the usual steps apply. Find your airline's check-in desk, drop your bags, pass through security and passport control, and then wait for your gate. Check your boarding pass for the check-in opening time, because some airlines open and close the desk at fixed times before departure.

A few practical points help the day go smoothly.

• Keep your passports and boarding passes in your hand luggage, not in the boot of the car.
• Take liquids, chargers and medicines out of the suitcases you will check in, if you need them during the flight.
• Check that you have not left anything in the pockets or the glove box of the vehicle.

Because the car goes to the terminal entrance, you do not need to change vehicles or walk with the suitcases through a car park.

Lara is one of the longest and most developed holiday coastlines in Antalya, and the pickup point can matter on a long transfer. The district runs along the eastern side of the city, between the city centre and Antalya Airport. The seafront is lined with large resort hotels, while the streets behind them hold shops, restaurants and local life.

This is the heart of Lara. The beach is wide and sandy, the promenade is popular for evening walks, and there are tea gardens and cafes. It suits guests who want a classic beach holiday, with the sea on the doorstep. If you are staying here, your pickup is easy to organise because most hotels have a clear entrance on the main road.

The Kundu area lies on the eastern side of Lara and is known for its dense line of large resort hotels. It is a quiet zone for families who plan to stay inside the resort for most of the week. It also contains The Land of Legends theme and water park, which is about 15-20 minutes from a Lara hotel by taxi. Because the Kundu hotels sit further east, your driver will allow a little more time to join the main road towards the city and the western ring road.

The Lower Düden Waterfall pours off the cliffs into the sea, and it is one of the most photographed views in Antalya. The cliff line marks where the sand ends. This part of Lara is closer to the city centre and suits guests who want to be near the old town and the restaurants of central Antalya. It is also the part of Lara closest to the road that leads west, so it has a small advantage on a long departure morning.

We transfer guests regularly to the large hotels on this coastline, including Titanic Beach Lara, Delphin Imperial Lara, Club Hotel Sera and Royal Holiday Palace. Knowing the right entrance at each of them saves real time, especially at an early hour with a tired family. Tell us the name of your hotel, and we will plan the pickup point with you.

If your flight is early, you will probably leave Lara before breakfast is served. Ask your hotel in advance if it offers a packed breakfast or an early breakfast. Many resorts can prepare something on request, so ask a day before.

If your flight is later in the day, you may have time for a last walk on the beach or a last swim. Lara is a good place to do this. The promenade by the sea is pleasant in the evening, and the tea gardens and restaurants are used by local families as well as by visitors. For a final dinner, you can choose between hotel restaurants and the places along the coast road, and a short taxi ride takes you to the old town of Kaleiçi. The old town is about 20-25 minutes from a Lara hotel, with its Roman gate, historic harbour and small restaurants.

On the drive itself, you will pass roadside restaurants, bakeries and fruit stands. If you want to stop for a drink or a bag of fruit, tell your driver, as long as the time allows.

A drive of over three hours is a challenge for children. The best approach is to plan the day around their routines. A quiet early start often works well, because young children may sleep for the first part of the journey.

• Child and infant seats are available. Tell us the ages of the children when you book, and the correct seat will be ready in the car.
• Bring water, snacks, a tablet or books for the journey.
• Ask the driver to stop for a break if the children are restless. A short pause at a cafe is easier than a long period of crying.

Because the car is private, you can set the pace of the day. There is no shuttle to wait for, and no other passengers who need a drop-off first.

Many flights from Dalaman leave in the early morning or at night. For an early flight, the pickup in Lara may be in the middle of the night. Here is how we plan these departures.

• We set the pickup time from your flight time, using the same method as above: drive time, time at the airport and a buffer.
• Tell your hotel the night before that you are leaving very early, so the reception staff can prepare your check-out.
• Have your luggage by the door and your documents ready.

The roads at night are quiet, and many guests sleep through the middle of the journey. If you are sensitive to winding roads, sit in the front seat if the vehicle allows.

For a late-night flight, there is no need to rush in the morning. You can enjoy a last day in Lara. Check out of the hotel at the usual time, ask the reception staff to keep your bags for the afternoon, and arrange a pickup in the afternoon. This is a good option for guests who do not want to sit in a car in the heat of the day.

A trip of 178 km and about 187 minutes is long enough that the type of transport makes a real difference. Here is how a private transfer compares with the alternatives.

• Bus: Long-distance buses run between the coastal towns, but they usually involve getting to a bus station first, and they may need a change of vehicle. A bus timetable rarely matches a flight.
• Shared shuttle: A shuttle collects other passengers, so the journey is longer and the pickup time is earlier. You may also share the vehicle with strangers for most of the day.
• Private transfer: The car collects you from your hotel door, goes straight to Dalaman, and carries only your group. Your luggage stays with you the whole time.

With Turkey Transfer, the price is confirmed when you book, so you know the cost before you travel. It covers the vehicle, the driver, road tolls and taxes. Your driver is a local professional who knows the coast. Luggage space is generous, and child seats are available on request.

Some guests use the transfer as a way to see a part of the coast before they fly. If your flight is in the evening, or if you have a spare day, a daytime transfer can include stops. Tell us what you would like to see, and we will tell you how it affects the timing.

• Olympos and Çıralı: The ancient ruins in the forest, the beach and the Chimaera flames make a good half-day stop for guests who like history and walking.
• Demre and Myra: The rock tombs and the church of Saint Nicholas are a short stop on the main road.
• Kaş: A coffee by the harbour and a walk through the narrow streets are an easy way to break the journey.
• Patara: The long beach and the ruins of the ancient city make a good stop for guests who love sand and history.
• Saklıkent Gorge: The cold water and the rock walls are a popular stop in the heat of summer. It is a side trip off the main road, so it needs extra time.
• Ölüdeniz: The blue lagoon and the paragliding from Babadağ are the best-known sights near Fethiye.
• Dalyan: The river, the reed channels and the rock tombs are close to Dalaman.

Every stop adds time, and the flight comes first. If you want a sightseeing day, build the stops into the plan from the start.

The south-west coast has a Mediterranean climate, with long, hot summers and mild winters. The sea season usually runs from April to November.

• Spring and autumn: The weather is warm but not hot, and the road is calmer. These are the most comfortable months for a long drive.
• Summer: Temperatures are high, so air conditioning in the car is important. The traffic is heavier in the resort towns, so give yourself a larger buffer.
• Winter: The days are shorter and mild. Rain can occur, and mountain sections may be slower. Plan the pickup earlier if the forecast is poor.

To book a transfer from Lara to Dalaman Airport, send us the following information.

• The name of your hotel in Lara.
• Your flight number and departure time from Dalaman.
• The number of passengers.
• The number of suitcases and any special items, such as a pushchair or golf clubs.
• The ages of any children who need a seat.

We will plan the pickup around your flight and confirm the time with you. On the day, your driver will be at your door, and the long drive along the coast will be a calm end to your holiday instead of a source of stress. Safe travels, and see you at the hotel entrance.